Brian Rudman: Behold - the Civic carpark redevelopment circus

Six weeks ago, Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard did his darnedest to put a positive spin on news that repairs to the leaking roof of the Civic carpark could cost as much as $73.2 million.

He would appoint a small group of high-profile business people, architects, engineers, councillors and council staff to look at "opportunities and fresh ideas" arising from this calamity.

Last Friday, he finally revealed details of his "Outside the Square" group. Or to be more accurate - groups.

Eight groups, in fact, if you throw in the city council itself, which still has to make the final decision.

Indeed, so many people seem to be involved that I wouldn't be surprised if another floor of the carpark has to be closed to accommodate them all.

Top of the pecking order is the Think Tank, made up of four "experts, blue-sky thinkers and influencers that have NO contact with the project".

Convenor of this is Mr Hubbard, but only to show the others to their seats, I would have thought, given the rules disqualifying anyone with past contact with the problem.

The Thinkers include Westpac chief executive Ann Sherry, Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall, Beca chairman Gavin Cormack and businessman Bryan Mogridge.

If the mayor is expelled from the Thinkers, he does have a place as head of a seven-strong "councillor working party".

The working party's role is "to engage with the Think Tank and advisory group, who will brief the working party regularly on thinking and progress".

Confused? Well, please try to keep up. The aforementioned advisory group is to sit at the right hand of the Thinkers, and is headed by Melbourne urban designer Stuart Niven. He will be aided by four Wellington architects or urban designers and a lone Aucklander, architect Julie Stout. Assisting them will be yet another three technical experts.

But just in case all the above suffer brain freeze, there's to be a reference group of unnamed size, of people "with wide-ranging interests" who will assist "by contributing and testing ideas".

Also testing the ideas will be a "stakeholders group" of organisations and property-owners "directly affected by the decisions made". To ensure things don't get totally out of control, there'll also be a project management team of senior city council managers to run the show and provide "independent" - odd choice of word that, when it's the outsiders who have been brought in to do just that - professional and technical advice.

Now I guess we should be flattered that such a high-powered congregation of business and design muscle are prepared to rush to the rescue of our leaky carpark roof. But isn't it a tad over the top? Like exploding a nuclear device to clear a blocked downpipe?

I could understand calling in the A team to discuss the future development of say, the downtown waterfront. But this?

The mayor wants them to consider putting an underground rail station on the site or an international-sized convention centre.

The terms of reference propose that "given we have an opportunity for a rethink, should the carpark be replaced in its current location? Is this the right location for Aotea Square - the premier city square?"

First the rail station proposal. It doesn't take a cast of blue-sky thinkers to realise that if we base a decision on the carpark around whether an underground railway is coming through, the structure might well have rotted to the ground before anything is done.

As for shifting the carpark, who in their right mind will back that? Ten metres to the west, perhaps. Or the east?

Then there's the old convention centre chestnut.

On that we can consult experts until the cows come home - but in the end, it's a matter of money. And that's one decision we Aucklanders can't duck.

To me there's only one sensible solution to the immediate problem. The carpark is a vital part of the entertainment precinct infrastructure. Apart from the dodgy roof, it has decades of life in it. Solution?

Lighten the load on the roof - mainly soil - that is causing all the problems. Do whatever repairs are necessary, then make certain we don't repeat past errors.

If that means banning mass rallies overhead, then so be it. There's always the wide open spaces of the Domain or Victoria Park.