FEATURE: Your Guide to the Super City

Your guide to the Super City

On October 9 Aucklanders make history and go to the polls to vote for the first mayor, city council and local boards of the new Auckland Super City. The Super City is the amalgamation of Auckland’s eight councils into a single new entity called the Auckland Council, which will come into being on November 1. The Auckland Council will have one Mayor, elected at large from the entire electorate, 20 councillors elected from 13 wards, and 21 local boards responsible for issues specific to their communities.

So how will this affect residents of the North Shore?

In the October elections, each North Shore resident on the electoral roll will have the opportunity to vote for the Mayor, Ward Councillors and Local Board Members.
With the creation of the Super City, the region north of the harbour bridge has been broken up into two separate wards, each represented by two councillors. These two wards that include North Shore residents are the North Shore Ward and the Albany Ward. There is also a Rodney Ward which extends from Northern Waitakere through to Te Arai.
North Shore Ward - The entire southern part of the Shore, south of Sunset Road, becomes the North Shore Ward, with around 143,000 people represented by two elected Ward councillors.
Albany Ward - The northern Shore suburbs and the area stretching up to Waiwera and including the Hibiscus Coast in the north, with Whenuapai, Hobsonville and Herald Island in the west, becomes the Albany Ward, with around 139,000 people represented by two elected Ward councillors.
Each of these Wards will also have two Local Boards, which will represent communities at the local level. (Their powers are still unclear as Local Board functions have not been defined in legislation yet).
Under the Albany Ward will be the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board comprising eight members, which has been subdivided further into the Hibiscus Coast and the East Coast Bays, with four members each. The Albany Ward’s second local board is the Upper Harbour Local Board, with six members. Under the North Shore Ward will be the Kaipatiki Local Board, comprising eight members, and the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, with six members (see table).
In addition to voting for the Mayor, Ward Councillors and Local Boards, all North Shore and Albany voters will be eligible to vote for the seven elected members to the Waitemata District Health Board. Finally, those voters living within the Birkenhead Licensing Trust area (former Birkenhead City Council area) will be eligible to vote for six members to the Birkenhead
Licensing Trust.
What are these Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs), and how do they fit into the Super City?
The Government will set up and appoint seven separate business units, known as Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs), to control and manage 75 percent of Auckland’s assets. These CCOs will run like businesses and be led by management which is appointed by the council, not elected, and work to very broad instructions set by the council, which will monitor performance.

Confirmed Auckland CCOs:
1. Watercare – will provide water and wastewater services for the whole of Auckland. The organisation is being built on the existing Watercare Ltd structure and will incorporate the water and wastewater services of all existing councils and other entities
in Auckland.
2. Auckland Transport – will provide all transport and roading services for greater Auckland. It will incorporate the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and the transport functions of all existing Auckland councils.
3. Auckland Waterfront Development Agency – new.

The four other proposed CCOs are:
1. Economic Development, Tourism and Events.
2. Property Holdings.
3. Major Regional Facilities.
4. Council Investments.