By David Tilson
In a frank interview with North Shore Community Radio, Mayor of North Shore City, Andrew Williams, says the ‘smoke and mirrors’ approach of Rodney Hide will be disastrous for Aucklanders and is merely a precursor to the privatisation agenda of the Act party.
“Most of the decisions are being made behind ‘smoke and mirrors’ handled by Rodney Hide and the ‘inner cabal’ tight five of Ministers. The decisions are being made without any democratic input and we are being told after the fact how it is going to be,” Mr Williams said.
“There will be no savings in rates or spending. Rodney Hide is not committed to savings, but less accountability by undemocratically appointed people who will be friends of the right people in power.”
“I have been very wary from day one that the proposals put out by Rodney Hide represent the views of the Act Party, which takes a very ultra right wing privatisation stance. The more I see of the model for the new Auckland Council, the more it is looking like a great many council areas will be corporatised and taken away from the democratic process,” Mayor Andrew Williams said.
Mr Williams said we were told that water and waste water would go out into a separate council controlled organisation – that’s something in the order of 30% of the Council’s business – and is now going out into a totally separate entity which would be ripe for being sold off in the future.
Mr Williams said that Rodney Hide and Cabinet will change the rules to allow increased involvement from the private sector in water and waste water – its very clear that there is a hidden agenda behind this whole scene for Auckland in the future and that rings alarm bells. Where the dollar comes first and public interest second – there are problems – and I think that we could well see Aucklanders being held ransom should we lose control of our water supplies.
Mr Williams further said Papakura has privatised its water supply which has gone out on a long term contract to privatise it’s water and as a result Papakura pays the highest rate of water per head of population in the Auckland region.
“I have also heard in the last week that Transport Minister, Steven Joyce, is on record that he is going to take as many of the transport areas away from the democratically elected people of Auckland and put them under an arms length entity that he will control from Wellington as Transport Minister,” he said.
In addition Mr Williams believes that the North Shore Council staff of 1000 employees are being completely demoralised and have put their hearts and souls into what the North Shore is today.
“There will be a lot of casualties in this process,” he said
North Shore does support a regional legal entity to deal with strategic planning of the ‘big ticket items’, but not a pulling apart of established structures to completely start again with 3 or 4 years of pain for Aucklanders, he said.
“Councillors throughout the region are very concerned. We are the guardians on behalf residents and one of the most efficient councils in the country, this is all now at risk of disappearing.”
“Local councils deliver on the ground, but central government just seems to criticise and pull apart local government.”
Mr WIlliams also said it is inappropriate for a $1 million bash for one night to ‘celebrate’ the new Auckland.
Alan Smythe, organiser of Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park and SkyCity Starlight Symphony, wants to commemorate the new city with a free event in the Auckland Domain or Bastion Pt on Auckland Anniversary Day 2011 to make people proud of being Aucklanders.
“The new Super City is not here for a lot of glamour and glitz, it is supposedly to bring the city together, but blowing $1 million in one night is not the best way to start.”
Mr Williams said he has not yet put his name forward for the Auckland Mayoralty.
“I am not interested in a corporatist Auckland,” he said.
