Auckland's leaders share their visions

L-R: Andrew Williams, Bob Harvey, John Banks, Len Brown and Mike Lee. Photos / Brett Phibbs, Greg Bowker, supplied

The Auckland region's leaders were asked to answer three questions: What is your vision for the super city? What are key issues facing business that should not be overlooked? What is your city doing to spur economic success? Here are their answers.

ANDREW WILLIAMS, NORTH SHORE CITY

What is your vision for the super city?

I'm not a fan of the "super city" for Auckland as my beloved fourth largest city in New Zealand already has it all. I'm a Shore Man, having lived in and helped develop the North Shore since the mid 70's, when it was half its current size and nothing like the dynamic city it is today.

What are key issues facing business in North Shore City that should not be overlooked?

The lifestyle city has 225,000 residents, over 550 parks, extensive walkways and cycle ways, good public transport services, excellent community and recreational facilities and high quality shopping areas, coupled with the longest coastline of any city in the country - 141 kilometres of beautiful beaches, bays and cliff-top sea views of the Hauraki Gulf.

With some of the best sporting and cultural facilities in the region - the multi-use indoor North Shore Events Centre, the Millennium Centre, the Bruce Mason Theatre, as well as the North Harbour Stadium - the Shore offers unparalleled tourism, events, promotional and entertainment prospects in the lead-up to and throughout Rugby World Cup 2011.

North Shore City - known as the sports capital of New Zealand due to the extraordinary number of sports representatives living on the Shore - is eagerly anticipating the Rugby World Cup.

The 30,000 seat North Harbour Stadium at Albany will host three pool games and teams including the current South African world champions and the exciting French team.

The Shore has a great track record for rolling out the red carpet for major sports events and our people and businesses always step up to the mark. This will be especially so with such a large population of South African immigrants living on the Shore.

Analysis of RWC2011 shows some $22 million benefit to North Shore City coming from the tournament.

North Shore is already planning a comprehensive programme to take maximum advantage of the World Cup, including social and business events that complement the teams hosted in North Shore City.

What is your city doing to spur economic success?

North Shore City Council's business development arm, Enterprise North Shore, is actively connecting our business community and entrepreneurs to identify the potential for local products and services, and for growth, innovation and investment opportunities presented by this global mega-event. Our targeted industries in sport, high technology, education, health and professional business services, including those in marine, information and communications technology, electronics and niche manufacturing, are expected to grow the North Shore economy by $9.6 billion or 70 per cent over the next 25 years, to $22.4 billion, creating around 29,200 new jobs.

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BOB HARVEY, WAITAKERE CITY

What is your vision for the super city?

Firstly, to unify the interests of New Zealand with the interests of Auckland into a single commercial, environmental and political approach to face the world.

Secondly to prepare Auckland for the best and worst the future is likely to hold - oil shortages hitting our outlying suburbs, environmental purity and branding strengthened for the city, sustaining our smartest industries like tourism and film as if we are the world leaders we aspire to be.

Thirdly to broaden the base of politics so the government of Auckland and how it is run is something people want to fight passionately for - to help all their communities, to see all ethnicities represented. It is important that unique communities of interest, like Waitakere, keep the indentity that makes them so vibrant and different. Auckland must not become one big homogenous "glob". Key to that is giving the proposed local boards enough teeth for them to make a difference in their communities.

What are key issues facing business in Waitakere?

Businesses in niche industries need skilled people, and are still working hard to find them. I'd like to see businesses, even in these tough times, taking on just one or two young people each through this year.

Business also needs to see a few wins on the board - major developments that make it though the system. And they want to see leadership - with so many companies fallen by the wayside, they want to hear about success and aspire to it. Morale to keep going really means something.

What is your city doing to spur economic success?

Working with private developers in New Lynn, Westgate and Hobsonville to see investment continue through the recession - over the next few years that will see at least $1.5 billion and thousands of new jobs on the go. Every day in New Lynn we have 600 workers, virtually around the clock, building the new rail/bus interchange. Council spends about $200 million into the local economy per year, employing about 2000 people on the infrastructure we provide. It's that kind of direct investment by public bodies that spurs private enterprise on. We have also just launched a "Plus Four" programme for local people who have recently been made redundant. That gives them four weeks paid work when they need it most.

