Three city model proposed option for local governance submission

Three city councils for the Auckland region, plus a Greater Auckland Council is the option contained in the Manukau City Council’s draft submission to the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Auckland Governance.

This option aims to strengthen regional governance, and local representation through community boards.

Manukau Mayor Len Brown says the option identifies northern, central and southern cities which reflect communities of interest and also the natural geography of the region.

“This draft proposal uses the example of the southern city to illustrate how this would work in practice. Manukau, Franklin and Papakura, plus Otahuhu have many similarities, including our diverse cultural make-up.

“These boundaries are a reflection of the original boundaries for Manukau County going back to the 1870’s, so in a way, it’s back to the future,” Mr Brown says.

Manukau, Franklin and Papakura also have a similar urban/rural mix.

“There is an increasing movement towards the south of major businesses who see the southern part of the Auckland region as being accessible for their transport and infrastructure needs, as well as being cost-effective.”

“The draft proposal recognises the need for people to have a strong voice at local level. This is why we are proposing that community boards have a strong voice, and local decisions made by local representatives who know their communities.

“Auckland does have some real challenges to deal with and we recognise this and therefore this document addresses decision-making at a regional level. The proposed model, with its particular representative make-up of regional councillors, plus appointed councillors from each city, means cities will have input into regional decision-making.

“Equally, the cities will then be better positioned to be able to work in concert with the regional plans and strategies, making for much more cohesive decision-making and service delivery,” Mr Brown says.

Mr Brown says that while the councils are making proposals for the long-term future of Auckland “it is still critical we maintain collaborative working relationships between the existing Mayors and councils while the matter is debated, then determined first by the Royal Commission’s recommendation and then the government’s decision.”

The council will meet on Thursday, 17 April, at an extraordinary council meeting to discuss the draft submission.

“I expect some rigorous and healthy debate about the details of this draft submission,” Mr Brown says.

Submissions to the Royal Commission close on Tuesday, 22 April.

For more details of the council’s draft submission visit the council’s website at www.manukau.govt.nz