Funding for the redevelopment of New Lynn has been secured which will go towards upgrading the town centre as well as the rail and road.

The West Auckland area aspires to have a town centre like that of Newmarket according to Waitakere City Council's website.

“New Lynn has a future that one day will see it rival places like Newmarket as one of the most prestigious town centres in the Auckland region,” the website said.

Mark Ford, who has run utility businesses for the Auckland region since the early 1990s, has been shoulder-tapped as the chairman to drive the super city council through its transitional phase.

Sources tell NBR his appointment as head of the transition agency will be confirmed with the next week as two bills to implement government policy for the governance of the Auckland region are due in Parliament.