What happens now?

What happens now? Our Community Voices share their hopes and fears for the future of the region under the new Auckland Council. Edward Rooney hears their views in the final of our election series.

SOUTH

Stuart Myers: "This is a great victory for middle Auckland. Aucklanders have said that for their first mayor they need someone who can unite the many different ethnic groups across the city. It is significant that the privileged sector in Central Auckland is no longer in control of the wider Auckland city. Len Brown will have a centre-left council to work with which should make it easier for him but it will be a difficult task ahead given that much of the infrastructure has already been set up expecting a right wing victory. Len Brown has visions of creating extra rail links, transport plans around schools, free entry to swimming pools but first and foremost he spoke about uniting Auckland and that is what he has had a resounding vote of confidence to do. I look forward to seeing how he progresses."
Wilson Hawes: "Overall I am happy with the outcomes of the local body elections, though I have reservations about Len Brown, I think he lacks experience for the job. I think his appearance with Phil Goff on TV was an example of his political immaturity and he has been used by the left in Auckland for its own political agenda. This is not what an experienced and "inclusive" leader would have done. It will be interesting to see how he gets down to the job of running the council. I am happy with the composition of the council, it is more moderate that I expected which means that hopefully more can be done as a result of having a less "factionally influenced" council. But my real concern is that Brown lacks the experience to do this job. I thought that both candidates were poor, Len Brown is probably the the better of the two main ones. I like the composition of the Howick local boards, I am particularly pleased that those who professed to listen to the local community have been voted in, Sharon Stewart in particular has been a supporter of my clubs needs and hopefully this support will continue. The greatest challenge over the next three years is to make the new "unified" city work on a day-to-day level as well as delivering on the promises that have been made by those who were elected.
Manpreet Singh: "The people that have come through have been real role models to the community and that is a good thing." Mr Singh believes the police investigation into fraud allegations in Papatoetoe, resulting in charges laid against Labour candidate Daljeet Singh, hampered the chances for all Indian candidates. "The Indian community had expected him to do well and they have a big challenge ahead to be represented now. Overall, I'm optimistic for the future. It's a starting point and there are big challeges ahead. I think that it will be only after two terms that things start to come right."
Kim Dennis: "The majority of people in Manurewa I have spoken are all in favor of the result, the Southsiders voted and Len Brown presented himself to the rest of Auckland as the best man for the job and he got it. The 20 councillors elected are a strong team of knowledgable people and they bring with them the attitude and skills to drive the largest city in Aotearoa New Zealand for the next three years. For Manurewa/Papakura the elected members represent the new area fairly and they may not be the people some wanted for the job but our differences have to be put aside and let them do their job. Our two representative on Auckland Council will have to build a strong relationship with our new Manurewa Local Board and vice versa because they both need each other to represent the people properly. With interest is the breakdown of the Manurewa local board, with three newbies and five oldbies there will be lively debates and discussions. My one only wish is that they listen to the people of Manurewa and take on board the needs of the community and not their own agenda which has happened in the past, but now they get a new opportunity to represent us. This is a new era of local government, with new roles and responsibilities, new opportunities to enrich and enhance the community and it's people with the promises that got them to their positions on the Manurewa local board so once they are over the teething problems just get on with it and look after Manurewa the way we would like to be looked after."
Daniel McClean: "The new council and boards face a logistical nightmare in getting it all to work together. I'm excited, there are some massive developments being talked about and that will bring progress and growth. As a resident of east Auckland, I just hope we aren't forgotten because we have some major public transport issues out here too."
Frank Walton: "I think the low socio areas of Auckland have spoken and I think the result is there are people there who understand our issues. The people elected have tons of experience and it will be very interezsting to see how they go about getting on with the job. I do think the challenge will be in shaking down the demarkation of what their jobs actually are. They will be setting their precedences of what their powers are. But they know what the issues are in this part of Manurewa - street prostitution and liquor licensing - and they have been elected because that is what people are concerned about."
