Stop the Supercity Public Meeting

What ever way you look at it, the new Auckland SuperCity structure is well away from the values of the Transition Town Movement. Some locals are taking action. Our Western Bays Auckland City councillor, Graham Easte is suggesting the process slows down.

Some other people have organised a public meeting.

STOP THE SUPERCITY!
Public Meeting
Wednesday 8 April
7.30 – 9.30 pm

Auckland Trades Hall Auditorium
147 Great North Road
Grey Lynn

Press Release
Having studied the Executive Summary of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance :

We believe the Super City proposal:

1.Further alienates and limits public participation in the democratic process of local government.

2. Clears the way for the Auckland region to be run like a business, by business for business. Where the rate paying majority simply become nothing more than a cash cow milked annually by this Super City structure.

Where is the genuine ‘representation’ to accompany this local
government ‘taxation’?

3. In section 21(a) of the Executive Summary of the Royal Commission on Auckland, the commission states:
“All Auckland Council’s major commercial trading and infrastructure activities should be undertaken through CCO’s.” However, where is the cost benefit analysis that proves that the CCO model (Council Controlled Organisation) is the best way to run our city?

4. The Metrowater model (a CCO) has never been subjected to any cost benefit analysis to check the facts which prove that thiscommercialised (profit-making) model for water services, fundedthrough volumetric, ‘user-charges’ has benefited the public majority. Has the Metrowater model proven to be be ‘fairer’, ‘more efficient’ or to have encouraged water conservation?

5. The Royal Commission is recommending in section (26J) both water and wastewater charges should be calculated on a volumetric (ornotionally volumetric) basis. Judge Salmon has confirmed that the ‘uniform charges for water and wastewater  that should apply across the region’  (as outlined in recommendation  26K), are in fact
volumetric ‘user-charges’.This means ‘user pays’ for water and waste water will be spread across the whole Auckland region.

An example of the negative impact of this policy is a family of 8 inAuckland City with Metrowater’s ‘user-charges’ for water and wastewater, pays on average  over $500 every 3 months. That’s $2000 per year on top of property rates.

The Royal Commission is recommending a giant Metrowater for the Auckland region, with the spreading of ‘user-charges’ for wastewater to Manukau, Waitakere,
and North Shore Cities. When Metrowater was established and ‘user-charges’ were introduced for wastewater, property rates were reduced across the board by 20%. High-valued properties got big rates reductions, low-valued properties got big water bills. This violates the International Human Right to ‘affordable, safe water’ by disproportionately burdening poorer families, especially  larger
families  which need to use more water.

6 .Where are the checks and balances that allows the public to challenge where and how our public money and assets are being managed?
This new structure calls for non-elected boards and agencies to take control of all public assets and will be obliged to operate as successful business as required under the State-owned Enterprise Act.This allows for no effective direct public scrutiny or public control of ourpublic assets and infrastructure.

See Royal Commission recommendation:
(“21 B) Larger commercial and infrastructure CCOs of the Auckland Council should have an obligation to operate as a successful business as required under the State-Owned Enterprises Act with a clear set of
financial targets and objectives.”

Therefore we call upon the citizens of Auckland to organise and oppose the Royal Commission Proposal for the ‘Supercity’ on the basis this new structure will not benefit the majority of Auckland residents and ratepayers.

A Public Meeting has been  called to organise direct action by all those who want to stop the Royal Commission’s ‘Supercity’.

STOP THE SUPERCITY!
Public Meeting
Wednesday 8 April
7.30 – 9.30 pm

Auckland Trades Hall Auditorium
147 Great North Road
Grey Lynn