Community boards watching Auckland

Councils could come under pressure to hand over more responsibility to community boards after Auckland's local body shake-up.

The latest step toward a super-city took place yesterday, with the Local Government Commission unveiling proposals for city council seats, local boards and new boundaries.

The commission divided the region into 12 wards for 20 new "super councillors" and set up 19 local boards with a total of 126 members, replacing eight existing councils and 30 community boards.

Much of the focus was on the board structure, including comparing it with community boards used by other councils. "We are well aware of the issues of current community boards which are not a great form of governance throughout New Zealand," commissioner Grant Kirby said. Much of the problem was that councils did not hand over enough responsibility to boards.

The Auckland boards were being given "grunt" in the form of greater powers. The commission expects each board will be assigned a portion of rates for projects.

Commission chairwoman Sue Piper, a former Wellington councillor, said: "I've got no doubt the rest of the country is watching."

Newest First

Oldest First