KEY POINTS:
There is widespread support for minor reform of Auckland's councils to continue until a Royal Commission of Inquiry delves deeper into streamlining local government.
The Government has endorsed a minor reform package as a "positive first step".
Political and business leaders also believe the region should press on
with plans to strengthen the Auckland Regional Council and develop "one plan" for the region.
It came as the results of a Herald Digi-Poll showed that 61.4 per cent of respondents supported abolishing Auckland's eight councils and replacing them with one council for Greater Auckland.
Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee has expressed concern about the regional council taking on additional responsibilities before they have been costed and examined by the royal commission.
Mr Lee said any reforms should also wait for the Local Government Rates Inquiry, which is expected to deliver a final report this week and is due for public release in the next fortnight.
Prime Minister Helen Clark has expressed concern at councils' ideas for sorting out the country's powerhouse, leaving Mr Burton defending what has happened so far and drawing attention to the sensitivities of dealing with Auckland.
"The Government has engaged with the councils, and been respectful of the progress they have made.
"What the Government has said right from the beginning is we would work with Auckland, not try and dictate to it from Wellington," Mr Burton said.
Auckland's seven councils and regional council have spent the past eight months coming up with a reform package with input from officials from Wellington.
The main features of the reform package include:
* A strengthened regional council (possibly called Greater Auckland).
* Greater Auckland would be given extra responsibilities for areas such as tourism promotion, regional economic development and regionally significant events.
* The regional growth forum would be replaced with a regional sustainable development forum with membership from all the councils.
* The regional sustainable development forum would draw up "one plan" for Auckland to promote social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing.
Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) chief executive Alasdair Thompson said the reform package was fairly innocuous and was a step in the right direction before the royal commission reported back at the end of next year and any changes came into effect at the 2010 local body elections. It has been pushing to abolish the eight councils for a single "super city".
Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard said the reform package was a "band aid" solution.
"It will correct some of the problems we have at the moment with the various areas operating in silos. There is no cost associated with it, there may be no legislation changes required and it will bring more co-ordination into the existing structure," he said.
Mayoral rival and former mayor John Banks said the reforms package should "definitely" proceed, saying he was worried nothing would be ready for the 2010 elections.
* Clarification: A reported comment yesterday by Rodney Mayor John Law on the Auckland Regional Council misconstrued his views. Mr Law said: "If we do have a 'super city' then the ARC would have to go because it's simply not commonsense to have both and most people appreciate that."
