Public Address | System (Home)

Posted at 11:18AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: nobody has even conclusively convinced me that Auckland exists yet. I've been at something called Auckland airport, but that proves nothing.

(As you were. You can only raise the level of the discussion from here.)

Posted at 11:23AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

http://coffee.geek.nz/wellington-reclamation.html

Posted at 11:25AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

And just why are you showing us all the bits that fall back into the sea when the next big quake hits? Am I missing a metaphor?

Posted at 11:30AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Oh, sorry. I though this was just somewhere we could dump interesting links.

Are we supposed to talk seriously about Auckland now?

Posted at 11:36AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Seriously, Auckland in general isn't - you can't generalise about Auckland even though everyone does. It's got specific bits. And they're all different from each other. I'm a westie - a very distinct breed.

Posted at 11:38AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

You do realise that whatever they do here is coming your way next, Don?

Posted at 11:39AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

why have royal commissions spending 2.3 million of taxpayers money if the government ignores them

i found it really interesting listing to willie and jt on radio live yesterday. those guys werte really disheartened, JT even said he would have been happy for 3 elections worth of Maori seats with a sunset clause.

Posted at 11:40AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Our Prime Minister has already told us that the consultation period is over. This thread must stop.

Posted at 11:41AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Before we go further, I should clarify that I work with several of the Councils concerned and am currently a part-time employee of one of them. Nothing I say here is on behalf of any of them.

Posted at 11:45AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

You do realise that whatever they do here is coming your way next, Don?

Do your worst Auckland. Sling Banksie along. We can cope.

I am struggling to engage on the pros and cons of this topic anyway. Will it make Aucklanders more or less likely to continue whipping gift horses to death?

Posted at 11:46AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

I suspect Paul is right - this could be what will pass for consultation from now on. A straight to the point (westie) response about that:

Waitakere’s Deputy Mayor, Penny Hulse, says the model is not seen anywhere else in the world. “And there is a reason for that - it’s not going to work. Local councils have been reduced to talk-shops. They don’t have any funding - they are not masters of their own destiny. They can listen to their communities but they can’t do anything.”

Posted at 11:47AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

I am struggling to engage on the pros and cons of this topic anyway

I noticed... :)

Posted at 11:51AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Sacha - would I need to move there to be a candidate?

If you nominate me I'll stand. I think Akl could do with a little homespun Wellington Wisdom.

Posted at 11:52AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Whatever Auckland is, I like it a lot.

In all seriousness I've now visited and lived in a few cities, some famous some not. There are a whole bunch of things I like about Auckland but in the end I think you can tell how rich Auckland is by the fact that we have such a diverse range of really high quality restaurants.

So will having John Banks as Super Mayor (you do realise that he will be the first mayor) make much of a difference? Personally I doubt it. The real business of managing Auckland happens in offices with cheaper carpet.

The merger is meant to reduce bureaucracy - it won't (nothing ever does). And perhaps it shouldn't since the actual business of managing a city is bureaucratic.

Do I care that we won't (for some reason not having reserved spots means no Maori will ever be elected) have Maori local politicians. No. Or at least not more than I care that we won't have women or Samoans or Tongans or Westies - unless of course we elect them. And I know "The Treaty" should make me care more about Maori but in my heart I care just as much about all the other people.

I know I should believe that local bodies have a real impact on what Auckland is - but I don't. In the end Pacifica will still happen as will the big gay out and that local indian thing that happens in the park down the road each year.

I believe Aucklanders (all of us, Maori, Samoan, Tongan, Chinese, Veitnamese, Thai, and yes even Westies) will continue to be the people that make Auckland the place it really is - and the place I like. Be it "super" or otherwise.

Posted at 11:56AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

I think Akl could do with a little homespun Wellington Wisdom.

It could also do some good IT advice, what with the proposed move to '1 IT data system' for the entire region and all.

I wonder how soon the report reckons that will happen...

Posted at 11:57AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

I think Akl could do with a little homespun Wellington Wisdom.

I'd make that your campaign slogan, Don.

(That was sarcasm. I'm trialling tagging all my sarcasm as sarcasm to see if it really would be simpler to do it the other way around.)

Posted at 11:58AM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Here's a question for those of you with more knowledge/time to check Wikipedia: are there any other cities *of a similar population size and geographic area* which we can compare this set-up to? Most of the comparisons I've seen have been to places like Sydney (5 million in the urban area) or London (11 million.) They don't quite work for me.

Posted at 12:03PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Don't buy the Brisbane one that gets trotted out by Banks and others - much of their budget comes from State level, not from local rates.

Posted at 12:05PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

It could also do some good IT advice

So, Don for CIO. That's the kind of Wellington Wisdom that might make a difference.

