AUCKLAND, IT'S OUR TIME

It’s our time to build an Auckland renowned for its diversity, energy and ideas. It’s time for Auckland to be New Zealand’s window to the world, the place we all feel proud to live in, a destination not a gateway.

It’s our time to build an exciting city with a great future, based on strong local communities where every voice is heard.

It’s our time for a better transport system, inspiring cultural and artistic events, and a commitment to public ownership of key public assets – I will not privatise our Water Company, airport shares or the Ports of Auckland.

We can unclog our roads with a rail link to the airport, a CBD rail loop and the second harbour crossing.

It’s our time to help businesses to deliver jobs and to make sure we have a cleaner environment, fair rates and safer streets.

We need strong and inclusive leadership from someone with a proven track record who can make the supercity changes work for all.

My wife and I have raised our family in Auckland. I have commercial experience as a partner in a law firm, and am a Mayor who knows how to run a big city and get things done.

Many people are either unhappy or uncertain about the supercity. Communities are worried they will lose their local identity and that all the money will shift to the CBD.

The region needs a mayor who believes in communities and people, so that together we can make the hard decisions to move our region forward.

Auckland, it’s our time.

lenbrownformayor.co.nz

LEN BROWN - THE MAYOR FOR ALL AUCKLAND

Top 5 Issues

1. SUPPORTING LOCAL IDENTITY
   
   One of the biggest issues I hear from people around the region is whether their local community will retain its local identity in the supercity. People are worried all the money and power will shift to another part of town. We cannot let that happen and if I am elected mayor it won’t.
   
   I have committed to rotating the Council meeting around each of the current council areas. It is important that the new Auckland Council stays in touch with local communities around the region.
   
   Unfortunately many Aucklanders are still in the dark about what their local boards will be involved in. Local boards should be involved in planning and policy related to their communities. They should develop local policy in areas like, for example, dog control, gambling and gaming machines, licensing of cafes, bars and liquor outlets, brothels, and the development of town centres.
   
   Local boards should be responsible for local decisions on local roads, footpaths, pedestrian zones and bus stops, speed limits for local roads, public transport, crime prevention (where CCTV cameras should be sited, for example), community engagement, beautification schemes, building consents, local economic development, animal control, environmental protection, local parks, recreation and sports facilities, libraries and pools, community houses and advisory services, town centre promotion, galleries and museums, beaches, camping grounds, liquor licensing, and more. I also want local boards to be involved in resource management hearings for their areas.
   
   The first Auckland Council will set the values and direction of our region for many years to come. We’ve got to get it right. I want to make sure that local communities are valued and protected in the new structure.
2. FIXING AUCKLAND’S TRANSPORT
   
   My ambition is to make our city the most liveable city in the world.
   
   One of the biggest issues facing our region is transport. People tell me Auckland would be so much better if it was a little easier to get around. Two million people will call our region home in 2031 – they all cannot fit on the roading network. We need to give people options for getting around our region.
   
   Auckland needs a public transport system that gives workers and students a cheap, fast and comfortable option to get to and from work or education.
   
   We can then unclog our roads so businesses can move their freight and people around more efficiently. That will drive productivity and help with economic development.
   
   It’s time to get Auckland moving:
   
   - In order to unclog our roads we need a transport transformation. I will be focused on progressing three key projects: a rail link to the airport, a CBD rail loop and a second harbour crossing to take rail up to Albany
   - I will make better use of our beautiful harbour by extending our ferry network and fixing up our wharfs
   - I will ensure the successful roll out of electric trains and integrated ticketing
   - I will focus on finishing the motorway network
   
   For more information on my transport policy visit: www.lenbrownformayor.co.nz
   
3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND FAIR RATES
   
   I am committed to keeping rates low. My background is to keep rate increases close to the rate of council inflation and I have delivered no increase in water rates.
   
   For New Zealand to succeed, Auckland needs to thrive. I am committed to powering up Auckland’s economy. The new Auckland Council needs to work alongside business to develop our region.
   