WEST
Warren Ogilvie: "In casting an eye over the names, it does seem to be a white, Anglo-Saxon, middle class that has got in. I see that Penny Hulse is streets ahead in the numbers and I believe she would make a good candidate for deputy mayor. Looking at the Henderson-Massey board, I think name recognition has won through. Tracey Kirkley is about the only fresh face. I think it's a shame that a few more new ones haven't come through and some of the odler candidates haven't moved on. Some of these people will have to learn how to use mroe modern means to engage and listen to their communities. They are there to determine the prioties for their area and they will have to adjust because most of them have beern councillors or even mayors before. I'm disappointed there aren't more fresh faces, and I think a lesson to be learned from this is that new candidates needed to build up their support in groups like ratesidents associations and places like that before they can go into the political arena.
Kubi Witten-Hannah: "I am delighted at the election of Len Brown. I think he will be better at listening and building a cohesive city than any of his rivals. In my ward there was always going to be disappointment with three strong candidates standing for the council. The good news is that two of them were elected - Sandra Coney and Penny Hulse. I am concerned by results in our neighbouring board, Henderson-Massey. This area is the commercial and administrative hub for our area and I would have hoped to see a stronger board elected. In this area, as in some others, name recognition seems to be a major consideration. It is a possible explanation for the strange results in Mt Albert/Eden and Manukau which both elected an ex-national MP and and a left-wing candidate. Overall I think the make-up of the council will be okay. It will probably depend on the positions taken by some of the independents and the success of the council will vary by issue. There would seem to be a strong voice for sorting out transport issues and I hope that there will also be strong support for environmental issues. That is not just about parks but also about controlling urban sprawl and managing water quality issues.I am grateful the new council will have the benefit of the experience of Sandra Coney in this area. I also think there will be enough ability on the council to manage the thorny issues around bringing everything together into one city. The other big issue facing the new city will be keeping the CCOs under control. I believe, or hope, Len Brown will have the strength and support from councilors to do this. This will be a huge challenge as will be looking after the environment. Working together will be a challenge for our new council. This is an area in which I expect Penny Hulse and Sandra Coney to show leadership."
Georgia Ball: "I think we may have got too many community-minded people and not enough with business sense. I believe there needed to be more of a balance." She thinks the postal voting system needs to be changed because of the low returns and allegations of impropriety. "I do find it interesting that three chairs of community boards stood again and weren't elected. But we live in hope that the ones that have been elected can do the job. I think the biggest challenge of this new council is to manage to live within its means. I'm a bit nervous about some of the things the new mayor is talking about, some of these things will cost a mint."
Graeme Tremain: "I'm ambivalent about all the outcome because I believe the Royal Commission was on the right track in having candidates elected from a wider vote." Mr Tremain believes there were far too many candidates to choose from and they should be limited to standing for one position only rather than hedging their bets. "Ultimately, I don't think the transition agency has done its job properly. Some things are left to be done such as how does the council work with local boards? Do councillors sit on local boards are are they even invited to local board meetings? But the die has been cast and only time will tell whether this lot can make this experiment work."
Wayne Bainbridge: "I'm disappointed. Too many people have been elected on name recognition alone. I don't know these people's policies and I don't know how anybody can either. I think there will be a continuation of the lack of vision that we have seen before. This lot will be too busy with transition issues to tackle any vision. Overall, I'm very disappointed."
Duncan Blakley: "It's fantastic to see all of the new faces, But I am concerned for the ratepayers who are going to end up footing the bill for all of there new plans and ideas. And will our new mayor really feel that he can be part of the West? I still have huge concerns that the Hobsonville community will have a voice, with our community being absorbed into the North Shore. We have huge development going on in our back garden and have little or no say in what actually is going to happen. will all of the heritage and close community be lost with 4000-plus houses at Hobsonville Pnt. And will the lawns around the Hobsonville shops ever get mowed by the new council, as they were never mowed by the last council. So minor but yet it will show that we are really a community that counts with the huge local changes. The major taks ahead is getting the new Super City system up and running. And how are they going to get unity across the city? Will democracy rule, or will politics and egos get in the way? Will they be able to give us a zero per cent rate increase for the next three years or more? I have huge concerns that residents will not be able to live in Auckland, or even own homes in this city as its pricing its self out of the market."
