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The REAL NZ vs the JAFAs

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Author Topic: The REAL NZ vs the JAFAs  (Read 8777 times)
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ssweetpea
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« on: March 28, 2009, 03:29:16 am »

Some exerps from the Royal Commission Report

30. The boundaries of the Auckland region will be unchanged to the north and for the
Hauraki Gulf. In the south, the boundary between the Auckland and Waikato regions will
be changed in two ways:
 The area currently in the Waikato region north of the Waikato River, including
Tuakau, Pokeno, and Mercer, is to be included in the Auckland region.
 The area currently in Auckland region and Franklin District, bordering the Firth of
Thames from Matingarahi Point to Whakatiwai, is to be included in the Waikato
region.
Adjustments to territorial authority boundaries are proposed to reflect the new regional
boundary. The parts of Franklin District that will be outside the new Auckland region,
including Onewhero and Kaiaua, will be transferred to Waikato District.
31. In addition to the elected governing body of the Auckland Council, local democracy
will be maintained through six elected local councils operating within the unitary
Auckland Council. Local councils will oversee the delivery of services by Auckland
Council staff and will undertake local engagement in four urban and two rural districts.
The boundaries of the new local councils will be centred (with some important boundary
adjustments) on the existing council territories of Rodney District, North Shore,
Waitakere, Auckland, and Manukau Cities, and Franklin District, thus enabling new local
councils to utilise existing infrastructure and service centres.
...
Governance of the Auckland Council
35. Auckland needs an inspirational leader, inclusive in approach and decisive in action.
Auckland needs a person who is able to articulate and deliver on a shared vision, and who
can speak for the region, and deliver regional priorities decisively.
36. The Auckland Council will be led by a mayor who is elected by all Aucklanders. The
Mayor of Auckland will have greater executive powers than currently provided under the
Local Government Act 2002, although these additional powers will still be more modest
than in many international models of mayoralty. The additional powers will be limited to
three key abilities:
 appointment of the deputy mayor and committee chairpersons
 proposal of the Auckland Council budget and initiation of policy
 establishment and maintenance of an appropriately staffed Mayoral Office.
37. The Mayor will be expected to chart and lead an agenda for Auckland. To ensure the
Mayor remains fully accountable, all policy will need to be approved by the full Auckland
Council. There will also be additional obligations on the Mayor to engage with the people
of Auckland through regular “Mayor’s Days” and an annual “State of the Region” address.
38. The Auckland Council will comprise 23 councillors, 10 of whom will be elected
regionally by all Aucklanders. Eight councillors will be elected in four urban wards. Two
will be elected in two rural wards. This mix of city-wide and ward-based councillors
is intended to ensure that the right balance of regional and more local perspectives is
brought before the council.
39. Provision has also been made for the election to the Auckland Council of two
councillors by voters on the Māori electoral roll; and one councillor appointed by mana
whenua through a mechanism specified by the Commission in its report.
40. The Commission considers that the provision of three safeguarded seats for Māori
is consistent with the spirit and intent of the Local Government Act 2002, which requires
local authorities to establish processes for Māori to contribute to decision making. It will
ensure that there is an effective Māori voice at the decision-making table, and that the
special status of mana whenua, and their obligations of kaitiakitanga and manākitanga,
are recognised.6
6 Mana whenua are local Māori with ancestral ties to the land. Kaitiakitanga refers to guardianship.
Manākitanga is a sacred obligation to care for all people within your rohe or area, including taura here
(Māori with ancestral ties outside the area) and non-Māori.
...
41. The Commission expects that the Auckland Council functions will centre on regional
policy, investment, and planning, regional infrastructure and networks, and service
delivery. Three particular aspects deserve mention:
 First, the Auckland Council will set policy for all aspects of local government in
Auckland, although local councils will have a contributing role in a number of
areas. For the first time in the Auckland region, related functions will be brought
together through the unitary authority model. For example, the Auckland Council
will be able to develop transport and land use strategies in a single agency.
There will be a single long-term council community plan for all activities of the
Auckland Council and local councils, and a spatial plan for the region which
coordinates plans for growth, economic, and social development.
 Second, Auckland-wide infrastructure that can most efficiently and effectively be
provided at a regional level will be delivered directly by the Auckland Council or
its council-controlled organisations. The Auckland Council will be responsible
for region-wide network services, including the arterial road network, water
collection and supply, wastewater treatment, and solid waste management.
Where networks are managed by council-controlled organisations, the Auckland
Council will remain responsible for providing strategic direction.
 Third, Auckland Council will have a leadership function for Auckland that extends
beyond issues where it has direct powers, for example, in relation to issues of
concern to Auckland including social well-being, security of electricity supply,
and installation of broadband infrastructure.
42. The Auckland Council will also provide administrative services for itself and local
councils for all back-office functions, including setting and collecting rates, accounting,
treasury, asset management and other financial functions, human resources, payroll, and
computer systems.
...
Local councils
44. There will be four urban councils and two rural councils. The four urban councils
will have the following features:
 Waitemata Local Council will serve most of the area currently in North Shore
City, together with the Hibiscus Coast ward of the Rodney District. It will service
a total population of approximately 260,000 people. The Waitemata Local
Council will have 15 councillors, two for each of the seven wards, and in addition,
a local council chair appointed by councillors. The local council chair will have
been elected from a ward, but on appointment, his or her place will have been
taken by the next highest polling candidate in the ward.
 Waitakere Local Council will serve substantially the same area as the existing
Waitakere City. As is currently the case, the estimated population served by the
council will be 198,000. Waitakere Local Council will have 11 councillors, two
