Bradford Sue: General Debate 
Bradford Sue: General Debate 
[Volume:634;Page:5433] 
SUE BRADFORD (Green) 
: 
 The proposals from the four metropolitan mayors and the One Auckland Trust to form a new “super city” across the Auckland region are an affront to democracy. I find it incredible that even some members of the current Government including the Minister with responsibility for Auckland Issues are countenancing such a move involving as it does the abolition of the Auckland Regional Council the forced restructuring of up to seven councils into a much smaller entity and the possibility of a greater Auckland council consisting at least in part of non-elected representatives. This is one of the most barefaced bids for power by the few over the many that I have seen in my political lifetime. I do not know why the One Auckland Trust and the mayors seem to think the people of Auckland will swallow this particular dead fish whole without looking at what is really going on. 
Sure there is plenty of discontent over the size of rates increases and concern over slow progress on things like our transport infrastructure but it is incredible that some of those currently in power think citizens’ valid concerns over those things can be translated into a will to lose most of their rights to democratic participation in local government. It is also a myth that somehow the “super city” proposal will lead to a decrease in rates. In fact the inevitable massive bureaucratic restructuring—and we have seen heaps of those before—and the bottomless trough of public money that will go to consultants are in fact likely to lead to greater rather than lower cost to ratepayers. 
The Green Party believes that the ability of people to participate in the governance of their local communities should be maximised not minimised. We will end up with a greater Auckland council run by fiat by a kind of corporate board that governs Auckland in the interests of mainly rich white powerful men. The interests of tangata whenua Pasifika peoples women refugees and migrants low-income people and their sectoral and geographical communities are unlikely to get any look-in at all. Nor will the interests of those living in rural and outlying localities like Pukekohe Wellsford Muriwai or all the others be likely to get much chop from a “super council” that is focused on promoting the interests of a Queen Street - oriented group of mayors and businesspeople. 
The move to get rid of the Auckland Regional Council is an equally dangerous part of the new proposals. The Auckland Regional Council plays a crucial and balancing role in providing Resource Management Act functions including regional planning in critical areas such as air water transport and urban limits. The metropolitan mayors and the One Auckland Trust do not say anything about what will happen to the physical environment of our region should their grandiose plans come to fruition. I have a strong feeling that a big part of the motivation for what is going on right now is instead to try to find a way not only to grab the Auckland Regional Council’s resources but also to get rid of an obstacle to unfettered growth beyond the current urban perimeters. With the advent of climate change and peak oil cities of the future will need every bit of environmental and social sustainability they can achieve—that includes Auckland. This proposal heads straight in the opposite direction to that. Like a number of other commentators over the last week I believe that this is really a naked attempt by the big-city mayors to control all regional planning to get their hands on strategic regional assets and to widen the rating base for the Rugby World Cup stadium. 
What is the role of the Government in this? I was stunned to read on Friday that Judith Tizard Minister with responsibility for Auckland Issues actually welcomes the mayors’ proposal and appears to be buying into their agenda. I hope that she and other Labour MPs will look at what is going on here a little more closely now that the first burst of enthusiasm has passed. The lack of commitment from the Hon Mark Burton in answering our questions on this topic this afternoon gives me hope that perhaps not all of Labour is equally committed to this wholesale attack on local body democracy. 
The Green Party would be the first to agree that there are ways in which local governance in the Auckland region could and should be reformed but the “super city” proposals are not the way to do that. The Government and local government should be working with the people of Auckland on how to deepen and extend local democracy and environmental protection and planning for the future that awaits us not weakening all those things. We should be looking at maintaining at least the current level of political representation on our councils and giving more resources and power to the community boards as well as moving towards single transferable voting systems. We want there to be want more democracy in Auckland not a whole lot less. We want a future in which our environmental and our social goals are equally protected. This proposal flies in the face of all that.