Easy to stand, hard to deliver

By BERNARD ORSMAN, CATHY ARONSON and ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

Political promises have a way of changing to meet the times. On the campaign trail last month Auckland's mayor-to-be John Banks took a dig at Christine Fletcher, declaring he would put her mayoral Volvo limousine up for auction and give the proceeds to the City Mission.

Asked on the day after he was elected about the fate of both mayoral cars, he had already changed down a few gears.

"I'm not sure what we're going to do with the Volvos," he told the Herald.

"(But) one thing is for sure. I'm not going to be fronting around this city in any car with MAYOR written on the numberplate."

Volvos aside, Mr Banks is promising sweeping changes with his ambitious plans to develop new motorways, clean up Queen St, slash bureaucracy on the council and create a supercity serving all Aucklanders.

But critics predict he will struggle to get support from the Government and his own officials, forcing the new mayor to either back down or compromise on some projects.

Further south the new mayors of Hamilton and Tauranga, David Braithwaite and Jan Beange, have avoided bold promises but face challenges of their own.

Mr Braithwaite, who chairs the Waikato Stadium Trust, will tackle continuing controversy about cost overruns at the trouble-plagued stadium and the city's $105 million debt.

In Tauranga, Ms Beange and her council must find a way to pay for a $110 million road link and second harbour bridge.

And Waikato District Council, headed by new mayor Peter Harris, has to decide next year whether to approve a 650-inmate men's prison against strong local opposition.

These are the main issues facing the new mayors - and their prospects of succeeding.

JOHN BANKS, AUCKLAND

Promise: To make an immediate start and complete the eastern highway and State Highway 20 extension from Hillsborough Rd through Avondale to the Northwestern motorway by 2007.

Chance of success: Low. Prime Minister Helen Clark has already warned Mr Banks that his powers over roading are limited and that the big decisions on motorways are for central Government agencies such as Transit.

Transit NZ's Auckland state highway programme is based on a 10-year roadbuilding programme and the word from Wellington is that the Government regards this timetable as over-ambitious and unaffordable.

The extension of State Highway 20 is not scheduled to start until 2008.

Auckland's roading projects are also laid down in the Regional Land Transport Strategy, which is drawn up by all the region's local authorities, not just Auckland City. Cumbersome environmental blocks must also be overcome.

In his favour, Mr Banks has a majority on the Auckland City Council to advance motorway planning and backing from the Auckland Business Forum, whose spokesman and Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett has been elected to the Auckland Regional Council.

National Party transport spokeswoman Belinda Vernon said Mr Banks had a strong mandate to deliver on a "more roads" platform and she predicted he would not put up with Government dithering.

Promise: To make the city streets safer, zero tolerance for bad behaviour and if necessary close Queen St and the Auckland Domain to "boy racers" on Friday and Saturday nights.

Chance of success: Good. The former Minister of Police will stand or fall on his rhetoric to "clean up CBD Auckland" and make it a fun and a safe place.

Mr Banks has the power to close Queen St and the Auckland Domain to "boy racers", but will need all his powers of persuasion and bullying to get more police resources for downtown Auckland. He plans to use a Safer Communities plan being worked on by council staff, police and local iwi to start a law-and-order policy.

Previous attempts to get more police officers patrolling Queen St have failed. It will be the police, not Mr Banks, who implement a zero tolerance policy on petty crime.

Mr Banks is keen to develop a strong working relationship with Auckland City district commander Superintendent Howard Broad and the Auckland police. He wants to replace security officers, or "pretend police" as he calls them, who patrol Queen St at night, with more police.

Promise:To cut the size of the council and the number of council committees.

Chance of success: Low/medium. When it comes to cutting the 17 committees, 17 subcommittees and 14 working parties, Mr Banks has a majority on the council to implement change.

But politicians are power hungry. They like the extra money that comes with a committee chair and the wheeling and dealing has already started for jobs.