   We need:
   - To fix Auckland’s transport – finishing the motorway network, rail link to the airport, CBD rail loop and a second harbour crossing
   - Standardise the regulations and rules governing business
   - Drive efficiency in the new Council
   - Establish a business council to work alongside the Auckland Council to help develop our region
   - Develop a world-class convention centre to help attract big events and more visitors to our city
   - Deliver a functional cruise ship terminal
   - A clear vision for developing our waterfront
   - Develop a new spatial plan for the Auckland region which will set our direction for the next fifty 50 years and give businesses the certainty they need to invest
4. NO PRIVATISATION OF OUR PUBLIC ASSETS
   
   Many people are rightly concerned that our public assets could be privatised by the new Auckland Council. If I am elected mayor there will be no privatisation of our Water Company, airport shares or Ports of Auckland.
   
   Unlike others, I will not flip-flop on this issue.
   
   My council retained its airport shares while Auckland City Council, under its current mayor, privatised theirs.
   
   Our shares provide us with ongoing revenue that help pay for services like free pools and help us keep our rate increases close to the rate of inflation.
   
   My council also retained its stock of housing for the elderly, again while the Auckland City Council looked to privatise theirs (eventually selling to the government). The units provide our older residents with a safe, secure place to live.
   
   You can trust me to look after our region’s public assets.
5. STRONG INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP
   
   Auckland needs inclusive, not divisive, leadership to bring our region together and make sure local community identity is retained in the supercity.
   
   It needs a mayor who can get things done. Who values our region’s diversity and our common pride in being Aucklanders.
   
   My Council will be focused on delivering on the three key pillars that build a great city: strong economic growth, a clean environment and cohesive communities.
   
   My way of doing things is to come up with a plan, consult the community, make a decision and then move forward.
   
   We need to create momentum in our region to get things done.
   
   I will be the mayor for ALL of Auckland.

Personal Profile

Len Brown was born on 1 October, 1956 in Taumarunui.

When he was 7, his family shifted north and he grew up in Otara and then Papatoetoe, attending schools in South Auckland – Mayfield Primary, Papatoetoe Intermediate and De La Salle College, where he played in the 1st XV.

Leaving school, he attended the University of Auckland to study law and arts in the late-1970s. After graduation, he joined the Auckland law firm of Wynyard Wood, where he became a partner.

He entered politics when he was first elected to the Manukau City council in 1992, serving as a councillor until 2004. He also served as chairperson of the Counties Manukau Health Council and was founder and co-coordinator of the Howick Free Legal Service and co-founder of the Greenmount East Tamaki Business Association.

Len ran for the Manukau City mayoralty in 2004, losing by a narrow 600 votes to long serving mayor Sir Barry Curtis. He returned to his legal profession before running for a second time for the Manukau mayoralty in 2007, winning the contest by more than 14,000 votes.

Key achievements:

• Leading a council focused on being business friendly, equity in funding and rates, prudent financial management, commitment to free swimming pools, and the fair setting of the Uniform Annual General Charge.

• Leading a council committed to public ownership of its water company and keeping its investment in Auckland International Airport.

• Working toward several education initiatives, including collaborating in the establishment of the AUT campus in Manukau City and the development of a joint venture between Manukau Institute of Technology and transport (Manukau rail station hub).

• Working with other key leaders to develop an intensive transport infrastructure programme, including development of first new rail line in Auckland since the 1930s.

• With Sir John Walker, helping to found the Find Your Field of Dreams programme, securing Trust establishment and funding to provide sports projects across the city.

Len is standing as an independent on a platform of delivering public transport, public ownership of the region’s public assets, environmental protection, fair rates, safer communities and economic and social development.

He is committed to being a mayor for ALL of Auckland with an inclusive, not a divisive, leadership style. Len will work to bring Auckland together and represent each of Auckland’s communities.

Len is married to fellow lawyer Shan Inglis. They have three children: Samantha, Olivia, and Victoria and one grand-daughter.

He suffered a serious heart condition in May 2008, as a result of an, at the time, unknown congenital problem. After successful surgery and changes to his lifestyle, he made a complete and full recovery. He is a regular gym-goer.

Outside politics and family, Len’s interests include gardening, reading and singing.