We continue to keep our business network encouraged and trained through Waitakere Enterprise, our business development agency.

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JOHN BANKS, AUCKLAND

What is your vision for the super city?

The super city is not just about CBD Auckland. It is reaching out to all four corners of Auckland and making people feel empowered and valued; where we build on our cultural diversity and all have access to jobs and opportunity. A city that is the aspirational capital of New Zealand and its commercial centre. An economically dynamic city, drawing on primary producers but also its unique skills. Where people feel safe in their homes, on the streets and in their communities We also want affordable progress - where rates are contained and people feel they are getting value for money from their city council.

What are the key issues facing business in Auckland?

A lack of access to capital for development, a shortfall in a skilled workforce, access to training and awareness of business assistance available and the need to complete the economic drivers for investment growth and jobs.

These are completion of the motorway network, electrification of the railway network with modern rolling stock and IT investment like broadband.

Unless Auckland as the commercial capital fixes its problems this country will continue to slide down the OECD. We have suffered from inter-generational neglect of our economic infrastructure to build us into the truly internationally competitive city we want to be.

The infrastructure of the super city will need $2 billion of new money every year for 25 years. That's a lot when you consider just the cost of completing State Highway 20 is $1 billion. It requires a commitment to public/private/local government tripartite partnerships - it's not about money all coming from central and local government taxes - it's a combination.

Without investment we won't have growth, jobs and prosperity.

What is your city doing to spur economic success?

Auckland City's capital spending for 2009-10 is $460 million and it is investing or facilitating investment in facilities that will deliver economic benefit, including a convention centre and science and technology park.

The Rugby World Cup 2011 is the single most important opportunity we will get to promote everything good about New Zealand and get that international exposure we want to build forward to the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The Rugby World Cup is a driver for many things - for example, for opening up Auckland's waterfront. [Projects include Queens Wharf, a marine events centre and Te Wero Bridge at Viaduct Harbour].

Under normal circumstances we would not be focusing on such expensive capital investment.

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LEN BROWN, MANUKAU

What is your vision for the super city?

When the Rugby World Cup 2011 comes to New Zealand in two years time, Manukau will be part of the new Auckland council.

The RWC has the potential to generate millions of dollars of direct benefits for the region, and as the gateway to Auckland and New Zealand, Manukau will play a key role in the regional effort to make the World Cup a success for Auckland.

My vision for the super city is a city where we work towards common goals that will ensure Auckland moves forward economically and socially - without losing the diverse identities each of the former city and district councils of Auckland have worked hard to build.

We can unlock the economic potential and promise of the Auckland region, but we must have a focus on building community strength through regional, representation and policy.

What are key issues facing business that should not be overlooked?

It's important that the new leadership will provide strong and clear direction on the future delivery of key services.

What is your city doing to spur economic success?

Council remains committed to a number of major priorities in relation to regional and local projects:

- Public transport improvements, with a particular focus on rail and integrated public transport ticketing. The new rail line to a bus and rail station at Manukau city centre is due to open in late 2010.

- A strong focus on completing the Western Ring Route - completing the State Highway 1 to 20 connection at Manukau City Centre and the second Manukau Harbour Crossing and beginning work on the Waterview connection.

- The Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative to improve public transport and roads in the eastern suburbs, is vital to unlocking economic potential.

- Further development of town centres, upgrading electricity grid capacity, strong maintenance of network and prioritisation of broadband.

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MIKE LEE, ARC CHAIRMAN

What is your vision for the super city?

My vision is articulated in the ARC's submission to the Royal Commission, entitled "The One and the Many". It reflects the need for a single Auckland unitary authority to achieve unity around regional projects, backed up by community boards or community councils.

