Super city FAQ - all you need to know

Supercity: What is it and how is it made up?

From November 1, 2010, Auckland’s eight existing councils will be merged to create the Auckland Council.

The single entity will have two complementary and non-hierarchical decision-making parts:

• The mayor and 20 councillors elected from across the region will focus on the big picture and strategies
• The 21 local boards will represent their local communities and make decisions on local issues, activities and facilities

The Auckland Council will consist of 20 councillors from 13 wards, plus a mayor to govern the entire region – elections will be held every three years.

Councillors will be elected from Franklin in the south, to Rodney in the north.

Councillors for the Auckland Council will be elected in early October, with local boards set up from November 1.

Around 75 percent of council services will be operated at arm’s length from the Auckland Council, by seven business units set up by the Government.

The Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) will take instruction from the council; its directors will be appointed, rather than elected.

Who elects the Supercity council?

Auckland City council nominations open July 23 and close August 20.

A mayor, ward councillors for each for residents of each area, local board members, district health board members and – where applicable – a licensing trust member, will be elected with the votes of Aucklanders on the electoral roll.

Confirmation cards to those on the electoral roll will have been sent in July.

Official count for the super city election will begin at midday on October 9, with preliminary results expected that night.

How will the Supercity operate?

The Auckland Council will replace:

-         Rodney District Council

-         North Shore City Council

-         Waitakere City Council

-         Auckland City Council

-         Manukau City Council

-         Papakura District Council

-         Franklin District Council

-         Auckland Regional Council

The mayor and 20 councillors will focus on decisions that affect the super city region.

Local communities will be represented by local boards.

Exactly what their role will be has not been defined yet, but the Government states decisions should be made at the local level “unless there is good reason not to”.

The Auckland Transition Authority, responsible for designing the super city, will set out the initial roles and functions of the local boards. Responsibilities of the local board will be reviewed by the new Auckland Council after November 1.

How many representatives will each Ward have?

Rodney will have one Ward Councillor

• One local board with nine members

Albany will have two Ward Councillors

• Two local boards – Hibiscus and Bays local board with eight members, and Upper Harbour local board with six members

North Shore will have two Ward Councillors

• Two local boards – Kaipatiki local board with eight members and Devonport-Takapuna local board with six members

Waitakere Ward will have two Ward Councillors

• Two local boards – Henderson-Massey local board with eight members, and the Waitakere Ranges with six members

Waitemata and Gulf Ward will have one Ward Councillor

• Three local boards – Waiheke with five members; Great Barrier with five members and Waitemata with seven members

Whau Ward will have one Ward Councillor

• One local board with seven members

Albert-Eden-Roskill Ward will have two Ward Councillors

• Two local boards – Albert Eden with eight members and Puketapapa with six members

Orakei Ward will have one Ward Councillor

• Two local boards – Orakei with seven members and Maungakiekie-Tamaki with seven members

Te Irirangi-Howick Ward will have two Ward Councillors

• One local board of nine members

Manukau Ward will have two Ward Councillors

• Two local boards – Mangere-Otahuhu with seven members and Otara-Papatoetoe with seven members

Manurewa-Papakura Ward will have two Ward Councillors

• Two local boards – Manurewa with eight members and Papakura with six members

Franklin Ward will have one Ward Councillor

• One local board with nine members

What powers will the mayor have?

Elected by voters from the wider Auckland region, the super city mayor will appoint a deputy mayor from the 20 councillors elected in the wards.

The mayor will establish council committees and appoint the chairs; he or she can also appoint him or herself to chair a committee and is automatically a member of every committee.

The mayor will have a budget of around $3 million – or 0.2 percent of the council’s total budgeted operating expenditure. The money will be used to establish and maintain staff.

Those employed by the mayor will not be answerable to the council’s chief executive.

The Long Term Council Community Plan will be driven by the mayor, who will also be responsible for engaging with local groups.

What are the Council Controlled Organisations (CCO)?

Water, waterfront development and transport will all be governed by CCOs. The Auckland Transport CCO will have a budget of more than half the total rates take – or $650 million.

A further four CCOs are being established to run council investments; economic development; tourism and events; and major regional facilities and property holdings.

CCOs are designed to run like a corporation; they are led by directors who are appointed, not elected by ratepayers.

What exactly do I vote for?

Auckland residents will be able to elect candidates for:

• Mayor (elected at large)
• Councillors (20 elected by ward)
• Local board members (149 in 21 local board areas)
• Waitemata District Health Board (seven members elected by residents of former areas of Rodney, North Shore and Waitakere)
• Auckland District Health Board (seven members elected by residents of former area of Auckland City)
• Counties-Manuka District Health Board (seven members elected by residents of former area of Manukau, Papakura and Franklin)
• Various Licensing Trust Boards

How do I vote and what type of voting method is used?

Voting is completed via post – you will receive election forms in your mailbox between September 17 and September 22.

The elections for the Auckland Council and the licensing trusts will be carried out using the First Past the Post system; the elections for the DHBs will use the Single Transferable Vote system.

Auckland City election timeline

Useful links

Auckland Council 2010 Elections website

Find your ward

Ward and local board boundary maps