Posted at 12:05PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

I have been giving this subject a lot of thought over the last few days and the more I think about it the more worried I become.
As others have said, Auckland is not easily generalised. There are some areas that would seem to require some sort of regional oversight (and I dont mean flying over it in a helicopter) and for that we already have the ARC albeit a little dysfunctional.
the biggest worry to me is the psychological aspect of how the residents of Auckland feel about their communities and how they are represented. As it stands we have North Shore City which extends from the harbour north-wards until the "City" peters out into rural New Zealand, Rodney District (I always loved the concept of an area called Rodney, if we end up with a "Supercity" can we call it Brian?) Waitakere City which extends out from Avondale to the wonderful west coast beaches and Manukau City which extends out from Onehunga and sprawls out almost indefinitely to places where Dragons and wild creatures be. The last one is a worry. As it is the people of Manukau have a center that they can relate to, a place that has a vast population of disparate peoples, from some of the poorest to some of the richest, from some of the most violent to some of the most funnymentaly religious, from the right wing to those that may even have wings. I could go on but I think you get my drift. I we lose any of those local councils we run the risk of marginalising a great deal of the people who need the most representation, services and help. The south will become a ghetto of the dispossessed and I shudder to think of the consequences.

Posted at 12:09PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

With any luck the diversity in Auckland will be the one saving grace from having Banksie rise to the position of super mayor. Time will show if the voting is as diverse as we may claim to be.
In even mentioning his name I perpetuate the media bias to him being the only option.
Good luck Wankland, good luck NZ.
(Before you take offense, I like Auckland.)

Posted at 12:15PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Lucy, you piqued my interest. Wikipedia tells me that San Antonio in Texas has a similar population and is almost exactly the same size geographically. They have ten council districts, a mayor, and a 'city manager' person who seems to do all the actual work.

Posted at 12:19PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

I always loved the concept of an area called Rodney, if we end up with a "Supercity" can we call it Brian?

Brian seems a possibility. Just so you're aware, Bruce is taken (the area around Milton was formerly the Bruce County).

Posted at 12:21PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

The San Antonio model could be money-saving. "Council members are paid $20 a meeting, while the Mayor earns $4,000 a year". Umm, although perhaps only the independently wealthy could afford to donate their time at that rate.

Posted at 12:29PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Wikipedia tells me that San Antonio in Texas has a similar population and is almost exactly the same size geographically. They have ten council districts, a mayor, and a 'city manager' person who seems to do all the actual work.

Ah, I thought she meant cities that had gone the way of the super city but previously weren't. If that's not the case, I can report that the municipality of Milan has much the same population as Auckland and has been run by a mayor for a few centuries. (He looks after himself, obviously.) We also have area councils, which have absolutely no power other than a very symbolic consultative one, as well as a regional council and a provincial council. Nobody really knows what the provincial council does, other than employing a whole lot of people. (This isn't a joke, and I'm not oridinarily an anti-bureaucracy guy).

Posted at 12:31PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

It could also do some good IT advice, what with the proposed move to '1 IT data system' for the entire region and all.

I wonder how soon the report reckons thatwill happen...

I've been wondering that too. There's potential for all kinds of mess in trying to unify all those systems in a year, especially given that some of the stakeholders don't have much interest in making it work.

Posted at 12:38PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Ahem, I said, Rusty Brown for Mayor... do I hear a seconder?

I've not lived in Auckland since 1989, but I visited regularly from then until 2002 when I left Wgtn for Sydney. I get back at least once a year now.

It occurs to me that the merits of a supercity city can't really be assessed relative to others since they're all located within a specific set of other government arrangements. Someone up-threads noted that Brivegas is largely funded by the State, Sydney is the same.

Posted at 12:38PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

I've been wondering that too. There's potential for all kinds of mess in trying to unify all those systems in a year

Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. And they should add a whole bunch of extra functionality to it as well, to free up frontline staff's time, and reduce cost back-room bureaucracy. And they should come up with a great acronym for the project, say INtegrated Council Information System (INCIS).

Posted at 12:38PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

It could also do some good IT advice, what with the proposed move to '1 IT data system' for the entire region and all.

Well apparently there is only 8 'IT data systems' across all of Auckland already. Them councils have got pretty nifty Enterprise Architects by the sound of it.
</sarcasm> (Thanks Emma)

The unification of those will not be done prior to establishment I wager. Not even tried.

Posted at 12:40PM on 8 Apr 09. Permalink.

Brian seems a possibility. Just so you're aware, Bruce is taken (the area around Milton was formerly the Bruce County).

Wayne County would be fabulous. And perfect for the Big Gay Out!

For clarification