KEY POINTS:
There is a strong case in Auckland for the political model that produced Boris Johnson, and before that Ken Livingstone, as Mayor of London, says a leading expert on local governance.
And to be effective, a directly elected Auckland mayor should have executive powers, possibly a four-year term and be supported by a cabinet, said Robin Hambleton, professor of city leadership at the University of West of England in Bristol.
The authority on local government has written a research paper for the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Auckland Governance on civic leadership for Auckland from an international perspective.
Professor Hambleton said the paper was not an international search for an Auckland "solution" but an attempt to widen horizons and contribute fresh thinking within the Auckland context.
He said there was a strong case for introducing a directly elected, strategic, regional authority along the lines of the Greater London Authority.
"It is important to stress the success of the GLA in creating a strong leadership team of assembly members as well as a high-profile, directly elected mayor."
Professor Hambleton said the GLA had a sharp focus on strategic concerns, strong political legitimacy and a relatively lean form of government.
The long-established system of 32 borough councils provided the vast bulk of public services, leading to a two-tier model of government working relatively well.
"The evidence assembled in this paper suggest that the royal commission should give serious attention to the introduction of a directly elected mayor along the lines of the directly elected mayor for London," he said.
At public hearings held by the commission across Auckland, several groups, including the Committee for Auckland, pitched for an executive mayor of Auckland along the lines of the Greater London Authority. Others feared a presidential-type campaign confined to millionaires or celebrities.
Sir Ron Carter, who chairs the Committee for Auckland lobby group, said the evolution of Auckland had run its course and it was time for significant change. And former Local Government New Zealand chairman Basil Morrison said an Auckland super mayor with executive powers would not go down well with the rest of the country.
An executive mayor is untested ground for New Zealand.
Royal commission chairman Peter Salmon, QC, a retired High Court judge, said the views in the paper were those of Professor Hambleton and not of the commission members.
"The commission has made no determination as to whether a regional mayor should be directly elected or have executive powers," Mr Salmon said.
The commission will visit London next month on an overseas tour that will include trips to Vancouver, Seattle and Toronto.
* The paper can be seen at www.royalcommission.govt.nz
