David Hay proposes to restructure the Super City
Media Release 6 September 2016

Auckland mayoral candidate David Hay has release his "Stronger Democracy" policy today, in the form of a reorganisation proposal, which he has already submitted to the Local Government Commission.

"On the 9th of August this year I submitted a Reorganisation Proposal to the Local Government Commission. That proposal is currently being assessed by the Commission, as required by the Local Government Act 2002. A full copy of the proposal is available on my campaign website:www.heydavidhay.nz" said Mr Hay.

"This proposal is central to my package of reforms for Auckland Council which, taken together, are intended to strengthen democracy in Auckland and restore Aucklanders' confidence in their council.

"I see this proposal as a forward step, building on the progress Auckland Council has made in developing the Auckland Plan and the Unitary Plan.

"As we move from planning into implementation it is essential that the council organisation and councillors are closer and more connected to the people they serve, and that people have a greater say in building sustainable and vibrant communities.

"The key elements of the proposal are:

• A smaller Governing Body, with fewer responsibilities at a higher level, including a stronger focus on governing the council organisation and CCOs. A key responsibility will be facilitating cooperation among the Local Boards and CCOs, with the power to compel cooperation among them if necessary.

• There will be fewer local boards, with greater responsibilities in their areas of jurisdiction, giving much greater effect to the subsidiarity clauses in the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2010 than has been the case until now.

• A prescribed delegation structure that provides far greater clarity and certainty to citizens about which tier of local government in Auckland is responsible for which council activities.

• Create two types of local board: larger boards, more elected members and support staff, for urban and peri-urban areas, and a smaller boards, with fewer elected members and staff, in rural areas, the Hauraki Gulf islands and potentially the CBD.

• My proposed new local board boundaries would be based on police station areas, to create a better alignment between local and central government around community safety and civil defence activities. They also take into account the planned areas for growth and development identified in the Auckland Plan and the Unitary Plan.

"Parts of this proposal do not fit within the requirements of the Local Government Act for a reorganisation proposal. These relate to changes in representation (a move to Single Transferable Vote elections) and the internal structure of the Auckland Council organisation, which the Local Government Commission does not decide. I have included those matters in my proposal to explain how I envisage a whole package of reforms would fit together." said Mr Hay.

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