Ports of Auckland chair Jan Dawson has taken issue with an allegation by new mayor Wayne Brown that the port is being tardy in responding to his drive for council savings, efficiencies and revenue improvements.
Dawson said the port company was “surprised” Brown said on Thursday the council “had yetto hear” from the council-owned port on what it planned for these three areas to deliver ratepayers a significant cash dividend in 2023-2024.
She said the port company had not yet been invited to meet the expenditure control committee from which Brown’s statement emanated.
Brown, who believed the dividend should be at least $30 million, made the claim in a media statement headed “Expenditure control committee to start work on $270m budget hole”.
The port has previously told the council its goal is to return the port annual dividend to the city to a level of $50m-plus.
Ports of Auckland chair Jan Dawson has taken issue with an allegation by new mayor Wayne Brown. Photo / File
Dawson in a letter to Brown said the port company had taken several actions to assist with management of the council’s budget deficit.
“We have been working closely with council staff over the past couple of weeks on a number of cost-saving opportunities around debt funding and insurance premiums.
“This work is well progressed, and the initiatives will take effect this financial year. Whilst we are early into the financial year we are clear that the best way we can support council’s effort is to outperform our Statement of Corporate Intent profitability targets,” she added.
”As we stated in our previous correspondence, our goal is to return the dividend to $50m-plus and in the interim we will to look provide the council with a dividend of at least $30m this year to play our part in the budget task.”
Dawson said she and port chief executive Roger Gray would be happy to meet with the expenditure control and procurement committee to discuss these matters but was yet to get an invite.
Brown in his statement after a committee workshop on Thursday said: “No expenditure information, no matter how detailed and granular, should be withheld from the committee by any member of the Auckland Council Group, including the port company.”
Brown has the port company’s financial and health and safety performance in his sights after making its disappointing returns and use of public land a plank of his election platform.
