Auckland mayor’s plan to ‘dethrone’ errant Auckland Transport

Friday, 9 August 2024

“I firmly believe that the only way to fix transport in Auckland is to dethrone AT by stripping it of all policy-making and strategy functions,” said Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. (file photo)

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is making moves to shake up several Council Controlled Organisations (CCO), and at the top of his list is Auckland Transport.

“Aucklanders blame the mayor and councillors when AT doesn’t listen. But it was deliberately set up to operate without democratic control,” he said.

Brown also intends to bring council’s developer arm, Eke Panuku, and its tourism and events body, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, back in-house.

He said the title of CCO is currently “a misnomer” and he wants to bring the organisations under the control of elected representatives.

“The layers of bureaucracy and management within AT are totally impenetrable to elected politicians. We ask for information, and don’t get it.”

Auckland Transport’s new target for deaths and serious injuries next year is 631, up 25 from the previous target and the figure for the following year is a rise of 30 incidents.

Auckland Transport chose not to comment on Brown’s claims when contacted by The Post.

Brown said he’s already tried shaking up AT’s board, but it wasn’t enough.

“I firmly believe that the only way to fix transport in Auckland is to dethrone AT by stripping it of all policy-making and strategy functions.

“AT should just be a delivery agent with the people’s elected representatives in full control.”

To achieve this, the council will need to seek a change to the Local Government Act from central government.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown’s office has been contacted for comment.

Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson said in a statement that he had begun speaking with CCOs about the new “delivery model”. He said services wouldn’t be cut.

Auckland Transport chief executive Dean Kimpton addresses councillors at a Transport and Infrastructure Committee meeting.

“This is the beginning of an important piece of work and while there is no proposal yet, or any decisions made, we are committed to working quickly to avoid prolonged uncertainty for our people and the valuable work they do.”

Meanwhile, at a meeting of councillors on Thursday, Auckland Transport came under fire for “lacking transparency”. That was over the scrapping of a “much loved bus route”, which was consulted on in a dense 120 page document.

Councillor Christine Fletcher called it a “betrayal”.

On Friday, the Public Transport Users Association New Zealand (PTUA) came out in support of the proposal to strip AT of its policy-making functions.

The association felt let down over a campaign to get trains to Huapai in West Auckland.

Auckland Transport has come under fire for “lacking transparency”.

National co-ordinator Jon Reeves felt that AT costed the proposal to get a train to Huapai as a “gold plated” project, which meant the project didn’t appear feasible.

AT director of public transport Stacey van der Putten told councillors this week that cost to benefit analysis for the project didn’t stack up. However, when challenged she said she didn’t have those figures on hand.

The Taxpayers Union also joined the mayor in criticising AT.

In a statement it said a Curia poll it had commissioned showed that 59% of Aucklanders want AT to be more accountable.

“The current model has been a disaster. Operating with independence from Auckland Council looks good on paper, but certainly not in practice,” spokesperson Sam Warren said.

“AT has instead become its own bureaucracy captured by ideology and largely detached from accountability to elected officials, and ultimately, Auckland ratepayers.”

Brown has frequently pointed out that Auckland is the only regional council that doesn’t get to set its own Regional Land Transport Plan.