Auckland

If you haven’t heard about the Super City then you have probably been living in the South Pole. 2010 sees a significant change in the structure of the councils in Auckland that is designed to improve some of the regions major problems like transport and managing growth.

At the moment Auckland is governed by:

Auckland City Council
Auckland Regional Council
Franklin District Council
Manukau City Council
North Shore City Council
Papakura District Council
Rodney District Council
Waitakere City Council
PLUS a range of community boards
From 1 November The Auckland Council will replace the above structure.

The Auckland Council will have two complementary and non‑hierarchical decision‑making parts:

The mayor and 20 councillors from 13 different wards or areas across the region (known as the governing body). Their job is to focus on the big picture and region wide strategic decisions; and
21 local boards (7 of which are broken into smaller areas—a bit like wards but called sub-divisions) that will represent their local communities and make decisions on local issues, activities and facilities. The Boards will have 149 members.
Additionally the Auckland Council will be advised by an independent board for mana whenua and Maori of Tamaki Makaurau that can appoint up to 2 people to sit on each of Auckland Council’s committees that deal with the management and stewardship of natural and physical resource. Pacific and ethnic advisory panels will also be established.

Visit the Auckland Council and Auckland Transition Agency sites for more information or read about the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance