KEY POINTS:
Aucklanders spoken to by nzherald.co.nz are largely in support of the Auckland region being governed by a new super city council from next year.
The Herald reported this morning that the new council will be headed by a single mayor with executive powers to make independent decisions.
The
Herald expects the report of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance will recommend a bold shake-up of local government, including radical proposals for an executive mayor along the lines of London and the creation of a super city, stretching 140km from Pukekohe in the south to Wellsford in the north.
With 1.4 million people, it will be the largest city under one council in Australasia.
It is not known what the commission has in mind for the region's four city councils, three district councils, one regional council and community boards.
Aucklanders spoken to by nzherald.co.nz had were mostly positive with some people saying there could be money saved, while others said it could be difficult for one council to represent both urban and semi-rural areas.
Matthew Wright is 26 and living in Auckland city on a working holiday. He comes from Leeds and said London's issues have been put in the spotlight since adopting a super council.
"The new mayor is Boris Johnson and he's quite a character. The mayoral figure has become a celebrity figure," Mr Wright said.
He said Auckland's proposed super city would cover such a large area and one council could "centralise things too much" but Mr Wright said that could be overcome by keeping smaller local councils.
Clare Thomas would not give her age and lives on Waiheke Island. She was not aware of the idea but said councils in the Auckland region need to be more consistent.
She said it took her nine months to get a building consent and resource consent for a project she was planning on Waiheke, while friends who were building in Rodney received an apology when they were told the consent would take two weeks to process.
"Why that council is so different to ours, I have no idea, maybe we could adopt their policy?
"Whether a combined council would make a difference, I don't know," she said.
Arvit Lakheira is 34 and lives in west Auckland. He said a single city would cut down on "squabbling".
He said money could also be saved on infrastructure and transport planning projects.
Mr Lakheira said some areas would be impacted more than others and not all areas may be represented equally.
Carolyn Oxley is 36 and lives in East Auckland which is part of Auckland city. She said one council "sounds like a really good idea".
She said there would be few problems of representing such a large area.
"I imagine they would still need to take into consideration the different regions and the different parts of the community," she said.
London and New York have large councils and do an effective job, she said.
She said one council would cut down on in-fighting and enable a concerted effort to lobby Wellington on Auckland issues.
Hanan James is 29 and lives in Auckland city. He said he has had a bad experience with the Rodney District Council.
"They're like a bunch of old men who want to keep the place the same old way," Mr James said.
He said smaller councils in New Zealand tend to argue amongst themselves but having one could help matters.
"I don't think it would solve all the problems but it would speed up the process [of local government]," Mr James said.
John Cobb is 35 and lives in west Auckland. He said it would be easier to interact with local authorities if there was only one council.
"It would be easier for people to come together and it would save arguments," Mr Cobb said.
James Liston is aged 35 and lives in Auckland city. He said there could be issues with a council representing diverse communities.
- NZ HERALD STAFF
