Making Auckland GreaterLocal Boards FAQs
What will the Local Boards do?
Local Boards will have prescribed roles and functions, but will not replicate the service delivery structures that will be managed by the Auckland Council.
They will have more powers than the current community boards in Auckland, but will not be able to raise their own revenue or hire staff.
They will advocate for their local community and have input into the Auckland Council’s plans.
They will develop local operational policies for local issues, for example dog control, liquor licensing and graffiti control.
Waiheke and Great Barrier will have their own Local Boards because they are geographically isolated and have their own distinctive needs.
Will local boards be able to raise their own revenue?
Local boards will not be able to raise their own revenue. They will, however, be able to seek increases in levels of service or other expenditure by the Auckland Council in their local areas. This would need to be negotiated with the Auckland Council, and may result in a targeted rate being set by the Auckland Council in respect of the additional services.
Will local boards have their own service centres?
It will be up to the Auckland Council to establish the service centres, and the facilities and staffing needed, for the centres and for local boards. It will not be necessary in all cases to co-locate a local board with an operations centre, because the local boards do not directly control operations.
What is going to happen with local representation?
The Government decided that the six local councils proposed by the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance were too large to provide for effective local representation. There was confused accountability between the councils and the Auckland Council and the functions were not well-allocated between the two layers of governance.
Decisions on the number and functions of Local Boards this will be made by the Select Committee, and written into legislation later this year.
What will be the relationship between the Local Boards and the Auckland Council?
The Local Boards will feed the views of their local communities into the councillors on the Auckland Council.
They will advocate for their local community and have input into the Auckland Council’s plans.
Auckland Council will be responsible for delivery of services across the region (transport, water, waste, etc).
