Local Government Minister Rodney Hide wants a Boris Johnson-type to lead the new Auckland Super City.
Mr Hide, who has publicly stated he does not think any of the incumbent mayors are up to the Super City mayoralty, has fallen for the colourful personality of the London mayor.
Their paths
crossed when Mr Hide was meeting the deputy mayor of London, Richard Barnes, on a Super City fact-finding visit to London, Toronto, Portland and Los Angeles.
Mr Johnson told the Act leader to "seize power" when it comes to the Auckland Super City.
Mr Hide said he took the advice to mean to go for it and not waver in the biggest shake-up of local government since 1989.
Mr Hide said Mr Johnson, a conservative politician who swept to power in May last year, was clearly eccentric but also super intelligent and had given London a great personality and focal point for leadership.
Auckland, he said, could do with a leader like Boris Johnson, to embody the city and make people feel proud.
"What is clear from London, and what we are doing in Auckland, is for the first time we will have a position where someone can make a real difference for Auckland."
Another leader who impressed Mr Hide was Bill Fujioka, chief executive of Los Angeles County with a population of 10 million people.
Mr Hide said Mr Fujioka had a clear view of the importance of his independence from the political process and put the interests of the region first.
Asked if he supported any of the incumbent chief executives to run the Super City, Mr Hide said that was not his job.
"I have given instructions to the transition agency [designing the Super City] that we need to produce a council that has a good culture and by that I mean having a regard for the spending of ratepayers' money ... and one that has a customer focus," he said.
"Bill Fujioka was exactly of that attitude."
