Currently Auckland council is $15,000,000,000 (Fifteen thousand million dollars) in debt. There are approximately 1,800,000 people living in the Auckland region covered by Auckland Council.
Auckland Council collects $2,800,000,000 each year in rates revenue (up from $1,600,000,000 ten years ago (2025/2016 actual).
Auckland Council currently has approximately 12,300 staff - (all of whom are overpaid by at least 25% compared to the private sector).
Staff employee benefits are now costing ratepayers $1,267,000,000 each year and growing. ($1.2 BILLION !!!!)
This is 45% of all rates revenue collected and is simply unsustainable by ANY business.
Let's be straight about this - the government had no choice but to move to contain Auckland and other councils' rates increases - given their proven inability to rein in even their own CCO's, their own staff or their profligate spending.
Rates are after all a "Tax", and if central government increased taxes by twice the rate of inflation every single year there would be rioting in the streets!
The solution is actually very straightforward as any business owner or manager will instantly realise and understand.
The mayor and his councillors must move to downsize (read: Fire) staff by no less than 65% to 4,500 staff maximum and then deliver JUST the services Auckland Council can afford and justify delivering within the reduced revenue take and the reduced remaining 4,500 "critical" staff.
This will involve dropping ANY/ ALL the "nice to have" projects and culling approximately 8,000 staff who are currently not delivering or representing anything close to value for money!
Councillors, the executive management (in particular), and the mayor will inevitably attempt to argue that what is proposed "cannot be done", "should not be done", or "Will not be done"!
But if they do not act to cut debt, drastically reduce headcount, reduce associated staff costs, contain and restrain all the unnecessary spending by the bureaucracy, then this council and this mayor's (personal) legacy will be remembered as a missed opportunity and an ongoing, unmitigated disaster.
It is time for Wayne Brown and his elected councillors to act as the directly responsible elected positions demand.
The numbers above paint a dire picture and leave council with no option but to act, and act with real urgency.
Fifteen Billion (Fifteen thousand million), dollars of debt is staring the council and the entire population of Auckland in the face.
Council and the mayor must charge the CEO, Phil Wilson to commence the downsizing restructure before Christmas 2026. If he cannot do that, then the CEO must stand down and a new CEO appointed with a specific role description and requirements.
This is the challenge for council and Mayor - but: Are they up to the task, and do they have the business spine to act as they must?
Mayor Brown, with all his accumulated business knowledge KNOWs that these actions must happen - and now!
The councillors, (ie. Those financially ill-educated and unskilled in commercial practice), who voted for yet another rates increase at over double the rate of inflation will never understand the critical situation they have led us all into, and that means the Mayor must personally lead the process as a REAL LEADER must!
That's why "we pay him the big bucks"!
With great power comes great responsibility!
Let's get Auckland out from under the yoke of crippling debt, excessive unproductive staff and the huge raft of unnecessary spending on projects that no one has asked for nor needs (Speed bumps, raised pedestrian crossings, cycleways and stop removing available parking would be easy first priorities!).
Here's a question for the other councillors when the Mayor proposes this action: "Realistically, we have no choice! What other options exist that you feel would correct this disastrous situation"? Answer: None!
The power cable to the "Ratepayer ATM money machine's" of old has been cut!
As an aside - with the recent restructure of Auckland Transport the answer to my OIA request question, being, "How many of the 2,000 AT staff positions were disestablished?".
The answer ... "20" (20 positions were vacant and were not going to be replaced). A sinking lid, but no "redundancies"!
This was a massive, missed opportunity, by gutless elected officials and their senior management bureaucracy yet again.
It is well past time for action.
Mayor Brown and this council, have 18 months left to achieve genuine lasting and meaningful improvements that protect the community into the future.
Mayor Wayne Brown, and all those supplicant councillors, who voted for the 7.9% rates increase, there is your challenge!
Roger Hawkins
Herne Bay
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