One candidate being perhaps too frank about his campaign strategy:

Uptown, Auckland Mayor John Banks, a former police minister and…

What is happening in the house today is a demonstration of just how strong our democracy is. Despite the fact that NACT has a majority in the house does not mean they can "Railroad" through any legislation they chose on a whim, they cannot.

I was busy over the weekend,…

Oh, and as I said Labour and the Greens are perfectly entitled to waste as much time as they can filibustering with meaningless amendments.

Right, so paid parental leave and preventing the stealth-privatization of Auckland's assets are 'meaningless' pieces of filibustering, then? Always nice to know where you stand on…

or Sophie. OK with you?

$27000,000,000 +4 rich white men + Rodney Hide's permission= Carte Blanche to take whatever they like.
OK with you?

But…

The usual process where the candidate with the most votes won was otherwise in play.…

Craig's right Madam, Democracy is wasted on the ignorant masses. People like those that live in Epsom have proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that important decisions should not be left to them. They must have all their assets handed over to Rodney and his mates immediately.

Steve: I'm…

With Hide substituting weakened Local Boards, there's no justification for…

27. At the same time, the Commission was concerned not to create an organisational monolith, unconnected to the people it serves. With this in mind, the Commission considered carefully a number…

Yes, Simon. I object to the thought of sharing a city with a patronising slab of cock cheese like Joseph Barratt too. Could we force Parnell to become sort of like the Vatican City?

I'm mystified by this comment. The point is...?

Should all else fail and a credible left-wing candidate gain some momentum, their votes will be there to get the ACT candidate elected. Whether they want their paddock to be part of the Greater City is of no consequence…

Summary: JAFA reporter goes south, meets the hicks from the sticks who will be included in the Super City (Pokeno, Mercer etc), gets an earful. They're not happy. The tone is light but the message is clear.

Yes, Simon. I object to the thought of sharing a city with a…

http://www.theaucklander.co.nz/story.cfm?storyID=3797594

Summary: JAFA reporter goes south, meets the hicks from the sticks who will be included in the Super City (Pokeno, Mercer etc), gets an earful. They're not happy. The tone is light but the message is clear.

The only surprise is that…

"each ratepayer will pay at least $550 in restructuring costs for the Super City"

You could almost get a new stadium for that!

I think the wider point, Craig, is that at least the $550 is based on something well thought through.

No, Sasha, the widest point is that pulling numbers out of your arse is bad, m'kay — even if you happen to agree with the people doing it. And the Commission…

It's not a stretch to say that's likely to be…

Good score for Labour's new Auckland-issues man Phil Twyford, though.

Meh... one might think, however, Twyford et. al. might want to be a little careful with the "each ratepayer will pay at least $550 in restructuring costs for the Super City" line, when I think it's based on a crude…

These things don't come for free, but that's a hell of a lot of money to be thrown at publicising proposals made…

Any thoughts on merits/chances of full ward representation for the 20 new Councillors, Craig?

I think the merits are considerable — which probably means its not going to happen. :)

He answered "Yes".

Today Rodney was eventually, under something rather like duress…

Any thoughts on merits/chances of full ward representation for the 20 new Councillors, Craig?

Eh? I fixed the link Max provided and made no comment about the article at all. Sure you're not thinking of someone else?

Probably am, sorry. But I find it rather amusing that when one arm of APN goes into editorial crusader mode (regarding the EFA) its the end of…

Ah, so APN running biased and hysterical editorial campaigns isn't quite so bad now...

And, Tom: Serious question, but do you have links to this wonderful Reid poll — you know, things like the sample size, the questions that were actually asked etc.

http://www.theaucklander.co.nz/news/story.cfm?storyID=3797679/AUCKLANDERS STAND UP TO GOVT BULLDOZER
Aucklanders are giving two fingers to the Government's bulldozer tactics over the super-city.

There's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear ...

