Auckland reforms have delivered - Hide

Auckland's local government reforms have made the city a better place to live and work, Act MP Rodney Hide told an audience in Queenstown on Thursday night.

Mr Hide, who was addressing the Crane Association of New Zealand annual conference, said before the reforms were introduced Auckland’s ability to develop and to prosper had been stymied by competing leadership, complex and fragmented governance, factionalism and weak accountability.

“That’s what the Auckland reforms set out to fix.

“Eight months on I am very proud of what has been achieved.

“We delivered – on time, under budget.”

The reforms created a legislative framework that was already delivering integrated decision-making and greater community involvement, Mr Hide said.

“Previously, eight long-term plans had to be prepared; five water and wastewater companies operated; and seven district plans existed.

“Now, under a unified Auckland governance structure, we have just one of each.”

In delivering a more efficient organisational structure, Auckland ratepayers have benefited through lowered rates, he said, noting that the new Auckland Council recently announced a below-inflation rates increase of 3.9%.

“To put that into context, under the old eight-council structure rates across Auckland were to rise by an average of 9.3%, with one council projecting a rise of up to 11.9%.”

He said the reduction in rates equated to a saving of $84 million to Auckland ratepayers.

In addition to the rates savings, on July 1 the price of reticulated drinking water across metropolitan Auckland dropped by an average of 20%, a saving of $30 million, he said.

However, local government faced considerable challenges in the years ahead, which needed to be identified before solutions could be found to resolve them, he said.

“That's why I have started the ‘Smarter Government, Stronger Communities’ project, to look specifically at councils’ structures, functions, funding and relationship with central government.

“I think we can do better at both central and local government, and this project is designed to identify how we can do better.”

The first step in the review involved the Department of Internal Affairs facilitating a series of informal roundtable discussions that brought together a range of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, Mr Hide said, including public commentators, academics and other people with knowledge of the sector.

The department was focused on scoping the review this year, he said, and the discussion and debate from the meetings would help the government identify key issues and further focus the review.

Broader stakeholder engagement will take place later, he said.

“The information we receive will help us identify the key issues and challenges for local government and further focus the review.

“I have no preconceptions about the outcomes of the project.

“And we’re not going to rush it. Decisions will not be made until well into 2014.

“There are big issues. They need proper consideration.”