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Auckland Council’s investigation into the Anniversary Weekend floods, which the Mayor called for, but which is not in the budget, has raised questions amongst councillors.
The issues were discussed at the Planning, Environment and Parks committee on February 9.
Council’s proposed scope of investigation covers the impacts of the flooding, the implications of plan changes to the Auckland Unitary plan and infrastructure.
Cr Daniel Newman said the flooding would have significant budget implications and the scope of council’s investigation was very broad.
“We are just about to go up for consultation on a budget which appears entirely theoretical to me at the moment,” Cr Newman said.
He said, while he agreed with the work, the budget would need to change as council manages scarce resources in order to aid flood recovery.
Cr Shane Henderson had similar concerns and asked what the budget was for the investigation.
“Do we have the capacity to do this and do we have an indication of budget?” Cr Henderson asked. He later added that the results of the investigation could help Council plan the city better in the future.
Mayor Wayne Brown said a “large lump” of the cost of the investigation would come from central government and other agencies.
“Just like we have done with all the bins [collecting flood debris] on the berms, you just have to do that, and I will sort out the finances later on,” Mayor Brown said.
Council staff will prepare a clearer scope of work for the investigation to come back to the committee on March 2.
Response review
A separate, independent review into the response over the first 24 to 48 hours of the Anniversary Weekend floods has begun, led by former Police Commissioner Mike Bush. Mayor Wayne Brown announced the terms of reference and members of the review team on February 5. As well as assessing the effectiveness of the response, this review will identify any actions that need to be implemented immediately to ensure better preparation for the next event. The team has been asked to complete its work so that it can be made available to other reviewers, policy makers and the public by no later than Monday, March 6. The initial budget for the review is $100,000, to be paid out of the Mayor’s Office budget. Should additional funds be required, these will be negotiated with Auckland Council’s chief executive. The Mayor anticipates there will be further reviews, including those commissioned by central government, but says this initial review is important to ensure immediate lessons are learned.