Well, I've had a rather disturbing conversation with my next door neighbour where "it" appears to be a certain North Shore councillor, well... serving up porkie pies. Hell, I'd be scared and angry too if I thought the person…

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/papakura-courier/2386378/Questions-over-supercity

Hundreds of people turning up to public meetings on local government? There's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear ...

(Hat-tip to The Standard.)

Rose-tinted analysis from Ralston, who may be remembering which side his toast is buttered on.

Yeah, Sasha... and what does APN's illimitable appetite for rubbish have to do with anything? Still, I do hope someone who actually matters in Labour is listening to the man — if all you've got…

Some who voted Labour might now feel that National has not turned out to be as bad as they expected and either withhold their vote or actively support…

National has the advantage of being in government and can therefore summon up money from business contributors who want to curry…

Of course, it could just be a bit of paranoid conspiracy-theorising on my part, but it is intermittently giving my sphincter the spasms. What do you reckon?

It is anywhere in your conceptual framework that people you disagree with can hold their views in good faith and without some nefarious…

It is critical that the…

Finally we have a workable prescription for Auckland to speak with one voice and act boldly in the regional and national interest.
...
The voice of the communities will still be heard through the…

As for “rich”; well if you run any organisation, you’re usually in charge of its finances and it would be a pious hope to suppose that you’d vote yourself a pittance in salary and perks.

It is not the Mayoral or councillor salary that is at issue here... that is…

Seeing as the nationwide ACT vote fell apart at the last…

The way elections work, particularly when the voting population is large and geographically spread is that those with the highest name recognition tend to get elected. That means those that are already powerful with media contacts so…

What? The powerful run…

Crucially, from Ngati Whatua's perspective, by Hobson accepting their offer, he was also accepting the obligations inherent in the offer. Translated, this meant that Ngati Whatua believed they were not giving…

Mr Banks yesterday said he was quietly confident a sound and sensible proposal could be found to convince the Government to strengthen grassroots democracy before legislation was introduced to Parliament.

"What we can't do is to try and reinvent the wheel that was in…

It's forgotten now, but if we'd stuck with the model the Local Government Commission proposed in 1989 we mightn't be going through the current…

What's clear is that in the current struggle for control of Tamaki Makaurau, what's in the best interests of big business, or central government or the soon-to-be-dispossessed mayors, is not necessarily going to benefit the rest of us.

At the risk of repeating myself, Auckland's 1.4…

...we'd get a pointless celebrity overseeing an incredibly complex transition of governance and operational capability and SuperAuckland would be wrecked from the start.

I think that there is a high probability of that. The race (and the ticket of councillors that you would need to actually make the Mayoralty worth…

No, Russell, but we might actually need to have a discussion about why you shouldn't reward infantile acting-out with attention.

But- but- then we'd never hear from you at all, Craig! And that would be bad.

The supercity debate has shown that Banks hasn't changed one bit. Thankfully his disguise has melted in a very public manner.

I…

Are we going to have the lefty-bloggers-are-just-as-bad-the-right debate again?

No, Russell, but we might actually need to have a discussion about why you shouldn't reward infantile acting-out with attention. But perhaps everyone gets what they need out of it, so who am I to complain.

Was Rodney all a-quiver and inviting suggestions? Didn't think so. Were Harvey and Williams piling…

If by 'docile', you mean I'm not interested into buying into the mututally parasitic circle jerk of self-righteousness some sections of the left have with Master Slater, guilty as charged.

Are we going to have the lefty-bloggers-are-just-as-bad-the-right debate again?

Slater is an ass, and an unpleasant and frequently misogynist one.…

Never one to let us down, Sainsbury fans the flames in a 9 minute studio piece with Bob Harvey and Andrew Williams valiantly trying to move on and Rodney Hide playing he who has already decided.

You're taking the piss, right? Please.

Mr Hide comes across as about to repeat the same mistake with Greater Auckland. If it ultimately ends up in a 'Community Charge', we all know the…

What a docile bunch we are.

Imagine these stories: "Mayor of London / New York works hand-in-glove with a blog from the depths of the sewer." Imagine the response.

