Greater Auckland plan # ...what are we up to now?

Auckland 'needs mini-government'

Yesterday Mr Swney echoed the views of many in saying the current regime was fragmented, duplicated, obstructive and costly.
His vision was for a two-tier system, starting with 15 to 25 local community councils with boosted powers that would elect one member each to represent them on an all-powerful greater Auckland council led by a prime minister-style mayor they, and not the public, would elect.

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Hang on a minute. Isn't that very close to what we had in before November 1989?

OK the ARA (Auckland Regional Authority) didn't have enough teeth to act as greater Auckland council but as those with long memories remember there was a lot of opposition to the pulling of several of the teeth is had to form the ARC. Of course there were more than 20 different cities, counties and boroughs back then. One source recons there were 38, I haven't been able to verify that.

I do know that North Shore City was 3 cities and 2 boroughs and has continually suffered from internal problems not only caused by the differences between needs of the Harbour ward and the Central ward but the differences between the communities who make up these wards. Devonport (formally a borough) has little in common with neighbouring Takapuna (former city) and although the suburbs of Birkenhead (another former city) do see eye to eye with Northcote (the other former borough) some it not much of the time, their concerns differ greatly from those of Glenfield (formally a ward of Takapuna). All of these places have next to nothing in common with the still rapidly growing East Coast Bays (yet another former city).

The much touted bus way is a great asset to the commuters of Albany, Sunnynook, Forrest Hill and even Takapuna but of no benefit at all to the still ferry less residents of Beach Haven or commuters stuck on the one road out of Devonport.
The relative lack of community buildings north of Sunnynook is of little interest to Birkenhead who have been putting up with a basket ball court at the local leisure centre being used as a temporary library. The old library that was both too small (and had been for 20 years) and a very leaky roof, was bulldozed. The irony of the basket ball court being only half the size of the old library hasn't been lost the bibliophiles of Birkenhead either. Nor has the difference in the amount of rates collected in the area and the amount being spent or rather, not being spent on keeping local amenities functional. Birkenhead City Library was the second only to Takapuna library on the North Shore now it shares last place with Albany.

This sort of scenario is played out time and time again over the Auckland region.

Auckland isn't a City.

It isn't even a compilation of 4 cities and 3 districts.

It is a collection of towns and villages joined only by urban sprawl and a few clogged arteries without the hot air generator that has kept Wellington functional.