30 Mar 2009

Leaders fear Pacific voice would be lost in super-city plan

8:13 pm on 30 March 2009

Some Pacific community representatives say the recommended new governance structure for Auckland threatens to eliminate their already limited influence.

A Royal Commission report on Auckland's governance on Friday announced its recommendation that the current eight Auckland councils be dissolved and replaced by one body, led by a mayor who would oversee six elected councils, each with limited powers.

The vice-president of the northern branch of the women's organisation Pacifica, Josephine Bartley, says Europeans will likely hold the power even if a Pacific panel is appointed, as proposed.

She says people in the Glen Innes area where she lives have little say now, and the views of the proposed Pacific panel are likely to be ignored.

Otara councillor Anae Arthur Anae says progress made under Manukau City Council will be lost under the new structure.

Tonga Advisory Council chair Melino Maka says while the single city looks good on paper, making it work would be hard.

Criticism over Maori representation

A Maori local body politician has criticised the proposed way of putting Maori representatives onto an Auckland super council.

The Royal Commission says Maori should have three of the 23 seats on the council, which would own all of the region's local body assets and make all of its regional decisions.

The deputy mayor of Rodney District, John Kirikiri, says he is happy that tribal groups in the region would select one of the three representatives.

But he says the commission did not consult Maori and is wrong to use the Maori electoral roll as a basis for deciding who should fill the other two seats.