December 15, 2006

Media release (For Immediate Release)

Waitakere Votes on Regional Governance

Waitakere City Council has endorsed a proposal to strengthen governance in the Auckland region.

Last night the Council considered a report produced by the Chief Executives of all the Territorial Local Authorities in the region and voted to endorse, in principle, the general thrust of the paper.

The paper will now be sent to the Minister of Local Government along with the comments of various Councils with a view to any changes in the structure of local government at a regional level being introduced before next year’s local body elections.

Waitakere City Councils submission to the Minister will include a number of “bottom lines”, which are contained in the following resolutions:

2515/2006
MOVED by Cr Clow, seconded Cr Battersby:

THAT THE STRENGTHENING AUCKLAND’S REGIONAL GOVERNANCE - PROPOSAL REPORT BE RECEIVED.
CARRIED

2516/2006
MOVED by Cr Clow, seconded Cr Battersby:

THAT WAITAKERE CITY COUNCIL ENDORSES, IN PRINCIPLE, THE PROPOSAL TO STRENGTHEN AUCKLAND’S REGIONAL GOVERNANCE AS A SUBMISSION FROM THE AUCKLAND REGION TO THE GOVERNMENT BUT HAS GRAVE CONCERNS AT THE SHORT TIME PROVIDED TO CONSIDER THESE ISSUES AND THE LACK, TO DATE, OF ANY PUBLIC CONSULTATION.
CARRIED

2517/2006
MOVED by Cr Clow, seconded Cr Battersby:

FURTHER, THE COUNCIL WISHES TO STATE ITS STRONG VIEWS ON THE FOLLOWING AND THAT THESE VIEWS BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN ANY FINAL REFORM(S):

A) THAT NO DECISION ON DETAIL RELATING TO ELECTORAL STRUCTURE OF THE GREATER AUCKLAND COUNCIL BE MADE AT THIS STAGE BUT BE DEVELOPED AND DISCUSSED DURING THE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION PHASE;
CARRIED

B) THAT THERE MUST BE NO CHANGE TO THE STRUCTURE AND/OR OWNERSHIP OF WATERCARE AND THAT THE NOTION OF VERTICAL INTEGRATION MUST NOT BE GIVEN ANY FURTHER CONSIDERATION;
CARRIED

C) THAT THIS COUNCIL WISHES TO SEE ANY REGIONALLY FUNDED FACILITIES OWNED BY A REGIONAL ENTITY AND REQUISITE FUNDING TO BE RAISED ON A FORMULA OTHER THAN A STRAIGHT POPULATION BASIS.
CARRIED

D) THAT THIS COUNCIL SUPPORTS THE CONCEPT OF A REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY BUT THAT LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES SUCH AS ENTERPRISE WAITAKERE, CONTINUE TO DELIVER SERVICES LOCALLY.
CARRIED

2518/2006
MOVED by Cr Clow, seconded Cr Battersby:

THAT, IF BROAD AGREEMENT IS ACHIEVED AMONGST THE COUNCILS IN THE AUCKLAND REGION, THEN JOINT CO-ORDINATED PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE PROPOSAL BE UNDERTAKEN IN FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 AND THAT ANY CONSULTATION BE CARRIED OUT FOR A MINIMUM OF 8 WEEKS.
CARRIED

2519/2006
MOVED by Cr Clow, seconded Cr Battersby:

THAT THE POLITICAL REFERENCE GROUP BE EMPOWERED TO CONDUCT ONGOING DISCUSSIONS WITH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS AS TO THE REFINEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY PROPOSAL AND THAT HIS WORSHIP THE MAYOR AND COUNCILLOR PENNY HULSE (WITH COUNCILLOR DEREK BATTERSBY AS ALTERNATE) CONTINUE TO REPRESENT WAITAKERE ON THIS GROUP.
CARRIED

2520/2006
MOVED by Cr Hulse, seconded Cr Dallow;

THAT MAYOR BOB HARVEY, CR BATTERSBY, CR HULSE AND ALL COUNCIL STAFF WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE STRENGTHENING OF AUCKLAND’S REGIONAL GOVERNANCE PROPOSAL BE THANKED FOR THEIR GOOD WORK.
CARRIED

Mayor Bob Harvey says that the aim of the work is to improve leadership in the region, provide a “common voice for Auckland”, and also to address funding issues, particularly in the area of transport.

“The Government placed tight timeline on us (Local Authorities) to pull together something coherent and that has general agreement. I’m pleased that we have about 80% agreement on most of the issues and in some ways that tight timeline was an advantage because it focussed everybody’s attention. We now want to work with Government to form up something which the public can have meaningful input into.

“We need to hear from the public before we go any further”.

ENDS

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