Williams' 20/20/20 regional vision

Andrew Williams is opposed to "super councillors". Photo / Kenny Rodger

North Shore mayor Andrew Williams brought a strong message and a strong band of supporters to home ground at the Bruce Mason Centre yesterday.

Armed with a Colmar Brunton poll of 801 residents, Mr Williams said that 47 per cent of people supported the Super City.

But only 11 per cent thought democratic representation would be better under the Super City.

Views such as "we will lose any say that we have in local things, because we will be gobbled up by the main city" caused Mr Williams to focus on the main structural issues for the Super City.

He proposed a 20/20/20 solution of 20 councillors on the Super Auckland Council, 20 wards and 20 community councils (changing the Government's "local boards" term).

Unlike the Auckland City Council, North Shore is opposed to at-large councillors on the Auckland Council and believes all councillors should be elected from wards to give communities a voice and someone to hold to account.

This would mean one councillor to 70,000 people, against one councillor to 117,000 people under the Government plan for 12 ward and eight at-large councillors.

The Colmar Brunton poll found 80 per cent of North Shore ratepayers favoured ward-only councillors.

Mr Williams said North Shore, whose councillors were all elected as independents, did not want the Auckland Council to go down the Auckland City Council route of right-wing (Citizens and Ratepayers) and left-wing (City Vision) blocs.

Already, he said, there were moves by C&R to expand into Manukau and Waitakere.

"We don't want Auckland to be controlled by a centralised group".

Nor did North Shore want councillors floating around the region with bolstered egos, thinking they were super councillors, the mayor said.

Mr Williams, who has not divulged what, if any, plans he has under the Super City, said his council supported the new mayor of Auckland being elected at large, but by the single transferable vote system that uses first, second, third and consequent ranked votes until a candidate has a majority.

"Shudder the thought that we could have a minority mayor with only support of a few across the region," said Mr Williams, whose own mandate equates to a minority of North Shore voters.

Before finishing to applause from a room full of supporters, Mr Williams left the select committee with a ratepayers' message from the poll.

"It doesn't really matter what the residents think because the Government will go ahead and do what they want, regardless of what the residents think."

NORTH SHORE CITY

Super City council - Supports.
Super mayor - Supports mayor with limited executive powers, elected at large by single transferable vote (STV).
Ward/at-large councillors - Opposed to at-large councillors. Wants 20 ward councillors.
Local boards - Wants 20 local boards, renamed community councils. Powers enshrined in legislation.
Maori seats - Supports consideration of Maori seats.