Simon:

If by 'docile', you mean I'm not interested into buying into the mututally parasitic circle jerk of self-righteousness some sections…

unless it actually proves impossible to implement.

Well, part of me wonders if this isn't Key's way of keeping Rodney all tied up and too busy to cause trouble. Also, without Rodney around to muzzle him, David Garrett has a free reign, as Heather Roy does not seem up to…

NZ Herald 13/04/09

Mr Hide said the mayors would be able influence the detail of the Government's plans before legislation went to Parliament, but no change would be made to plans for one council, one mayor and 20 to 30 local boards.

NZ Herald 11/04/09

"Aucklanders can be assured…

Imagine these stories: "Mayor of London / New York works hand-in-glove with a blog from the depths of the sewer." Imagine the response.

But, hey, it's Auckland, it's just good old Banksie. And it's a long weekend. We're having a nap.

* While our society is multiethnic, our governance institutions are rooted in a monoculture (that of Britain). Representatives from different ethnic backgrounds does not change the structures, so does not equate to multiculturalism

Such assertions may come as a surprise to the Scots and the Welsh.

I…

why should anyone need to remind such an overpaid journo of that?

Methinks you give him too much credit, calling him a journo.

The real reason he likes Hide is that they can gaze into eachother's eyes without getting a stiff neck ;-)

Thus the local councils would be a new type of representative body, one which operates within a larger local authority and which…

To understand how bad the government's decisions on Auckland's governance are, you need to understand how comprehensively they destroy the proposals made by the Royal Commission.

Well at least someone in the media is paying attention and actually reading the reports!

Rodney Hide is trash-talking the North Shore mayor.

Sigh... So, now Rodney shouldn't defend himself when he's called a liar? And, darling, if anything in that story you linked to is "trash talking", I've got one question: When the hell did you become so delicate? You've sure taken extremely strong…

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10566362

liable to capture by odd people, agenda people, high-and-mighty people, people who seemed to answer to no particular constituency, people too happy with our dough.

Sound like anyone we know?

Strangely, there is…

The Supercity will happen. That is that. It was delivered with the clarity we have come to expect from Rodney Hide and the light touch we are coming to see as the John Key trademark. No horses were frightened. The reformation is the most natural, normal…

Grrrr. They're stealing my Manukau, to be subsumed as the southern suburbs and not much else.

Given who has been involved and cheerleading so far,…

“National Party people with long-time North Shore allegiances have commented to me of their concerns that the government is being hi-jacked by Rodney Hide on this Auckland Governance issue. There are real concerns out there on the North Shore,…

Rodney vs Every Mayor But Banks is shaping up as ye olde clusterfuck.

Like the Thatcher vs Greater London Council clusterfuck?

Haste is good? Clarity takes time. One suspects this editorial may have been written by committee.

Or by John Roughan. He can sometimes give that impression all on his own.

Rodney Hide is trash-talking the North Shore mayor. See:

Hide rejects accusation he misled John Key over super city.

Rodney vs Every Mayor But Banks is shaping up as ye olde clusterfuck.

do you really think anything is going to satisfy the likes of Penny Bright or Hone Harawira?

Nothing but a socialist revolution would satisfy Penny Bright. Even then I think she'd be getting thrown out of meetings and being sent to the gulag. Harawira on the other hand strikes me…

The Government's refinement of the royal commission's design for Auckland is nearly right, but not quite. The single city overlaying 20 to 30 community boards looks a better balance of power and local…

the installation of John Banks as our new insect overlord

His recent performances on RNZ have only firmed my belief that John is not fated to be the uberlord. Still, I'll work with whatever is delivered by our pollies and fellow citizens.

I'm actually pretty agnostic about the whole idea, and there's sensible arguments (under a thick crust of bullshit) on all sides of this one. I'd rather see things done right, than right now...

I believe we agree, then – including about the likelihood of ever satisfying some folk.

Both those responses and your desire to be rid of them swiftly make sense to me, given political differences.

