Super-body to tackle transport

By BERNARD ORSMAN

The Government is setting up a new body to plan, finance and fix Auckland's transport woes.

Auckland Issues Minister Judith Tizard yesterday said she hoped the Government would have it in place by July alongside a funding package to improve the region's roads and public transport.

The body is likely to come under the Auckland Regional Council and include Infrastructure Auckland, which has $900 million set aside for transport projects.

Legislation will be passed to give the body broad powers with input from Government transport agencies such as Transit and Transfund.

Judith Tizard said the new body arose from a Government review of Auckland provisions in the Local Government Act involving Infrastructure Auckland and work by Auckland and central Government officials to develop a funding and management package for the region's transport needs.

The package will address a $4 billion-plus shortfall to finance Auckland's transport needs over the next 10 years. Measures being discussed range from a cash injection by the Government to higher petrol taxes and tolls.

The package is due to be outlined to all councillors on December 12. It will go past councils and the Cabinet to feed into next year's Budget.

It is understood Finance Minister Dr Michael Cullen is worried that Auckland might be given new funding tools only for nothing to happen because of squabbling among groups.

The inability to provide even a basic rail service has highlighted the dysfunctional nature of the "Auckland disease" and annoyed the Government no end.

"If you have management you have to have governance and if you have governance you have to have a structure," Judith Tizard said.

The Government is keen to strengthen the ARC, which Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis believes should be the foundation for a Greater Auckland Authority.

Sir Barry said Auckland was paralysed with traffic congestion, bogged down in bureaucracy and stunted by parochialism.

It was time the "emasculated" ARC was overhauled along business lines to run transport, land-use planning, environmental quality, economic development, social needs and regional facilities like the art gallery and zoo, he said. "I think this Government believes in the need for strong regional governance.

"I think this Government would also agree to the creation of a single-purpose authority for transport.

"I think they would agree that the co-operative approach is not working and we have to have a single focus for planning, funding and implementation."

Auckland City Mayor John Banks said the Government appeared wedded to a proposal involving the ARC, a policy he believed was flawed because of the inability of the ARC to deliver on transport.

But Mr Banks said he was prepared to debate and compromise with the Government if it meant a new governance structure.

ARC chairwoman Gwen Bull said she opposed turning the ARC into a Greater Auckland Authority.

Wrapping transport, environment, social welfare and other activities was "another Government" like the Scottish Parliament, she said.

Auckland's councils could be cut from seven to three, plus the ARC.

Mrs Bull said there had to be rationalisation of transport governance in Auckland with 18 bodies involved and no one body responsible for all three tasks of planning, funding and implementation.

"There has to be some transparency, some accountability, some body that can take responsibility for getting these things done and at the moment there is none. It has to be a regional body."