Speech To Mark Auckland Council Inaugural Meeting

Mr Mayor, Prime Minister, Councillors, Board Members, honoured guests.

This is the day a huge number of people have worked towards for the best part of two years.

I congratulate you all and especially, Mayor Len Brown, who now has the privilege of leading a unified Auckland City.

Your position is now one of the most important in New Zealand and carries with it enormous responsibility.

Local Government in New Zealand has never seen anything like this before.

You and your Council, and the Local Boards, will be responsible for the governance of a truly great city with assets approaching $32 billion.

You and the Council are the custodians of a true economic powerhouse.

The success of the new Council will depend on you, and I appreciate the commitment that each one of you has demonstrated in putting yourselves forward to serve your community. 

You Sir, and your team, have been equipped with the tools to unlock the rich potential of this city and its people.

And I think it is appropriate that we acknowledge the people that have provided those tools, represented by the newly unified council. 

I want to acknowledge the work, the commitment and the energy of the large team of people that has allowed us to be here today. 

I recall receiving the Royal Commission report in March 2009 with a small group of my officials.  That report outlined a vision of a unified Auckland.

It made the case for a simplified governance structure for the Auckland region; for integrated decision-making; for greater community engagement; and outlined the potential for improved value for money for ratepayers. 

The Royal Commission was clear about what was required.  One Auckland.  One Mayor.  One Council.  One long-term council community plan.  One rating system.  One voice for Auckland.

The government quickly committed to this vision, and while we made a number of changes to the detail of the governance structure, the overall vision was retained.

It has been a whirlwind of activity ever since, and I cannot possibly thank enough the work done by the Auckland Transition Agency and its Chair Mark Ford, nor the outstanding group of officials in the Department of Internal Affairs that I have been privileged to work with.

It has been a massive task.

The many people involved, together with the cooperation of council staff, have done an outstanding job in getting us to this point.

There is more to be done of course, but we have already seen a number of benefits, and there is great potential for further gains to reduce the burden on ratepayers, and give ratepayers better value for money currently spent.

It is the task of the new Mayor and Council to complete the job. 

You can confidently expect efficiency gains in the years ahead from integrated long-term planning and decision-making.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit some of the people who were about to become the Council's frontline staff, and to observe their training in customer service and call centre duties. 

I was encouraged by their enthusiasm for the job and their determination to make a difference.  To provide great service from the moment the phone is answered.

I am sure there will be many opportunities, but also many challenges, over the next three years as we work together to deliver effective local government.

I'm looking forward to working with all of you.

The Auckland Transition Agency has also identified further potential savings but these issues are for the new Council to decide.

The Government's aim has been to reform Auckland's governance so the Mayor and Council can implement their vision and strategy for Auckland, and have the tools to deliver on that vision and strategy. 

The Auckland Transition Agency, the Department of Internal Affairs and council staff have worked tirelessly to put the new structure in place.

This is about creating a brighter future for Auckland.

It is now over to Len Brown and his team to take control and build that brighter future for a unified Auckland City.

I wish you all the best in that task.

ENDS