Manukau City Council has put in its submission on the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill. It’s the third bill that has to be passed to reform Auckland’s governance. In our submission we clearly said that the voice of local communities should be reflected in the new governance structure.

It was our council’s overriding concern, and responsibility, to ensure that the each community’s unique nature and needs are understood and reflected in the new governance structure.

I believe it is vital that the local boards have meaningful powers, funding and support. However the council is not confident, as the legislation is currently framed, that local boards will be adequately empowered to deliver for their communities.

The legislation needs to be strengthened to allocate powers and functions of local boards. This will lessen the conflict local boards will have with the council and stop the council stripping local communities of their voice.

If I am elected mayor I want the new Auckland Council to quickly get to work with the boards on how their responsibilities over and above the legislated requirements (or ATA’s draft roles and responsibilities) will reflect their distinctive local communities of interest.

In Manukau, for instance, we have successful initiatives such as the City of Manukau Education Trust (COMET) and the John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams, which are distinctly Manukau. These need the space to continue their work, and other such initiatives should also be given the room to develop and grow.

Around the region we need to find the best parts of what is happening now, and allow communities to build on those successes. There is a big threat that if the new council is not focused on delivering for local communities – that local people will miss out.

Our council was also concerned that the Bill provides for council-controlled organisations to be established or disestablished outside the normal democratic decision-making processes.

It’s highly unusual that the Government should establish CCOs by legislation, rather than through consultation with the community under the provisions of the Local Government Act 2004.

The fact is that the people of Auckland are being treated differently to the rest of New Zealand, and are therefore not being given the opportunity to have the choice in whether they should have their services delivered through CCOs.

The establishment of CCOs should be left to the Auckland Council, to allow for public consultation and input.

I’ve already blogged my thoughts on the Transport CCO here. I want to make sure that local democracy under the new governance structure is accountable and responsive to the needs of the community.

Change is inevitable, but it is our responsibility to ensure that a collaborative approach to partnership with government and non-government agencies to contribute to the community’s well-being continues at local board and council level.

We need to know that under the legislation in its final form, the council, local boards, advisory boards, CCOs and other subsidiaries will be closely linked and be working towards the same goals.”

Other substantive issues in the council’s submission include:

Local Boards

- The ability to general additional revenue could lead to inequalities in service delivery. The council notes that generating additional revenue sources should not impact on existing levels of service.
- The timing for local board plans are impractical, with the adoption of Local Board Plans by 30 April following the triennial elections resulting in rushed consideration of board and community preferences. The council recommends a change to 30 September for adoption of plan, to allow the local board time to consult adequately with its local communities and other interested parties, and to assess if the existing local board plan needs amending.

Council controlled organisations

- CCO board appointments shouldn’t be made by Ministers. The council proposes that the legislation should allow for the relevant Ministers to appoint interim boards for CCOs for set time period.
- There is no requirement for integration with the Auckland Council’s strategic goals. One of the reasons stated for establishing the Auckland Council is to have the region working towards one strategic direction. The council proposes that the legislation should require CCOs to give effect to the strategic direction of the Auckland Council and reference the four well-beings.

Spatial Plan

- There is no direct reference to sustainable development and the four well-beings in the Bill. The council proposes the Bill reflects the four well-beings of sustainable development.

You can read our full submission here.