elected from each of five wards, and a local council chair.
 Tāmaki-makau-rau Local Council will serve the area that currently makes
up Auckland City, but excluding the city centre and waterfront. The estimated
population served by the council will be 397,000. The council will have 22
councillors, two elected from each of 10 wards, one elected from a Hauraki Gulf
ward, and a local council chair.
 Manukau Local Council will serve the area of the current Manukau City, together
with the urban areas of Papakura District, excluding the rural areas of both
former councils (which are to be included in Hunua Local Council). Manukau
Local Council will have an estimated population of 387,000. It will be served by a
council of 21 councillors, 20 councillors from 10 wards, and a local council chair.
45. The two rural local councils will be constituted as follows:
 Rodney Local Council will serve the area currently included in Rodney District,
excluding the Hibiscus Coast but including small areas outside the metropolitan
urban limits presently within North Shore and Waitakere Cities. The estimated
population will be 54,000. It will be served by a council of seven councillors, six
elected from three wards, and a local council chair. (The Commission has been
unable in the time available to identify a suitable Māori name for Rodney Local
Council, but recommends that one be identified after consultation with mana
whenua.)
 Hunua Local Council will serve the area currently forming Franklin District, with
the exception of Onewhero and Kaiaua, which will be transferred to Waikato
District. The Hunua Local Council will also include the rural areas of Clevedon,
Ardmore, and Drury, which are currently part of Manukau City and Papakura
District. The estimated population of Hunua will be 73,000. It will be served by
a council of seven councillors, six elected from three wards, and a local council
chair.
46. The boundary alignments for the six local councils are intended to separate rural
land from urban land along the metropolitan urban limit. This approach is intended to
achieve greater rural and urban definition and identity across the region, which was
considered desirable by a number of submitters and by the Commission. It is also
intended that the Auckland Council should have close planning oversight of rural areas, to
ensure urban growth is appropriately managed across the region.
...
53. The Commission’s report describes how a stronger relationship might be developed
between central and local government in Auckland, including through the appointment of
a Minister for Auckland and the establishment of a Cabinet Committee for Auckland
. The
Minister and Cabinet committee will oversee the transition to the Auckland Council over
the next 18 months, and will work with the Auckland Council once it is established. The
Cabinet committee will also keep oversight of events of international significance affecting
Auckland, such as the Rugby World Cup in 2011. Over time, it is expected that a key role of
this committee will be to set priorities for government spending in Auckland and to decide
and coordinate the allocation of discretionary funding. The Commission has also proposed
a number of shared decision-making structures involving relevant Government entities,
particularly in the social well-being and transport areas.
...
Adding up the savings
71. The operation of Auckland’s local government involves very significant amounts of
public money. In 2008/09 the eight Auckland councils have budgeted to spend almost
$2 billion in operating expenses and over $1.25 billion in capital expenditure. Many of the
submissions made to the Commission supporting changes to the structure of Auckland’s
local government were based on the view that significant cost savings should result.
72. While the Commission considers that there are other equally important issues in
designing a new governance structure – primary among them achieving greater regional
effectiveness – it fully accepts the importance of these financial issues. Within the time
and information sources available to it, it is difficult for the Commission to estimate in
detail the financial implications to Auckland local government of its proposed changes. As
noted above, the Commission commissioned a report from corporate finance consultants
Taylor Duignan Barry to provide a preliminary financial analysis of its preferred option of a
unified Auckland Council and six local councils.
73. Preliminary analysis, which will need to be quantified in detail by the Establishment
Board, suggests that adopting the Commission’s proposals for structural change will
result in estimated efficiency savings in the indicative range of 2.5% to 3.5% of the total
expenditure of the Auckland councils planned for 2008/09 (of around $3.2 billion). This
represents estimated efficiency gains of between $76 million to $113 million per year. It
should be noted, however, that securing the anticipated savings will require excellent
transition and management arrangements.
74. Efficiency gains are expected from a number of operating and capital expenditure
areas including savings from unified services (in areas such as procurement and backoffice
systems such as finance and administration, information technology, human
resource management, and uniform rules and processes for service delivery). On a
sectoral basis, there are potential efficiencies in water and wastewater, solid waste,
transport, community assets and regulation, planning, and governance. Limited efficiency
gains are expected in areas that are largely contracted out such as refuse collection, road
maintenance, and public transport services.
75. The estimated integration costs have been assessed to range in total between $120
million and $240 million over a four-year implementation time frame.
76. It is important to recognise that there are wider costs associated with not taking
action. Failure to take action will result in citizens and businesses continuing to incur
high transaction costs in dealing with councils, in important decisions either not being
made or made too late, and in central government being unable to develop an effective
partnership with Auckland local government.
...
http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/document/pdf/Auckland%20governance%20report%20-%20excecutive%20summary.pdf
The Highlight bits are the ones that concern me the most on first reading.

Meanwhile,
 :tntrm Where the heck did they get the idea of calling North Shore with a bit of Hibiscus Coast tacked on Waitamata?
Did they forget that there used to be a Waitamata City and that no part of North Shore or Hibiscus Coast was in that local body?
Better still very little of the new area even borders the Waitamata harbour. North Harbour would be a better name. Has Rugby Union trade marked it or something?:hdbg

The thought has also occured that next they will want to put the entire South Island into one local council
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The way politicians run this country a small white cat should have no problem http://sally4mp.blogspot.com/

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