Business groups say Super City rules block their access to council

Auckland business groups say the Super City setup blocks their access to councillors, forcing them instead to lobby local boards for infrastructure improvements.

The Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill - the third piece of Super City legislation - scraps Auckland's 41 business districts' autonomy and direct access to the Auckland Council, said Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney.

"We are very happy to sit alongside local boards, but we don't want to sit beneath them."

Firms now pay a rate to one of the city councils for being in a business improvement district, and their associations have the ear of the mayor and top officials.

North Harbour Business Association chief executive Gary Holmes took up the concerns with the Auckland Transition Agency, which is setting up the Super City.

"We ... believe our focus is with the Auckland Council ... there's potential for local boards playing politics and not understanding business requirements.

"We have 1300 businesses in our association, employing 13,000 people and the things we need for infrastructure are beyond a local board's means."

Newmarket Business Association chief executive Cameron Brewer said the association's direct relationship with the main local authority should remain under the Super City.

"The agency argues business associations fall under local boards because they are non-regulatory and local.

"But we say the health and wealth of our business districts is not a local issue ... it's of Auckland-wide importance."