Having a say on Auckland governance

I was delighted at the turnout at this week's public meeting in Papakura on proposed changes to Auckland's governance. It's great to see so many people taking an active interest in the future of Auckland local government.

The debate so far has been very lively. The public meeting, under the skilful chairmanship of Papakura District Councillor Mark O'Connor, was an opportunity for residents to hear a wide range of views.

In their submissions to the Royal Commission the Papakura District Council (PDC) came out in support of a single council for the greater Auckland region, and I think that's really positive. However, there is still some concern about the form local representation will take. I agree with the PDC that it is vitally important that local democracy be retained.

The Government has suggested that there be 20-30 local boards to retain local democracy. PDC has previously suggested revisiting an earlier suggestion of the Royal Commission for 11 local councils. The message at the meeting was that this would not be supported because it would likely require the merger of Papakura and Manurewa. Many people still want no change to the current structure. Because the Royal Commission agreed with the local councils who argued for the single council for greater Auckland and this has been accepted by the Government and this single unitary authority will be passed into law very soon.

It's important that the residents of Papakura, Manukau and Franklin have their say on their local representation, and I'm very keen to help ensure their voices are heard.

Once Select Committee dates are set I will be making forms available on which people can make submissions. People who wish to make a submission can contact my electorate office and we'll give as much help as we can with filling the forms and providing advice on how the process works.

Where does the process go from here? To establish the Auckland Council three pieces of legislation will be introduced this year.

A Transition Bill will establish the Council as a legal entity, establish the Auckland Governance Transition Agency (AGTA) and constrain decision-making powers of existing Auckland councils. This will be introduced next week. This Bill will not go to a Select Committee.

A Composition Bill will then be introduced. It will set the number of councillors, the split between wards, the establishment of local boards and high level functions for those boards. This will go to select committee and is to be reported back by September. It will also deal with water infrastructure.

A third Bill will be introduced later this year to provide for the ongoing governance structure, functions, roles and powers of council and local boards, and detailed legislative framework for governance arrangements. New Zealand's success relies on the Auckland region's success. It is critical that we get a governance structure that makes it possible for infrastructure to be addressed as ably presented by the PDC in its submission to the Royal Commission, including the vertical integration of Water supply and waste.

There will be opportunities for constituents to make submissions on the second and third bills which deal with the detail. My concern is that the local boards be more than "tea and scone clubs", that they have at their heart, the local communities that they serve. Our local councils have rightly noted that this detail is most important for residents of Papakura, Manukau and Franklin.

The submissions of our local Councils, Papakura District, Manukau City and Franklin District can be found as follows:

Papakura District Council:
http://www.royalcommission.govt.nz/RCCMS.nsf/0/CC2573E80010C73BCC25743200089225?open

Manukau City Council:
http://www.royalcommission.govt.nz/RCCMS.nsf/0/CC2573E80010C73BCC257433001179C0?open

Franklin District Council:
http://www.royalcommission.govt.nz/RCCMS.nsf/0/CC2573E80010C73BCC25742E0080B152?open

These might be helpful for constituents in formulating select committee submissions.

For the residents of the Papakura Electorate, comprising Papakura, Alfriston, Randwick Park, Wattle Downs, Conifer Grove, Takanini, Ardmore, Drury, Karaka, Waiau Pa, Clarks Beach, Kingseat and Runciman, it's an opportunity to have your say.