The City Building Phase

Written by Ben Ross - Talking Auckland

New Term Marks the City Building Phase

 

The 2010-2013 of the new Auckland Council marked the Amalgamation and Planning Phase for Auckland. Merging the legacy Councils, their systems and plans and streamlining them into the singular organisation we have with us today (for the good, bad and the ugly that we all experience one time or another with the entity). The 2010-2013 term saw also a great deal of planning with these major documents being produced (and all but the Unitary Plan now operative): The Auckland Plan, The Long Term Plan, The Unitary Plan, The Integrated Transport Plan and the Regional Public Transport Plan.

As the Mayor mentioned tonight in the Swearing In ceremony of the second Auckland Council and as I did earlier today, Auckland has moved into the City Building or Construction Phase.

From TVNZ.co.nz

Len Brown sworn in, keen to put sex scandal behind him

UPDATED 20:50

Published: 5:55AM Tuesday October 29, 2013 Source: ONE News

Auckland Mayor Len Brown has been sworn in for his second term of office and is anxious to put an embarrassing sex scandal behind him.

The latest ONE News Colmar Brunton poll shows the public still backs him.

…

‘Construction phase’

The key focus of the mayor’s speech tonight was letting Aucklanders know that the city is going into what he calls a construction phase, Nicole Bremner reported.

“And that means that after three years of a lot of planning and paper work Aucklanders are finally going to see things done,” she said.

“And in addition to hearing him talk about his commitment to public transport and affordable housing, he and his council are under real pressure to keep rates down.”

Mr Brown told tonight’s meeting: “Were electrifying rail, were building new roads, were remaking bus services and ticketing systems, we’ve taken the first steps to build the CRL (City Rail Link).”

The council had notified the first draft Unitary Plan, a blueprint for the future of urban development, he said.

Through the Housing Accord agreed with the Government, the council is making it possible to develop a wider range of housing types to suit the different needs of different people, Mr Brown said.

“Were opening up more land to allow for some outward growth, and were allowing for upward growth in existing urban areas. That means we will be housing more people per square metre, just as other great cities of the world do.

“Our job now, and over the coming five years, is to turn the concept into timber, concrete and steel.”

…

Full article at TVNZ

 

So with Auckland entering the City Building or Construction Phase the question is what Committees will be overseeing what. Bernard Orsman (yay when we get a good article out him) gave Herald readers a sneak peak at what is coming – with full details to be revealed at the Governing Body meeting tomorrow.

From my Facebook post earlier:

And the Committees of the new Council have been named.
Of Particular Note:

  • Mayor Len Brown chairs the Long Term and Annual Plan Committee – overseeing the primary Council Budget documents
  • Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse will chair the Urban and Rural Development Committee – successor to the Auckland Plan Committee 
  • Councillor Penny Webster chairs the Finance and Organisational Performance Committee that over sees financial matters outside of the primary budget
  • Councillor George Wood chairs the new and powerful Regional Strategy and Policy Committee 
  • With the Transport Committee abolished Councillor Mike Lee chairs the new Physical Infrastructure Committee while Councillor Cathy Casey Chairs essentially the Social Infrastructure Committee (tied in with Community Safety as well) 

I give thanks and credit to Bernard Orsman for noting this all out. I also noted this: Councillor Cameron Brewer, the most vocal right-wing opponent of Mr Brown who has not met the mayor since his well-publicised affair made headlines two weeks ago, is the only councillor with no role in the new set-up.

NZ Herald source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11148236

Well you can figure that one out for yourself

More on the Committees at the Governing Body meeting tomorrow which I will attend part of during the day.

—–

 

I’ll try to pop along to the Governing Body meeting tomorrow where I can and find out the full details of the Committees, their roles and who is in them (apart from the Committees-of-the-whole which is obvious). The Committees that have my particular attention being:

  • Urban and Regional Development
  • The two Infrastructure committees (Physical and Social)
  • and Regional Strategy and Policy Committee (mainly because Councillor Wood is chairing that one)

This is going to be an interesting three years ahead City Building while also still dealing with the Unitary Plan and soon Area Plans as well.

The Committees of the Auckland Council 2013-2016 Term

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