-
Auckland city - Source: ONE News -
Related
Experts are slamming the government's plan to include up to 30 community boards in the Auckland super city, claiming it's a costly, ineffective move.
Veteran financial commentator Rod Oram says the huge number of boards, intended to ensure grass roots representation, will actually have the opposite effect.
"What you really need in Auckland is a very big change in political culture and processes to achieve local engagement," Oram says.
"If you're going to go down to a very dissagregated number of boards you're not going to get that change of culture and processes and therefore you're not going to get that powerful engagment that actually delivers for local people."
Oram says it's a shame to reject the well-researched Royal Commission advice in order to appease opponents.
The government rejected the commission's recommendation of setting up six local councils, instead deciding to set up 20 to 30 community boards to control local affairs.
Mayors divided
And the decision to merge Auckland region's seven councils into one super city council has left the current mayors far from united.
The new super council will be headed by a lord mayor and have beneath it a second tier of community boards.
The move has left current mayors divided over whether the single council will provide more democracy in Auckland.
The Prime Minister says he hopes the necessary legislation will be passed in time for the local body elections in October next year, with all Aucklanders voting for the new super city mayor.
