Mayor seeks stand-in deputy

Bruce Hucker

Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard plans to replace, temporarily, Deputy Mayor Bruce Hucker, who is on sick leave after being taken to hospital on Friday suffering from exhaustion.

The 61-year-old leader of the centre-left City Vision team on the council is resting at his Freemans Bay home. He will have more medical tests this week. In the last term of council, Dr Hucker fell and damaged a hip.

Friends and colleagues blame his illness on an enormous civic workload and social obligations while continuing to lecture part-time at Auckland University. It is not known when he will return.

Mr Hubbard has begun talks about an acting deputy mayor, which was necessary for civil defence reasons and to cover for him while he is away on a mayoral trip to China next week. The acting position was for a "finite period" until Dr Hucker returned. It is thought Mr Hubbard favours Vern Walsh, the City Vision councillor who chairs the finance committee.

Mr Hubbard said he had not visited or spoken to Dr Hucker since he went to hospital to give him space to rest. He would take his cue from Dr Hucker's wife, Judy, about visiting.

Mr Hubbard, a political novice, has had power-sharing difficulties with Dr Hucker, a councillor for 19 years with an intimate knowledge of the council and regional politics.

Penny Sefuiva, City Vision councillor and a close friend of Dr Hucker, said he needed a break and breathing space.

She said it was logical for Mr Walsh as finance committee chairman to be given constitutional powers to sign legal documents in the mayor's absence overseas.

"But that is quite different from considering a temporary deputy mayor, which would have to be done through council.

"I think it is utterly pre-emptive to consider this any more than an administrative constitutional process."

Council chief executive David Rankin said a decision to appoint an acting deputy was a matter for the council but given it was only for a short time and Mr Hubbard was planing to go overseas next week an "urgent decision" could be made without a full council meeting. Mr Rankin said he would not expect Mr Hubbard to use the "urgent decision" process without a consensus of councillors.

There were no clear legal reasons for having to appoint an acting deputy. It came down to "commonsense and judgment", Mr Rankin said.

Dr Hucker's illness became apparent when he arrived about 20 minutes late to chair a meeting of the Watercare Shareholders' Group on Friday.

Deputy chairman and Manukau city councillor Neil Morrison said Dr Hucker appeared to be under some stress.

"He certainly wasn't the cool, calm and collected Bruce we normally know."

Dr Hucker is expected to miss the first preliminary budget meeting. Mr Rankin will this month outline the financial parameters and the majority team of City Vision, Labour, Action Hobson, two independents and Mr Hubbard will begin the political job of setting rates.

Deputy's workload

* Senior lecturer (part-time), Auckland University planning department.

* Chairman urban strategy and governance committee.

* Ex-officio member, all council committees.

* Chairman Watercare Services shareholders' representative group.

* Chairman assessors' and audit subcommittee.

* Chairman Tawaipareira & Rangihoua subcommittee.

* Auckland Regional Transport Network shareholders' representative group member.

* Auckland Regional Growth Forum member.

* Auckland regional economic development partnership member.

* Annual plan editorial working party member.

* Waterfront liaison group member.

* Central business district advisory board member.

* Local Government New Zealand national council member.