Viewpoint – A question of priorities

Since the supercity was formed, funding imbalances have existed across the 21 local boards in Auckland. The Governing Body has sought to address this by approving a ‘fairer funding’ approach for local boards. The purpose of this is to better enable us to respond to the needs of our communities. 

Historically, funding differed between local boards because it was allocated based on the assets and services provided by the legacy councils before they merged into the supercity. Local boards with more assets were considered over-funded compared to others with fewer assets who received lower funding. 

The new ‘fairer funding’ approach allocates funding to local boards based on an ‘equitable funding level’. This is calculated according to each local board’s population (80%), levels of deprivation (15%), and land area (5%). For the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board this results in an additional $1.3 million to our operating expenditure in 2025/2026, a welcome addition so we can adequately service our vastly growing area. 

All is not as it seems though. It was indicated late last year that there would be some unavoidable cost pressures on our existing assets and services that would need to be accommodated from this increase. The cost pressures are largely unexpected due to contractual/inflationary costs being greater than prior assumptions. It is looking worse than anticipated. 

The challenge is that local boards have very little control over local facility assets and services, and few strings to pull with ease to bring costs down or to increase revenue. Some of these local facility cost pressures are the result of governing body decisions. How local boards can address this issue will be the challenge, and advice from council staff and the Governing Body is needed now. 

Auckland Council’s Annual Plan 2025/2026 is out now for consultation. This includes the key projects and activities the local board proposes to prioritise next financial year. Please let us know your thoughts by March 28. Getting your feedback on what we prioritise our funding on is important – in light of both our additional ‘fairer funding’ and the cost pressures we’re facing. 

You can find everything you need to know about the plan and give feedback at akhaveyoursay.nz/ourplan 

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board Annual Plan drop-in sessions: Whangaparāoa Library, Friday, March 14, 10.30am-12pm.