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Source: ONE News -
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The government is going to be dismayed by the reaction it gets at public meetings called to explain its proposals for Auckland's new super city council, Labour says.
Labour's Auckland affairs spokesman, Phil Twyford, said on Monday night ministers are suffering from "an attack of nerves" over their plans for a single city council.
He used the delay in announcing the membership of a transition agency which will oversee the change to suggest Local Government Minister Rodney Hide was being "reined in" to stop another appointments debacle.
Hide said on Monday morning he would announce the members of the transition agency in the afternoon, but Prime Minister John Key told reporters the Cabinet had not signed it off and it might take another week.
"The Cabinet appears to have blocked Rodney Hide's proposed appointments as it suffers an attack of nerves over its plans," Twyford said.
"It's not surprising the Cabinet has reined in Mr Hide, whose poor handling of the issue will be of increasing concern to its Auckland MPs in particular.
"They have just embarked on a series of public meetings in Auckland on the Government's `super city' plans and will be dismayed by the negative on-the-ground reaction, which Labour has been talking about for weeks."
Key denied Hide had been "reined in" and said the Cabinet was working on the make-up of the transition agency.
"We're just finalising the last name and who might chair it," Key said.
"It's an important decision. It is going to be a very important agency over the next 18 months, we want to make sure we get it right."
Key said there was an issue that had to worked on, but would not say what it was. He did, however, say no one put forward by Hide had been rejected by Cabinet.
There has been speculation about appointments to the five-member board and it has been suggested John Hood, the former vice-chancellor of Auckland University, might be its chair.
Hood was the first outsider to be appointed Oxford University vice-chancellor in its 800-year history. He was brought to Oxford, in England, in 2004 to tackle chronic financial problems. His plans to introduce radical changes were killed off by a rebellion of academic staff.
Labour leader Phil Goff said the delayed announcement showed there was serious questions being raised over some of the nominees.
"It does show the situation is becoming chaotic," Goff said.
"It is the Rankin effect, they have become gun shy about appointments."