This will be the first test for Mr Banks as he tries to stamp his authority on belt-tightening at the council. He wants fewer than 10 committees, including a new law-and-order committee.

As far as cutting the number of council staff, Mr Banks has already learned that the council employs only one member of staff - chief executive Bryan Taylor, who was given a new four-year contract in April. It is Mr Taylor's job to employ the other 1700 staff.

Promise: To hold a binding referendum on a supercity for Auckland.

Chance of success: Low/medium. Mr Banks supports a supercity, but recognises difficulties in terms of rate structures, costs, how they fall and who pays.

Other political and business leaders also support a supercity, but Auckland's 1.2 million inhabitants are showing little enthusiasm for the idea.

The Prime Minister and MP for Mt Albert, Helen Clark, said proposed changes to the Local Government Act would give Auckland communities the opportunity to debate a supercity, but she would not push the region into amalgamation. She said it had been only 12 years since the last local government shake-up, when up to 30 local bodies were crunched into seven.

DAVID BRAITHWAITE, HAMILTON

Big issue: Waikato Stadium.

The twin-stadium project has been in the making for more than five years, and new mayor David Braithwaite has been chairman of the Waikato Stadium Trust for 18 months.

It became an election issue because former mayor Russ Rimmington continued to accuse his mayoral competitor of mismanagement.

Mr Braithwaite claims the stadium will not be an issue in his first term as mayor because it is due to be completed by February.

But the project still has a shortfall of between $1.3 million and $1.6 million and Mr Braithwaite and property developer Brian Perry have signed a private indemnity agreement with the developers to cover it.

The 64-year-old mayor says he is confident he can raise the shortfall.

Council chief executive Tony Marryatt has said if there is a shortfall the council could consider funding it.

The council has already earmarked $9 million for the stadium after a public referendum last year supported it.

Mr Braithwaite would have to declare a conflict of interest if it went to the vote.

The new mayor will not spell out how he plans to cut the council's $105 million debt but hints that projects such as redevelopment of Claudelands Park could be completed over eight years instead of three.

PETER HARRIS, WAIKATO DISTRICT

Big issue: New prison.

New mayor Peter Harris - the deputy for the last six years - and his council must decide next year whether to approve the building of a new men's prison, which the Government wants but locals fiercely oppose.

The Government announced in June its plan to build a 650-inmate men's multi-security prison in north Waikato, only 1km away from a giant landfill proposed by EnviroWaste.

Corrections Minister Matt Robson is due to apply for a designation on the 214ha site in Te Kauwhata before Christmas.

Council chief executive Warwick Bennett does not expect the council to hear the application until next March or April, although he says it can appoint a commissioner if there is a conflict of interest.

If the council turns the application down, the Government has the right to reject its decision and the council, or submitters, would have to fight the decision in the Environment Court.

But if it approves the prison it may face a backlash from voters at the next elections in 2004. The prison is due to open in 2003.

JAN BEANGE, TAURANGA

Big issues: Roading and growth.

Only days before Saturday's elections, the outgoing council approved the first stage of a $110 million link between the Waikareao Expressway and Hewletts Road, including a second harbour bridge, with a $1m ratepayer-funded loan to pay for designating the route and buying land along the corridor.

The remaining finance has yet to be found. The last council found that keeping the old bridge toll to pay for future roading projects was politically unacceptable - it reluctantly dropped the charge in July - and now Ms Beange is appealing for the Government to help.

She argues that Auckland and the rest of the upper North Island would face an even bigger transport network headache without the load carried by Tauranga and its busy port.

The new council will also come under continuing public pressure to provide new amenities, including an art gallery, museum, convention centre, sporting facilities and redevelopment of the waterfront.

Ms Beange agrees the facilities are needed to catch up with the city's population growth but says there is not enough money for them.

* Reported by: Bernard Orsman in Auckland, Cathy Aronson in Hamilton and Rosaleen Macbrayne in Tauranga.

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