Oh, I don't think that's really fair, Sacha. I'm actually pretty agnostic about the whole idea, and there's sensible arguments (under a thick crust of bullshit) on all sides of this…

The latest plan for change looks a little like Auckland the way it was supposed to be in 1963. Then, the country’s first Regional Authority was established to provide a uniting umbrella over some 29 territorial local authorities in Auckland.

By 1985, Labour’s new…

That has nothing to do with current political reactions, including leaders feeling disempowered and threatening to take on the…

Nor do I think compulsory voting has exactly done wonders for the depth and breadth of representation in Canberra.

Compulsory voting was certainly a factor in the rise of Pauline Hanson. Taking the opportunity to give a plague-on-both-of-your-houses finger to a self-absorbed dual party system that largely treated non-party members…

Power in Auckland will be held by only a handful of people who, if a FPP electoral system is used, could well have a "mandate for change" with around 35% of the vote.

Welll... yeeees. But that's somewhat beside the point. For all the hand-wringing about turnouts…

Craig, you're confusing operational and governance systems.

Perhaps I am — but if people are going to act like children, I will treat them as such. That generally involves not being interested in their opinion unless I'm buying them school shoes.

And the moment Bob Harvey is saying he's going…

“Local government representation is just one small part of ensuring a true partnership and voice for mana whenua in the region. We must develop robust structures for partnership that enable meaningful input to all decision making across the…

Craig... that is a very unkind thing to say about the leader of your community!

Its rather unkind of Mr. Williams to display an apparent inability to open his mouth and show that he's not functionally brain dead.Perhaps its a good thing the media has pretty much given up taking…

Oh, Te Standard makes the same point.

And it is a very sound one. They bother me as much as any other group of righteous ideologues.

Even leaving aside Jennings' participation in such a rotten economic phenomenon as the Russian oligarchy, his pronouncements seem banal to me. It really is…

We need political leaders who can lead and manage change. "They need to be able to make policy choices quickly and efficiently," Jennings says. "We know what kind of political behaviour our…

Wonder what corporate governance representatives like the Institute of Directors make of this?

Myself, I believe that Key, Hide and others simply do not understand governance and citizenship.

I disagree. I think they understand them perfectly well. They just don't like them because they get in the way.

the Government has chosen to ignore the recommendation for a 4 year transition and, with no real rationale as to why, gone for a 18 month transition.

Fran O'Sullivan thinks the urgency is related to the Rugby World Cup. That might explain the tilting of the balance in favour of central…

There's a residual mention of it on the Auckland City Council website, but the primary website itself has quietly disappeared.

This was back in 2006-07, when the Labour government gave the city councils of the Auckland region an opportunity to sort things out…

I fully support the concept of significant positive change in Auckland Governance – I just feel what we have been given a "negative" change in Governance. Power in Auckland will…

So completely impotent then?

In the government's proposal, yes. In Mikaere's proposal, the community boards are the source of Councillors. Big difference.

If biculturalism is the first step towards multiculturalism

It isn't. Two different things.

... Mayor of North Shore...

Craig... that is a very unkind thing to say about the leader of your community!

.....and so it begins :)

... Mayor of North Shore...

Craig... that is a very unkind thing to say about the leader of your community!

In my view we have a national governance structure that is based on biculturalism flowing from the treaty (in the…

"community councils" – were proposed ... They wouldn't have regulatory powers, employ staff, or govern local authority organisations.

Oh! So completely impotent then?

So instead of voting for who might be the best person for my community board, I vote for the person who will choose the mayor

The Greens opposed having a mayor – one of the current…

Rodney District Council – 13 councillors
1 Maori

North Shore City Council – 16…

If the commission decided on a smaller Auckland (metropolitian) council with executive powers, then:

"All the Community Council members form an electoral college, immediately after the local body elections, to vote for the members of the Auckland Metropolitan Council." (on pg 27)

The Greens also proposed two Maori Community Councils,…

The Green Party, in its submission to the RC, made a similar suggestion. If the commission decided on a smaller Auckland (metropolitian) council with executive powers, then:

__"All the Community Council members form an electoral college, immediately after the local body elections, to vote for the…

Well actually that was easy! Toronto has a Mayor (elected at large) and 44 councillors (from 44 wards) for a population of 2.5 million or 1:55,600

Richard Florida has it nicely here

__As housing starts and housing prices rose, so did tax revenues, and a major capital-spending boom occurred throughout the Greater Phoenix area. Arizona State University built a new downtown Phoenix campus, and the city expanded its convention center and constructed a 20-mile light-rail system…

Roger: how do the representation stats (1:70K) compare to some of those other places to which Auckland's been compared, e.g. Toronto?

