With council-controlled organisations firmly in his sights, new mayor Wayne Brown is sending letters to the heads of these organisations with some ambitious marching orders
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown says he has a democratic mandate and he intends to use it, in what political pundits have called a shot across the bow at central government.
Coming to the job following a campaign built on promises of cutting costs and salaries at Auckland Council and the retinue of CCO’s under its wing, it seems Brown has decided the pen is mightier than the sword.
His promised head-lopping began with a call to the boards of Eke Panuku and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited to stand down, and continued this week with a series of letters send out to chairs of organisations such as Watercare on Monday and Ports of Auckland Ltd yesterday, outlining his expectations for the new council term.
Brown published a letter yesterday afternoon he had sent to port chair Jan Dawson, thanking her for her work but saying the 181,810 Aucklanders who voted for him expected him to make some changes to how the port works.
These changes include new accounting benchmarks on the port’s return, a renewed focus on health and safety and a relocation of car importation and container operations on the downtown property, allowing more public access to the harbourside.
“There is no one who voted for me who should have been unaware of my view that car importation and container services should cease at the current site,” he said.
While this was a policy he spoke of at many of the events he attended during the campaign, it wasn’t at the top of his list and it is unlikely all 181,810 Brown voters were aware of the exact plan.
Nonetheless, Brown has been given a big vote of confidence from the just over a third of Aucklanders who did vote, and it appears it’s a tool he’s eager to wield.
“Aucklanders across the region told me that they expect the council to act more decisively to turn around the port and to stop the prevarication on its future,” he said. “I was elected Mayor with a clear mandate to do that.”
Brown said he intends to discuss his demand of Ports of Auckland on a Thursday visit from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust deputy chair Ngārimu Blair welcomed the call for the port to vacate the Waitematā on a definite date and to engage with them on future plans for the city’s waterfront.
“From our marae and village on Bastion Point we have long seen the encroachment of the port on our beautiful Waitematā which is no longer appropriate for a world-class city,” Blair said.
He also supported calls Brown has made to move container freight from road to rail.
“Container trucks clog our city centre and motorways, and add to the city’s already high transport carbon emissions," he said. "Runoff from our roads also pollutes the Waitematā which is a taonga to our fellow Aucklanders too."
Tuesday’s letter follows a Monday afternoon bombshell which asked Watercare chair Margaret Devlin to stop all work on Three Waters.
He said he detected no support for the planned controversial water system reform among Aucklanders during his campaign, and as a result had planned to put a stop to it.
“Auckland Council does not support the Three Waters reforms. Previous councillors voted overwhelmingly for that position, as did each of Auckland’s 21 local boards,” he said. “The incoming mayor and governing body are opposed to the reforms.”
While Brown is speaking for the governing body, which comprises himself and the 20 ward councillors who were voted in this month, the group has yet to meet in an official capacity.
However, he suggested his priorities had been set in part from the discussions he has had with the new crop of councillors.
“My letter sets out several immediate priorities based on my election promises, the views of Aucklanders expressed at more than 300 campaign events, my discussions with members of the new governing body and Independent Māori Statutory Board over the last 10 days, and my statutory role to provide leadership towards a vision for Auckland.”
Brown spent the last week having one-on-one meetings with each of the new members, as well as Tau Henare and David Taipari from the Indedendent Māori Statutory Board.
Massey University Associate Professor of politics Grant Duncan said if Brown really does have the backing of the governing body, the chairs of the CCOs had better pay attention - as well as central government, perhaps.
“That’s a real shot across the bow at the Government from one of the most powerful offices in the country,” he said. “This is a punch in the nose to central government, basically. We'll see what happens next and who wins this fight.”
He likened it to Len Brown standing up and saying he wanted the City Rail Link back in 2010, before any public support from the Key government. He got it later in 2013.
“If you were John Key and co sitting there in Wellington, you are thinking he’s fired a shot across our bow - what are the consequences of firing back and refusing to play ball with him, to mix metaphors.”
The consequence could be losing Auckland.
“If you lose Auckland, you lose the country in a way,” Duncan said. “Now when the new mayor of Auckland comes in and fires an opening salvo - they’ve got to pay attention.”
According to the Local Government Act 2009, Auckland water organisations must give effect to local authority long-term plans and act consistently with other specified plans and strategies of the council. The Act specifically states Watercare must move according to plans specified by the governing body of the council.
A Watercare spokesperson said Devlin had received the letter and would respond to it in detail by the end of the week.
“Watercare’s board and management look forward to engaging with Mayor Brown and the council’s governing body regarding expectations for our company,” they said. “We have been working with our colleagues at Auckland Council to prepare for water reform.”
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta spoke to journalists at the New Zealand Water Conference in Christchurch on Tuesday saying she hopes Brown "gets his head around" the challenge of water provision in Auckland.
"Well before Mayor Brown came into his role, it was known that rates for Aucklanders would increase over the next few years and continue to increase," she said. "We need a solution to address the constrained balance sheet that exists between Auckland that limits Watercare from being able to undertake fully the level of investment that's required for a growing city of that size.”
She hoped to be able to have a conversation with Brown to seek a solution for Auckland, but suggested he take another look at the books first.
"I'd give the mayor the courtesy of having a full look at the books and appreciating the extent of cost impact on ratepayers,” she said.
A spokesperson from Mahuta’s office said rates across the country could increase by up to $9,000 a year without Three Waters.
However, Brown called it a “doomed proposal” and didn’t want money spent if it was likely to be overturned following next year’s general election.
“What money Watercare or Auckland Council might have spent on Three Waters should be returned to Auckland households in the form of lower water charges and rates than would otherwise be charged,” he said.
