Five cities in Auckland local body scheme

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32458, 19 November 1970, Page 18

Five cities in Auckland local body scheme

Five cites, one borough and three counties are the new pattern for territorial local government in the Auckland area, ranging over 2038 square miles from Rodney County south to Franklin County, in a scheme issued yesterday by the Local Government Commission.

The main features of the scheme are:— Abolition of the Warkworth town district and Helensville borough and their inclusion in Rodney County, together with several small islands in the Kaipara Harbour and Hauraki Gulf; and extension of Rodney County to include the major part of the rural area of Waitemata County. Small areas of Rodney County are merged with Otamatea County. Abolition of the boroughs of East Coast Bays, Northcote, Birkenhead, and Devonport and their inclusion, together with parts of Waitemata County (including the Glenfield area) in the present Takapuna City, forming a new northern city to be called Takapuna. Abolition of the boroughs of Henderson, Glen Eden, and New Lynn and the union of their districts (except for a small portion of New Lynn) with part of Waitemata county, forming a new western city to be called Waitemata. Abolition of the boroughs of Mount Albert, Mount Roskill, Mount Eden, Newmarket, One Tree Hill, Onehunga, Ellerslie, and Mount Wellington and their union with the present Auckland city, form-

ing a major Auckland city. The city’s boundaries will be extended to include Browns Island and a small portion of New Lynn Borough. Extension of the boundaries of I.owick borough to include the Pakuranga and Beachland-Maraetai areas of the present Manukau city and Motukaraka Island to form a new eastern city to be called Howick. Abolition of the city of Papatoetoe and the boroughs of Otahuhu and Papakura and their union, together with a small portion of Franklin county with the major portion of the present Manukau city to form a new southern city to be called Manukau. Abolition of the boroughs of Waiuku and Tuakau and their union, together with small portions of Waikato County and Manukau city with the present Franklin county. Pukekohe borough remains as constituted with the addition of a small portion of Franklin county. Waiheke county remains as constituted by the commission in November, 1969. The Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board’s district is extended to include the whole of the new cities of Waitemata, Howick and Manukau.

The five major urban authorities to be established should be administered under a carefully determined ward system, the commission said. Local authorities should give serious consideration to the division of their districts into wards, at least for representation purposes, and possibly for financial purposes. In some cases (he provision of separate rating areas and farm-land rolls would also be justified. The commission said many individual territorial local authorities have insisted on adequate representation on ad hoc authorities but had not always been so concerned to ensure that all parts of their own districts were represented at their council tables. The ultimate population foreseeable in each of the municipalities was not considered by the commission to be an excessive number to be served by a single authority properly constituted, adequately staffed and well administered. The population of the area in 1966 was 612,104 and the projected figure in 1986 is 1,183,150. The town and country planning branch of the Ministry of Works advised that all population estimates were on the high side, and the figures given wefre likely to be, reached at later dates. The commission said this confirmed its opinion that all urban development up to 1986 could take place within the boundaries now determined for the metropolitan cities. Future capacity populations of four of the new territorial local authorities is given as 1,109,000. This is made up of Takapuna city, 250,000; Waitemata city, 200,000; Howick city, 207,000; and Manukau city, 452,000. The Press Association says that proposals for a new city of Auckland, with.a council of 30 members from nine wards being elected on October 12, 1974, were suggested by the Mayor of Auckland (Sir Dove-Myer. Robinson) when commenting on the commission’s recommendations. The Mayor suggested the abolition of all nine territorial local authorities on October 11, 1974; the constitution of a new city of Auckland and elections on October 12, 1974; the division of the new city into nine wards for a limited time; and the retention of existing rating systems for a limited time, perhaps 10 years. Sir Dove-Myer Robinson, long an advocate of local government reform in Auckland, warmly welcomed the commission’s scheme, but most mayors in the metropolitan area were overwhelmingly against the proposal for Auckland amalgamation. The Mayor of Ellerslie (Mr A. T. Bell) said: “My Council would have great difficulty persuading ratepayers to accept the large increases in rates which would result from any amalgamation with Auckland City. The council will object to the proposed amalgamation.” Others who criticised the scheme were the mayors of Helensville, Henderson, Mount Eden, Mount Roskill, Mount Wellington, Newmarket, Onehunga, One Tree Hill, Tuakau and Warkworth, but it was favoured by the mayors of New Lynn, Waiuku and Howick and the chairman of the Franklin County Council.