James... I don't have North American numbers. A year or so I got interested and tracked down the Australian numbers so I had those at hand, but it is…

will the auckland tail wag the New Zealand dog? hope not as 3/4 of nzers dont live there!

Actually only 66% of NZers don't live here and that's changing every day.

The Auckland as a nation-state within NZ is a red herring.

What I don't get is why a perceived…

Doh. Yeah meant Maori Party MPs.

Actually, I don't accept my own argument. Bart's right. You just end up with a bunch of tokens. Guess this shows why I'm not a wonk. Mikaere, u=champ.

Roger: how do the representation stats (1:70K) compare to some of those…

He did do well, but I think this is a little harsh on Nick Smith. He was asked a supplementary question (so without notice) about an apparent inconsistency with a statement he'd made to NZPA supposedly saying the opposite.

Graeme, I think it reasonable to expect Smith would have thoroughly…

He did well yesterday when Smith was flat out evading a direct question from Mallard re the ACC Chair.

He did do well, but I think this is a little harsh on Nick Smith. He was asked a supplementary question (so without notice) about an apparent inconsistency with a statement…

Isn't he shaping up well.

Well, he certainly thinks so :)

Lockwood's now in a tricky position trying to get Minister's to answer questions but not having to judge the quality of the answer. I hope he manages it. He did well yesterday when Smith was flat out evading a…

Ok, you got me there.... But compared to Banks...

Shall we just say Christine and Mat are sane-ish, and split the sane vote? :)

Eh? You mean all the MPs who are Maori are in Maori seats? There are plenty that aren't: Georgina Te Heu Heu? Meteria Turei? Parekura Horomia?

I understood him to mean all Māori Party MPs were MPs in Māori electorates, which is true.

I would note, however, that Parekura Horomia…

Gay seats. Transport seats. Music seats.

That brings some odd images to mind.

Seriously that's an extreme version of the discussion and not really helpful. You don't need to go to extremes. And if you can get benefit from a partial measure the fact that an extreme measure might be…

I particularly like the wards-as-Local-Boards with direct Council representation model, and could even handle a smaller number of (proportionally voted) at-large members under that model to work as "independent directors".…

Aren't all Maori MPs in Maori electorate seats?

Eh? You mean all the MPs who are Maori are in Maori seats? There are plenty that aren't: Georgina Te Heu Heu? Meteria Turei? Parekura Horomia?

But I do think that James has a point on "community of interest seats". I think…

And how history may judge her, two words

Winston Peters

That's like saying history judges FDR in one word: Yalta.

There are several pretty big volumes of history to read before you get to that chapter. History may be written by the winners, but it certainly shouldn't be written by…

If biculturalism is the first step towards multiculturalism, and if biculturalism is served by Maori seats, then multiculturalism must be served by all seats being allocated to other ethnicities.
But why stop there? Surely, culture is larger than ethnicity. Gay seats. Transport seats. Music seats.

I thought we covered this…

Aren't all Maori MPs in Maori electorate seats? Which means it couldn't survive without 'em.

Why? All the Maori electorate voters would have to go somewhere. Who's to say what what happen in Northland (or Gisborne, at least once Hormoia is gone) if the electorate demographics (and boundaries) changed because…

One could also argue that the Treaty doesn't apply to local government

One could. One would look silly though.

And how history may judge her, two words

Winston Peters

Which I admit was an uncharacteristic slip but really came across as someone who would do almost anything to cling to…

Aren't all Maori MPs in Maori electorate seats? Which means it couldn't survive without 'em.

