in response to your question Monique, having just read the report,the projected savings are $76 - $113 Million of a total budget of $3.2 Billion. Yeah right!

The Auckland City Council will comprise 23 councillors, 10 of whom will be elected regionally by all Aucklanders. Eight councillors will be elected in four urban wards and two in two rural wards - and this mix is intended to ensure that the right balance of regional and more local perspectives is brought before council. A vote for democracy! Yeah right!

The Royal Comission wanting someone to be called Lord Mayor.

Has to be a step forward, just so long as Banks doesn't get the big job. Auckland needs serious public transport attention, integrated with land use plsnning. Not more motorways! Lets just hope this opportunity for coordination sees some real vision from the big wigs. Back off Infratil..

Wow. People really have mis-conceptions about Auckland. Its a big place with a lot of people, is the rest of NZ so narrow minded that they lump us all into one Stereotype? I dont want Auckland to be a 'supercity' I dont think it will sort out any of the problems we have, but on the other hand its certainly shown how others feel about Auckland. Grow up.

In response to Jon #40, Hamilton could be a city under the Japanese standard. I have checked Hamilton's population on the internet and found that it's smilar to Otaru which has 136,000 people, next door from Sapporo (he biggest city in Hokkaido, Japan). Otaru is named as a city. I would suggest wider Auckland region to fix problems rather than being a "super city". The really need to improve public transport. They need to look Wellington's great public transport system. Go Wellington installed Snapper Card, but NZ Bus in Auckland still uses an old fashioned ticketing system that is worse than previous Go Wellington's ticketing system and they are not keen to install new ticketing system. This is one of reasons why I prefer Wellngton. I would urge that many overseas tourists includes my friends don't like Auckland. I suggest the Greater Auckland Council to listen feed back about negative things (I understand it is tough), but if you do and improve the city, it would be a good job.

Regardless of what you call the city, Auckland does not run effectively at the moment. Having spent a frustrating amount of time working in local council, I can tell you that there is no central vision for the city and the city operates in a disparate manner. Trying to get two roading projects to join takes twice the resources one would otherwise use.

Rates are unlikely to reduce dramatically, however, having a united vision and strategy, and probably less bureaucrats will hopefully ensure that the rates paid are being better spent.

I'm all for it, as the current setup does not work.

Until the whole of NZ becomes united (in regard to the anti-Auckland sentiments), NZ will never be as great as it could be.

even if Auckland is combined I'd hardly call it a "super city"

re post #29: It is a completely symbiotic relationship between Auckland and the rest of the country, neither could survive without the other. The fact of the matter is that the services provided by Auckland companies adds to the value of everything produced elsewhere, hence the amount of income and tax generated by Auckland. Therefore we have as much right to our fair share of tax spending as anywhere else and currently we get less back than we contribute!

If Auckland were to vanish then the services could pop up elsewhere but then you would all moan about that place instead!

If Auckland were to become a seperate republic we could still export our services to the rest of NZ. It would be the greatest thing since sliced bread for Aucklanders. Actually it would be the greatest thing since Orange Mocha Frappacinos.

In response to a lot of the other anti-Auckland posts: please stop making the rest of NZ look like a bunch of slack-jawed yokels with your mindless drivel.

p.s. the Blues are still 2nd out of the 5 NZ Super 14 teams

Auckland, do whatever suits you, but don't inflict your Central City Queen St dullness and plastic attitudes onto the rest of the country, or for that matter spoil the pockets with character that you do have within Auckland. If you want to be a supercity, go for it. It's clear Auckland is different so be different, just don't pretend to the rest of the world on behalf of NZ that you're the equivalent of New York.

The infrastructure segment of councils need to be combined to share resources and ensure roading etc is cost effective. The councils still need ot remain as they are to cater to the specific needs of the communities they support. All peoples of the councils have different needs and I would had to see this 'swallowed' in the one council concept.