New Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown sings 'hit the road Goff' following election. Source / Carlin Lee via Twitter
Auckland's new mayor says he wants the entire board of the council's property development arm to resign but admits they can't do so on the same day.
Wayne Brown also says he will take most of the weekend off to "recharge and reflect" after a six-month campaign, and a weekof meetings with councillors.
He told his new colleagues he wanted to ensure they had "meaningful and challenging roles, with real decision-making powers and associated accountabilities".
In a press release, the Office for the Mayor of Auckland said Brown was impressed with the calibre, insights and professionalism of his councillors and members of the Independent Māori Statutory Board.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown spent the week after his election speaking with this new council. Photo / NZME
Brown said his new job as mayor was to build a united council. He said he wants to end "mistrust" and hostile feelings amongst councillors, which had been raised in those meetings throughout the week.
"My goal is a team of 21-plus," he said.
Brown would set out his priorities for several council-controlled organisations (CCOs) next week. This would be in line with his campaign promises, the feedback received on the campaign trail, and the views of Brown's new council. Brown said he wasn't convinced that the board of Eke Panuku Development should exist at all.
"I stand by what I said throughout the campaign: that [the board of Eke Panuku Development] should all resign..."
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is maintaining his position that the board of Eke Panuku Development should resign. Photo / NZME
"There is nothing new in what I said and obviously they can't all resign on the same day."
He was responding to the refusal by the chairman of Eke Panuku Development, Paul Majurey, not to heed his call on Monday to resign.
When it became known at Eke Panuku that Brown wanted all the board members gone, the CCO hit back with a statement saying the "board composition is the preserve of our shareholder, Auckland Council".
Jim Stabback, Auckland Council's Chief Executive Officer and Mayor Wayne Brown as Brown started the first day of his term. Photo / NZME
Already, Auckland Transport chair Adrienne Young-Cooper has stepped down after she learned that Brown wanted the board to resign, only hours after he won the mayoralty on Saturday.
Majurey reiterated yesterday he was happy to meet with Brown and discuss the performance of the CCO, but this did not impress the mayor, who wants not just Majurey to go, but the entire board.
The release included an exhaustive list of new and returning councillors and members of the Independent Māori Statutory Board with whom Brown had met during his first week after the local body elections.
"My job as the new leader of the governing body is to end the mistrust and enmity among councillors that has been raised during this week's meetings and to form the unified team that our great city and wider region deserves," Brown said.
Brown said he would be working off-site tomorrow and taking most of the weekend to recharge and reflect after the six-month campaign and first week on the job.