We are very pleased the Government is pursuing such a model. The key to its success will be to ensure genuine democratic participation for local communities through the community boards and up to the Auckland Council. The transition process should be about achieving efficiencies with more democracy and less bureaucracy.

What are key issues facing businesses in Auckland that should not be overlooked?

Auckland businesses, like those all around the world, have been affected by the global recession. But while riding out the current recession is the obvious immediate issue facing businesses, we should not overlook the importance of businesses being positioned well to seize opportunities when the global market improves.

We need to ensure that Auckland businesses have access to a skilled labour force and that their export strength is enhanced. In my view Auckland has underachieved in exports and that needs to change

What is the ARC doing to spur economic success?

The ARC has recognised the role of tourism as a critical sector of Auckland's economy - it is in many respects an analogue export industry.

We are contributing funding to Tourism Auckland and also working hard with the Government to open up Queens Wharf to the public and develop a premier cruise ship terminal there to maximise benefits from the increasingly lucrative cruise industry. And Auckland's regional parks network is also a vital tourism asset which the ARC is managing and growing.

In addition, the ARC is putting great effort into building an international class electric rapid transit system which will deliver significant benefits to Auckland's commerce and enhance the quality of life for Aucklanders. This quality of life is a key element in attracting and retaining a skilled work force.

Finally, as a business unit of the ARC, AucklandPlus is largely responsible for implementing the Metro Project Action Plan, a series of actions designed to position Auckland for economic success. AucklandPlus works with business on initiatives aimed at developing a skilled labour force and increasing business innovation and export strength, targeting key sectors with the potential for export growth. They are also leading a comprehensive programme designed to ensure Auckland businesses are best placed to cash in on the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

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* District councils not ready to be part of the mix

Calum Penrose, Papakura: We agree that things need to be changed for Auckland to the point where some of the bigger services - the three waters and transport - need to be put in the same bag. There needs to be an over-arching body to deal with big ticket items but leave local councils to do what they do best and that is to deal with local issues.

I know exactly what's going on in our district and I can't see how a super city will make Auckland greater. I hear daily from residents that they don't want it but the Government does not seem to listen.

Businesses in Papakura are finding difficult times at the moment. It's a case of keep your head down and get on with the job, diversify and curb expenditure.

It's amazing the effect on the local economy of positive messages from the media, such as predicting the economy will recover by September.

The council is trying to help by being prudent with spending and ensuring that when consents are lodged there is an efficient and transparent system in place. If something is not right we want to know about it.

Mark Ball, Franklin: We don't see ourselves in the super city. We are not part of the metropolitan issues that are bogging Auckland down.

We are Auckland's rural hinterland. Franklin did its own spatial plan more than three years ago based on there being 108,000 people in Franklin by 2050. We know where they are going to live and work.

We understand that our businesses are different from those of cities because primary production has different requirements and we must provide for them and need to avoid adverse effects of land use. We have meat works for chickens and crops and vegetables. Chicken places smell from time to time and crops need spraying and we have eight extraction sites for sand or aggregates. You can't have residential areas constraining activities.

Penny Webster, Rodney: The super city is important for New Zealand. It is important Auckland becomes a world-class city and some of the proposed reforms are great. But putting Rodney into the mix is too difficult at this stage.

The economic downturn is a key issue facing Rodney businesses, with loss of jobs in manufacturing and reduced farm incomes. But on the upside, tourism is going to be good for our businesses come summer. There are wine trails at Kumeu and Matakana and council is upgrading the Orewa beachfront as well as Warkworth town to become more tourist-friendly.

We have a food and wine festival coming up later in the year. We are looking at becoming an events area obviously based on our beaches.

Business land is coming on stream at at Silverdale North and we are looking at rezoning more business land. We are planning Rodney to give certainty to people where the growth is going.

Most Rodney businesses are small and only 10 per cent of council rates come from commercial and industrial sources.

We are putting a lot of council money into encouraging business to work with us or the Rodney Economic Development Trust.

We propose to lower the business differential in the rates and have brought in a rates remission policy and rates postponement to keep our businesses going.