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A plethora of new ideas for local government in Auckland have been proposed, with the Local Government Commission (LGC) receiving 38 alternative applications for local government in the region.
The LGC called for alternative applications in April after it agreed to assess the Northern Action Group’s (NAG) application for a new North Rodney council. Submissions closed on June 24.
The LGC says it will take about three weeks to assess whether the applications meet its criteria and they will then be published at lgc.govt.nz.
The commission received a further 130 submissions, which were either for or against a change.
Mahurangi Matters is aware of at least four alternative proposals which focus on Rodney.
The Warkworth Area Business Association (WABA) and Mahurangi Action have both called on a new local board to represent the area, and have opposed calls for a new North Rodney council.
WABA wants to see a new local board created for the Warkworth subdivision, which runs from Puhoi to Leigh in the east, and Makarau to Tauhoa in the west.
In its submissions, WABA chair Chris Murphy said Warkworth’s future is with Auckland.
“Growth in the Auckland housing market and Mahurangi as a tourism destination is seeing the ties with Auckland grow,” Mr Murphy said.
Many Mahurangi residents also commuted south.
He was also concerned Rodney would struggle to meet infrastructure costs if it left Auckland. But he said these challenges required more than one councillor to represent Mahurangi and the area needed a dedicated local board.
Mahurangi Action has called for a new “Tamahunga Local Board”, which would include both the Warkworth and Wellsford subdivisions, with five local board members. However, the whole Rodney area would still have just one councillor under the proposal.
In his application, group secretary Cimino Cole said a new local board would increase representation and decrease the sense of alienation which has come from the forced amalgamation.
The group was also calling on the commission to give more power to the local board.
Retired local government finance and policy analyst and Puhoi resident Larry Mitchell has made an application for a larger North Rodney council, which would extend south to South Head and Helensville and north to the Brynderwyn Hills, including Mangawhai and west to Ruawai. Mr Mitchell says NAG’s proposed boundaries are too small and need to be widened to include a population of at least 45,000 people, which would be able to generate an income of over $50 million.
It would also see the Kaipara Harbour come under one local authority.
“At present the harbour is in danger, because of its fragmented governance.”
At a National Party meeting last month, Rodney MP Mark Mitchell said he hoped the process would lead to changes in Council which would give greater power to Rodney.
“I don’t think coming out of the Supercity will get there, but we are in a very strong position for much better governance,” Mr Mitchell said. “We will be strengthened from more control over budgets and rates.”
At the meeting, Federated Farmer’s senior policy advisor Richard Gardner said it had conducted a survey of its membership in Auckland and, although the response rate was poor, the majority wanted to continue with the status quo.
“But change needs to happen in the Governing Body and the Local Boards – that’s what I’m hearing,” Mr Gardner said.
Mayoral candidates have also supported for giving greater power to local boards (see story p15).