If biculturalism is the first step towards multiculturalism, and if biculturalism is served by Maori seats, then multiculturalism must be served by all seats being allocated to other ethnicities.

But why stop there? Surely,…

A couple of points on Helen's tribute time and the mean National digs

Might I remind you of her behaviour when Don Brash made his last speech, disgraceful and ungracious

Two wrongs don't make a right but lets not make a mole hill into a mountain

And…

we can't get to multiculturalism (even if this was possible or desired) without first implementing bi-culturalism.

Are you sure we can't get to multiculturalism directly. It would seem sad to me to think that we can't recognise the values/needs/responsibilities of all parts of our culture at the…

What I'd like to know ... is why all these list members of Parliament, who were elected at-large and support proportional representation in Parliament, are now speaking out against a proposal to bring that sort of election to Auckland...

Er, because the proposed Auckland system is not proportional representation?

It…

Like Paul said: the time for consultation is over.

Jose,just speaking to JK on BFM has got him to agree, "NO IDEA" what it will cost.No consultation with Maori. No reason why it must be done by 2010 and did a fine job in asking.

Much of the media comment has been mean spirited or even minimal

Not just the media either.Last night National MP's chose to try one last dig (which I found deplorable) which made me turn off the channel.

Hey, it's still early days – she's not even 60. Let's not begrudge…

Like I have said I find the continual parroting that our councils are small and fragmented, and argument that so clearly flies in the face of all the facts, really depressing. As I said yesterday Melbourne has 29 odd councils and a State government and they seem to do…

Isn't he shaping up well.

Well, he certainly thinks so :)

Much of the media comment has been mean spirited or even minimal

Not just the media either.Last night National MP's chose to try one last dig (which I found deplorable) which made me turn off the channel.

As a former (and I hope repeat) Maori list Green candidate, how would you say our communities (both local and nation-wide) would benefit from entrenched Maori representation?

And...

City Councils – People per councillor
Brisbane – 36,635
Gold Coast – 33,171
Old Auckland City – 21,525
Old North Shore City – 13,456
Wellington City – 12,560
Sydney – 16,880
Darwin – 5,487
Melbourne – 7,466…

. . . in The House and the Speaker is doing a great job of trying to see a way through for Pita . . .

Isn't he shaping up well. Must be those delicate hands, just made for locating the finest nuance in Standing Orders.

We made a good TV show too.

something along the lines of:
"well, it puts us down with the Indians, Chinese and Samoans..."

Only Sharples did not actually say that.

Here he is on RNZ (1.4MB, 4mins) responding to the preceding interview with Rodney Hide (3MB, mins):

"He has lumped us with the Indians and the Chinese…

As I understand it, Ministers are responsible for their portfolios. All the "agree to disagree" stuff is about issues outside their portfolios. The Minister for Maori Affairs must…

Um, FPP is not MMP.

Quite right. A fact that I'm surprised eludes some members of Parliament.

"well, it puts us down with the Indians, Chinese and Samoans..."

I though that was pretty offensive.

And from a former race conciliator, no less.

I'm glad others have picked up the point that Maori representation is about honouring the Treaty of Waitangi, not about "ethnicity".

Well, Pita Sharples did a poor job of making his case this morning on RNZ. He said something along the lines of:

"well, it puts us down with the…

a proposal to bring that sort of election to Auckland

Um, FPP is not MMP.

[p.s. I just switched over to the Parliament channel]

Yep... that's how he got in the first time.... I've forgotten who the candidates were, but there were two nearly equal quality left-ish candidates, who nicely split the left vote so that Banksy got in. Then, he pissed everybody off, and Hubbard won on the "anyone but banksy" vote...

Wasn't…

Oh. Then he's ignoring one of the key arguments, surely.

I wouldn't say 'ignoring', actually. He's making a pretty sophisticated case for the right to representation being tied to manua whenua status as opposed to race, a point which has been raised in this very thread. He's not saying that…