Some aspects of the reorganisation were contentious, such as whether all of the
Auckland Region should be integrated into the super city, and whether the new structure allowed sufficient local democracy.
Local board powers Critics argued that there was little space for "local" democracy in the new "local government" setup for Auckland, with the proposed "local boards" having little power, such as having no funding or staff of their own, and being forbidden from undertaking numerous government roles, especially where those roles might clash with regional functions such as transport or utilities. Local Government Minister
Rodney Hide, in the opinion of
The New Zealand Herald, ignored concerns about the "powerlessness" of the local boards. Hide argued that "local boards will engage like never before" and "represent their local communities and make decisions on local issues, activities and facilities". A further concern was that candidates for local boards would have to campaign without knowing the scope of the local board's financial resources, and that a salary for a local board member of around $37,100 was insufficient for what amounted to a full-time position.
Inclusion of rural areas Numerous residents of and (to some degree) the councils of the
Franklin and
Rodney Districts opposed their inclusion in the new supercity, and instead campaigned for retention of their councils, or inclusion with other, more rural-focused councils in the north (such as merging the areas north of
Puhoi with the
Kaipara District area) or the south. There was a perception that these rural areas would receive very little benefit in terms of infrastructure for their rates' money, and that they would be swallowed up by an Auckland that has different interests and character than their communities. Politicians such as Rodney Hide answered that inclusion is necessary to allow a regional approach to the wider interests of the region, and that tangible benefits would ensue for all of Auckland's communities. Also, that changing the boundaries in 2010 would have a domino effect on the restructuring of the ward system for the future Auckland councillors. In turn, the opponents of inclusion argued that big-city developers preferred the inclusion of the rural areas in the Auckland Council boundaries to make development and new subdivision of rural land easier. and the institution of two-member wards (meaning that contenders would have to field much larger and more costly election campaigns). Editorialist
Brian Rudman accused the
Local Government Commission of attempted
gerrymandering in its draft proposal for one particular ward.
Controversies over council-controlled organisations In early 2010 a further dispute emerged. As set out in the third bill establishing the future Auckland Council, major functions (such as transport, water services and
Auckland waterfront development) were to be devolved into
council-controlled organisations (CCOs) controlled by unelected boards, operating at "arm's length" from Council. to
Local Government New Zealand, and organisations considered to be
National Party-friendly Supporters included the New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development, a right-wing think tank. The introduction of
Auckland Transport, the CCO for transport functions (with more than half the city's future rate spend), The main proponents of the CCO system, Prime Minister
John Key, Local Government Minister Rodney Hide and Transport Minister
Steven Joyce, remained adamant about the introduction (and the appropriateness) of the system. Others, like the New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development called the claim that the mayor and council would have no ability to hold the CCOs accountable "farcial nonsense". Several editorialists went even further and accused the
ACT party, and especially Rodney Hide, of preparing Auckland's assets for a sell-off, and of setting up the structure to allow it even before Aucklanders got to vote on the matter – all under the guise of a "manufactured crisis". Others, while criticising the lack of democratic oversight, dismissed concerns about asset sales, noting that amalgamation was likely to result in surplus real estate.
The Sunday Star-Times noted in an editorial that "we'll merely end up trading in political dysfunction for a quasi-commercial dysfunction forced on us by the National-led government." The changes were seen as a potential "neutering" of the power of the new Auckland mayor to implement the policies on which he would be elected. Further criticism was the lack of accountability of the proposed CCOs, which would not have to hold public board meetings, or provide agendas or minutes.
Independent Māori Statutory Board One of the proposals that was criticised by some during the initial Royal Commission proposal was the provision of elected Māori members of the council (analogous to the Māori seat representation in Parliament). This was later dropped from the relevant establishing laws. However, it later became clear that instead, the city's new Independent Maori Statutory Board, appointed by
Te Puni Kōkiri, would receive "broadly ordained powers". These included the right to send one or two delegates, with full voting powers, to any council committee meeting, and dealing with "the management and stewardship of natural and physical resources". This unelected representation of Māori on committees voting on matters such as transport and infrastructure, as well as the fact that the advisory board requested (and initially received) a $3.4 million yearly budget, created significant public concern and debate.
Proposed Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux speaking event In early July 2018, Mayor
Phil Goff announced that the
far-right Canadian speakers
Lauren Southern and
Stefan Molyneux would not be allowed to speak at any Auckland Council premises on the grounds that their presence would stir up religious and ethnic tensions. The two Canadian speakers are known for their controversial views on feminism, gender, Islam, and migration. Southern and Molyneux had booked the Bruce Mason Centre in the
North Shore for a speaking event on 3 August 2018. speaking at the Free Speech Coalition protest in defence of Southern and Molyneux, Auckland 2018 In response to the Mayor's decision, the Free Speech Coalition initiated a fundraising campaign to mount a judicial review of the Auckland Council's decision, raising NZ$50,000 within 24 hours of their launch. This group consisted of several business leaders, academics, lawyers, and journalists, including the former Labour President
Michael Bassett, former National and
ACT parties leader
Don Brash, Property Institute chief executive Ashley Church,
Auckland University of Technology historian
Paul Moon, left-wing commentator
Chris Trotter, and
New Zealand Taxpayers' Union Jordan Williams. On 18 July, the Free Speech Coalition filed legal proceedings against Mayor Goff and the Auckland Council after a failed attempt to broker a deal with Goff and the council to reinstate Southern and Molyneux's speaking event. ==See also==