The Waitemata local board plays a vital role for communities within the city centre and inner city and residential suburbs including Ponsonby.
Like the other 20 local boards across Auckland, they are responsible for providing leadership on local issues, setting strategic direction and enabling a local voice for their communities.
This local voice will be further strengthened thanks to recent decisions by the Auckland Council Governing Body on CCO reform and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) planning.
As some of you will be aware, one of my key platforms when I was elected mayor was to take back control of our CCOs so elected members can make - and be accountable - for the decisions we make, and to stop wasteful spending.
My Mayoral Proposal and Manifestos during this term have set out a clear direction and pathway to ensure ratepayer money – your money – is spent appropriately.
A key part of this approach is how we can enable local boards to do more with what they’ve got.
In December, councillors voted unanimously for more democratic accountability of the council’s urban regeneration activities and council is now in the process of disestablishing Eke Panuku and transferring its functions to a new Auckland Urban Development Office that will report directly to the Governing Body.
Council has also agreed to share decision-making with local boards so that communities will get to have a say on local urban regeneration projects in their area.
This is in line with my desire to give local boards a greater role in governing Auckland and a more responsive, community-focused approach to neighbourhood development.
We’ve also agreed to strengthen council’s policy for the Business Improved District programme (BIDs) to ensure greater collaboration between local boards, council and the 51 BIDs in the current programme, and support greater transparency for the use of ratepayer money.
I like BIDs as they’re a good way of getting things done in local areas and they’re aligned with the growth programme I’m advocating for and look forward to working alongside local boards to support business improvements and grow the regional economy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Brown_(New_Zealand_politician)