NORTH
Christo Peters: "I'm very exited. The key people I voted for got in. I think whoever is on the council will have unrealistic demands put on them in the first term. Let's face it, there are huge systemic problems. Len Brown will be sitting at a table with five or six former mayors, all with very strong personalities. It will be interesting to see how he negotiates his way through that. Another challenge will be working out where Government sits and where local council starts, on issues such as another harbour crossing for instance. Will this new structure be able to fast-track that any more than the previous one? That remains to be seen. There were big gains in the scale of things that could be tackled after the amalgamations in 1989, will we now have the ability to go even more macro now? Overall, I'm very optimistic. On my local board I have a former MP in Grant Gillon and a former mayor in Ann Hartley, along with very experienced others. We have a new face in Richard Hills. I think our area can be well represented."
Merv Huxford: "I was surprised by the extent of Len Brown's margin, and it appears that the 'hope and vision' message has prevailed. But looking at the voting turnout, I am not sure that the 'people have spoken'. Another comment I've heard was that often well organised campaigns have a greater effect on votes than the policies espoused in the campaigns. I think people will be a lot more streetwise and concerned with what they can vote for next time round. At the end of the day however, it will be the paid local body executives that influence the direction the Super City follows ..."
Barbara Cuthbert: "I have been excited from the outset by the opportunities of the super-city. I am even more so now, with Len Brown as mayor. He's our best prospect to satisfy the huge public demand for good public and active transport, achieved via inclusive decision-making. The new council has a majority of sound and experienced politicians who are up to the challenge of bringing the Government on board to fund our overdue public transport improvements. The election of George Wood and Ann Hartley as North Shore's councillors shows the public has had enough of Andrew Williams' 'Dark Ages' divisive regime. I'm also pleased we have skilled Devonport representatives on the Devonport-Takapuna board. It's a good team for local collaboration and regional results."
Paddy Stafford-Bush: "I don't see the Len Brown victory as a Labour endorsement. Rather I see it as a vote for democracy, people wanting to be listened to, people wanting to be involved and to shape their community. It will be interesting to see how Mayor Brown and the council will manage the CCOs." At council level, Mrs Stafford-Bush says her ward representatives George Wood and Ann Hartley are wise choices. "There is a him and a her, both of whom have shown good leadership in their earlier roles. I have confidence in their ability to see the benefits of the 'new' Auckland application and North Shores place within it. The local board is again a good gender mix, wise heads with local government experience. I see it as an opportunity for creativity and the enhancement of the elements that make Devonport and Takapuna so distinctive as communities." Mrs Stafford-Bush says the new Auckland Council faces a great challenge is to create 'Auckland as a place to be'. "This means all its diverse communities embracing the concept of Auckland as a great city to be in, while still being able to celebrate their local communities. To the extent that they have to create an Auckland to which residents are proud to say 'I live in Auckland' where to be a JAFA is a celebration of F for 'fantastic'."
Grant Harris: "The voter turnout was higher than I expected it to be, which I guess is the result of more interest this time around and it's a bigger story. The bigger the city though, the bigger the scrutiny will be on its leader, so I hope Len Brown has the tenacity to bring unity to this new Auckland. The people on the local boards aren't really known to the vast majority, so I just hope there are some capable people. And we aren't really sure how they will work in practice, so actions will now need to speak louder than words. I'm always an optimist, but realistically there are some huge social issues to be addressed, which a local council can't possible do without the help of the wider community. Time will tell whether the council can bring unity and direction to an extremely diverse city such as Auckland."
Katie George: "I am happy with the results of the elections. I think this election was more focused on the new super city mayor than highlighting the board members and councilors. The headlines were all about the new mayor so I searched the web to find who made it onto the local board. I feel optimistic about the future with Len Brown as mayor and I hope that his motivation for a new transit system, as well as many other issues, remains strong and he is able to work with the government to implement his strategies. I think the biggest challenge for the council will be the restructure and new channels that have been set up. Probably with any restructuring in a business, there will be teething problems to begin with but hopefully as time goes on they will iron out any problems and make changes to the organisational structure where it needs to be made. Any issues that concern the public directly need to be communicated effectively and any changes to processes need to be outlined so we are kept in the loop with how things are done in the new council."
