Council Controlled Organisation Document Vague and Uncertain

The Auckland Transition Agency (ATA) released its discussion document on Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) in Auckland’s local governance arrangements yesterday. City Vision-Labour Auckland City Councillors say the document raises more questions than it answers and falls well short of what Aucklanders need to know about these organisations which will hold most of the region’s assets and services.

Councillor Richard Northey said, “The ATA’s CCO discussion document has somewhat allayed a few concerns but only intensifies others. I am deeply worried that the entire Council oversight of at least seven major CCOs, which will spend most of the Council’s revenue and control the bulk of its assets, are to be entrusted to just one Council Committee advised only by a small staff ‘Governance and Monitoring Unit’.

“The diverse interacting roles and activities of these powerful CCOs will simply swamp the futile efforts of a small group of Councillors and staff given the role of trying to hold them accountable. The ATA itself says about the vast new Economic, Development, Tourism and Events CCO and its many tentacles ‘For a number of reasons including taxation issues, the time available and legal status, full integration could not be achieved without empowering legislation by 1 November 2010’. As an example, the ATA is dithering about whether the Mainstreets and town centres will be part of this CCO or not.”

Councillor Leila Boyle said, “The Major Regional Facilities CCO is taking over incredibly diverse but historically successful facilities and raises the question of late amendments to the third Auckland Bill so this CCO can seize a measure of control over proudly independent trust run bodies like the Maritime Museum and the Stardome (Auckland Observatory).

“The Waterfront Development Agency, with its government appointed directors, will take over a substantial but undefined part of the Heart of the City and Auckland’s CBD. Key Auckland assets, activities, treasures and heritage are all being moved from accountable, transparent, democratic control into the hands of Rodney Hide’s appointed directors.”

Councillor Cathy Casey said, “The ATA’s new CCO structure is pushing the public further and further away from having any real ability to influence decisions around delivery of services. The ATA is giving the public an opportunity to comment on the CCOs’ service delivery ‘either through the governing body or the Local Boards’. But how will that work if boards have no councillor members? The message will have to be filtered through to one or more councillors by the board chair. It will be diluted further when those councillors raise the matter at either the Council Committee or the full Auckland Council, if they even can, or will, do that on the board’s behalf.”

Councillor Glenda Fryer said, “I predict more superyachts with the accompanying super millionaires, more supercar and superboat racing, and fewer Teddy Bears’ Picnics, Starlight Symphonies and International Cultural Festivals with the new Economic Development, Tourism and Events CCO. It will the ‘Disneyisation’ of Auckland with fewer Kiwi inspired free events which our communities have grown to love, and more highly priced ticketed events that are inspired by overseas and crass American ideals.

“Unless an event can ‘make a buck’ the commercial directors will be saying no, and the democratically elected Local Boards and Auckland Council will have little ability to influence anything with the CCO model that the Government seems hell bent on implementing. Indeed the documentation on this new CCO that the ATA have released refers only to ‘private sector leadership and public sector facilitation and support’ meaning elected Auckland Councillors will be toothless while commercial CCO directors call the shots.”

Councillor Graeme Easte said, “The ATA has made a category mistake in presuming that the new Council should, and will, have seven or more CCOs as legislation only requires the Water, Transport and Waterfront CCOs at this point. Their analysis is that everything should be given over to CCOs whereas most people in Auckland, while reluctantly accepting existing councils’ CCOs, believe the decision of forming new CCOs should be for Aucklanders to take. But we haven’t yet been able to do that; instead it seems that the ATA’s and National-ACT MPs’ preoccupation with privatising everything in sight is steamrollering ahead at Aucklanders’ expense.”

Independent Hauraki Gulf Islands councillor Denise Roche said, “The CCO model proposed by the ATA does nothing to reassure local boards that local decision making can still happen. What it does do is add another unwieldy layer of bureaucracy that local boards will have to deal with. Sure, local boards can recommend to Auckland Council that their views be included in the Statements of Intent (SoIs) that guide the CCOs but there is no real say on how CCOs will manage local assets or deliver services with local board involvement.”

Councillor Northey concluded, “I only hope consultation fatigue doesn’t put Aucklanders off demanding clarification on these CCO issues. I urge Aucklanders to have their say by commenting on the ATA’s discussion document on Auckland Council CCOs at www.discussiondocuments.conz by 5pm on Friday 26 March 2010.”

ENDS

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