Auckland: is it NZ's super power or too ambitious by half?

Newsroom

07-05-2025

The two Prime Ministers who put parts of Auckland through a shotgun marriage into the Super City 15 years ago say the city's residents are clearly better off, yet more needs to be done to improve its funding and representation.
Helen Clark and John Key were part of a historic lineup of political leaders, executives and movers and shakers who have shaped the Super City, which marked its first decade-and-a-half in a mini-summit high above the Waitematā Harbour on Wednesday.
Current political leaders Wayne Brown, the city mayor, and Simeon Brown, the Minister for Auckland, joined the former Prime Ministers in assessing the merits of the big merger in 2010, and outlining what is needed to advance Auckland in its next 15 years.
The three national politicians are Aucklanders; Wayne Brown is a Northlander in spirit. All agree our one international-scale city has its own needs and potential solutions.
Wayne Brown confirmed he's not visited Wellington in the 30 months since taking office 'and I don't want to go there … I'm worried that the thinking might be contagious'.
But he claimed 'the muscle is being felt without me having to visit there'.
Simeon Brown agreed Auckland needed a stronger local voice but defended the central government's need to direct where money is spent, given its level of taxpayer funding into roads and infrastructure.
The two Browns could not agree on one policy – the mayor (supported by Key and Clark) said a tourist bed night levy was needed to fund events and initiatives, the minister flatly ruled it out this term as the Government had not promised it at the last election.
Auckland is currently $7m short for the coming financial year in covering promotion of major events for the city and Wayne Brown has been relying on the Government approving the bed night levy to cover that cost. Business groups, venues including Eden Park and hospitality outlets say it's urgent Auckland is provided means to restore that investment.
'All it requires is permitting legislation. No money required,' Wayne Brown told Simeon Brown.
The minister was unmoved: 'We've said it's not something we're doing this term. I get the arguments but that's the decision we've come to.'
That exchange at the Auckland at 15 summit, hosted by Deloitte, the Helen Clark Foundation and the Committee for Auckland, got to the core of political differences over how Auckland develops for its next 15 years.
Key pushed for new thinking on financing Auckland's development. 'Here's the thing for a place like Auckland. When you really talk about the city being better, you need stronger infrastructure. That's the bottom line.'
He said the mayor had only one real tool, rates. 'He's done a really good job … and as a former chairman of ANZ and former Prime Minister, there's a real challenge in the [council's] balance sheet.'
Key argued Auckland's politicians should be allowed by central government to implement, say, a congestion charge as part of transport policy. 'Councillors should design that and live or die on the back of it' with Auckland voters at subsequent elections.
The city would be held back 'if you do not sort out the money somehow and give them more levers', he said, with Simeon Brown three seats away.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown brought his campaign sign with him to the Auckland at 15 event marking the Super City's foundation. Photo: Tim Murphy
Key's government implemented aspects of the royal commission into Auckland governance that Clark's government had begun.
Clark noted 1980s Labour internal affairs minister Michael Bassett had reformed local government to reduce 34 local bodies in Auckland to seven before her government set up the royal commission which recommended the one super city.
'Are we better off? Of course we are. But we always strive to get more out of it.'
Responding to both Browns and former Auckland Council chief executive Doug McKay suggesting the 20 councillors should be elected by voters region-wide, not in local wards, Clark advocated a degree of caution. In the former Auckland City Council, with councillors selected by all ratepayers from one contest, the 'biggest group' came to over-dominate city affairs. She didn't name it, but was referring to the National-aligned group C&R.
'Wards split that up a bit,' she said, suggesting if further reforms were to have voters selecting region-wide councillors, the voting system would need to be on a single transferable vote basis to prevent 'a winner takes all.'
She believed some reform was possible, with 21 local boards 'probably' being too high. But she cautioned against them being made so large that they effectively recreated the old territorial local bodies that the big merger in 2010 eliminated. 'They need to be a brokerage between citizens and the council.'
Simeon Brown did say a law change to allow Auckland Council more say on the 30-year transport plan was due mid-year, and that his ministerial colleague Chris Bishop was driving legislative changes on 'long-term charges we might put on developments to unlock growth nodes in Auckland.' There was also a 'mature' approach being taken to a possible city deal for Auckland in which the Crown and council would agree long-term plans and funding paths.
His other advice on the financial challenges? Don't think too big, too super.
Debt had risen from $5 billion to $14b-plus in the Super City's time and the council's wage bill had gone up 67 percent. 'There's a real need for the council to focus on the basics, that solutions put forward are fit for purpose.
'We are a big city but we are not a New York or Tokyo. We have to make sure our aspirations fit our size.'
Wayne Brown used his speech to emphasise Auckland's differences with the rest of New Zealand, rather than the world – and said Auckland had enough scale to help solve international trade challenges with overseas city economies 'outside the Trump tariff wars'. He offered to lead trade delegations and fix not just Auckland but New Zealand.
'Auckland is a big thing. Overseas people recognise that. When I go overseas with Todd [McClay, the trade minister], who I like, he does not get to see people I get to see.'
At home, Brown wants a change to a one-size-fits-all approach to local government.
'We share little in common with most councils,' Brown said 'The dysfunctional city of Wellington still has too much sway.'
He complained about central government's requirement for policies to have 'national consistency … as if Huntly needs a bed tax. Waikato has got mayors in places I didn't know. I had never heard of Piako. Otorohanga has a mayor and it's the size of Kaitaia, and they don't need a mayor.
'We do not want national consistency,' he told the minister, other than for requirements such as driving on the left-hand side of the road. 'That's a good idea.'
Conversely, Wayne Brown outlined policy areas Auckland could influence on a national scale, such as immigration. 'We need to have some say, to know what the numbers are going to be, almost need to have a say on what types of people. We don't need any more Uber drivers.'
Clark said in the next 15 years Auckland needed to remember that liveable cities were 'about more than roads, bridges and infrastructure. They are also about character, how we cohere as communities.
'Is it sensible to be spreading the way we are? That city at Pokeno got away because it was over in the Waikato council. The traffic jams that used to be at Manurewa are now out at Ramarama. Endless sprawl is not what we want.'
Both she and Key supported housing densification, within certain bounds.
Key said Auckland didn't need massive skyscraper apartment buildings as in Hong Kong or Singapore, but young people needed access to mid-level units costing between $700,000 and $1m.
The City Rail Link with two new underground stations is set to open early in 2026. Image Supplied
Urging boldness from both central and local government leaders in a 'joined-up' way, the former PM revealed he had made a critical intervention to ensure the $5 billion-plus City Rail Link underground train project was approved.
'I kind of strong-armed Bill [English, finance minister] and Steven [Joyce, economic development minister] to be bold, to put money in.'
There had been different views, between needing infrastructure and 'are we doing too much?'
Key said in the absence of his urgings 'it would never have been built … I guarantee when things are operating in five years, people will forget all that and think it's great'.
On a later panel, Key's transport minister at the time, Simon Bridges, who is now chief executive of the Auckland Business Chamber, had a slightly more nuanced recall of the government's City Rail Link decision.
In 'my version of history' there were three key players: himself, the founding Super City mayor Len Brown and Key.
'Len Brown wore me down … Bill and Steven were the hopeless cases, there was no chance. So I wheedled my way around them to John. He was a kind-of softie on these things and we got there.'
Bridges pointed to the value of his regular meetings with Len Brown. 'It required regular meetings between the political leadership. You are not going to get the alignment if you don't have those.'
But, recalling Wayne Brown's aversion to visiting the capital, Bridges added: 'You don't need to go to Wellington, but it does need to happen.'