Council braces for more voices than it can hear

Penny Hulse. Photo / Richard Robinson

Auckland Mayor Len Brown's blueprint for the city's future has raised a concern - what if 3000 people demand their say on it in thetraditional Kiwi way, in front of a councilmeeting?

Answer: They can't all be heard.

The council yesterday debated the hearings process for submissions on the draft Auckland Plan, a day after its launch, at which Mr Brown vowed that the council would not be "mucking around" and would have it finalised in December, after taking public feedback into account.

The deadline for making submissions on the draft is October 25 and the tight timetable means hearing of those submissions should start on November 1.

But Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse says that will make November a very busy month for the council's 20 elected members.

"If we do it the way we have previously, if we have 3000 submissions - which is not out of the question - that means 30 days of sittings in November," said Mrs Hulse.

"We would need the entire month of November as well as the weekends to hear the number of submissions we are expecting."

The Auckland Unleashed discussion paper drew 8500 comments but they did not have to be formally heard.

Submissions made on the draft plan fall under the consultative procedure of the Local Government Act, and people can elect to be formally heard.

Even 2000 in-person submissions - allowing each person 10 minutes - would far exceed the capacity to hear them all, sitting every day in November, said chief planning officer Dr Roger Blakeley.

Mrs Hulse called for an investigation into ways of shortening the hearings process.