CITY

Wayne Urquart: Mr Urquart believes there are similarities between John Banks and suspended TV presenter Paul Henry, whose attention-seeking shock statements have seen their day. "I am optimistic that Brown's vision for radically improved transport infrastructure will start to lift the region economically. Assuming his councilors and central government pull together and genuinely do support him, they now have a mandate to make Auckland a significantly more competitive city. There will be challenges at several levels: Bringing together 20 councillors who can start to think and plan for 'all of Auckland' from a macro perspective. The strongest temptation will be to immediately get bogged back in their parochial agendas and not start thinking about the biggest picture." He says local boards face a big challenge in understanding where they fit in and building bridges and relationships. Communication with ratepayers will be the key to it all. Getting the right message to the right people using the right language at the right time will take both planning and perception. We will only find out with the passing of time whether this group of pioneers will have what it takes."
Margaret Bijl: "I think it's a very clear indication to the Government about how Auckland feels about the super city. Len Brown has a very difficult task of getting everybody working together but I do think that he can carry it off. She's concerned about the issues of ballot papers being undelivered and allegations of electoral fraud that emerged. "I think that cast some light on the efficiencies of our postal sevices," she says. She believes however that voters have responded to Mark Ford's appointment to two major council controlled organistions. "How much power should one person have?" She is also concerned about the new names on her Albert-Eden local board. "We don't know much about these people and we are not given much infiormation about them at all. I've always felt the board is the weak link in all this." Overall, Mrs Bijl feels we'll have to "wait and see" whether the new council can make a real difference on key issues such as liquor licensing in communities.
John Eady: "I was quite surprised by the results to be honest. I really did think that John Banks would take it. I have concerns about how the council will be run . Ultimately, the proof of the pudding with be in the eating and we will have to see in a few months or six months time. I think it is a tough job that they have all been elected to and they will have to listen. I don't think any of them have a particuarlay good idea of what they have let themselves in for. They will need to walk before they can run."
Gregory Shanahan: "It's a very decisive result so in that sense it's a great result. Those that have been enfranchised can go ahead with the policies that they have outlined. I'd heard that the number of votes was higher than it has been for 10 years so, if that's correct, it's very encouraging." Mr Shanahan says Len Brown has made his priorities clear and votes responded to that. "He held it out for people what he wished to do, albeit over a long term, and they have given him a clear mandate."
Mary Dawson: "I'm very delighted with the outcome. The results seem to be all about inclusiveness. I believe it can be a strong council, the mayor has a team aroud him with a range of experience as well as new perspectives. The challenge is how we pull together as a city of community interests as well as business needs - the two have to work together. It all comes down to the issue of mobility for me: Wherever you live, you have to be able to go places because once you can't, you have issues of isolation; people also need a means to express themselves freely; there must be an acknowledgement of where we are and where we are from; and there must be access to services for all bearin g mind we are a city of many languages." Dr Dawson also hopes the staffing has been done well and Auckladn has hired the best of the previous council officers. "If it is done right, we can have a high level of engagement between the council and all its communities."
Olinda Woodroffe: "It's exciting isn't it? I"m pleased with the extra 20 per cent who turned out to vote. What impressed me about Len Brown was his talk about bringing Auckland together. In hard times, Auckland has taken onboard someone who can unite us. What I would like to see is the people, who made the effort, to continue to be behind Len Brown while he goes about getting the transport problems right. This is not a time to put Len Brown to the test, it's about how we can help him. I'm optimistic, but realistic enough to know there will be frustration and heartache. I'm pleased to see the change and I want this voice of the people to coninue on and make a city we can all be proud of."
What is this project about?
These local body elections represent a historic moment for our region: for the first time, voters from Te Arai Pt to Pukekohe, Piha to Pohutukawa Coast have elected one mayor and council. They have also chosen members of 21 local boards. Each of our four editions - North, West, Central and South - has mustered a panel of local identities to comment on the campaign. This is the fourth and final in the series.