Mayor Wayne Brown Reveals Top Jobs in New Auckland Council Set-Up

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has revealed the structure of his new council and the people who have taken on the top jobs. Brown has appointed two committees, the Transport and Infrastructure committee and the Planning, Environment and Parks committee, to oversee the city’s major transport and infrastructure projects. The committees will include all councillors and two members of the Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB).

The Transport and Infrastructure committee will be chaired by Albany councillor John Watson with councillor Christine Fletcher as deputy, while North Shore councillor Richard Hills will chair the Planning, Environment and Parks committee with councillor Angela Dalton as deputy. Councillors Mike Lee and Andy Baker have also been appointed to the board of Auckland Transport.

The new structure also includes four decision-making committees: Performance and Appointments, Expenditure Control and Procurement, Council-Controlled Organisation Direction and Oversight, and Regulatory and Safety. Three of these committees include two IMSB members, while the Performance and Appointments committee includes one “ex officio” member of the IMSB.

The Expenditure Control and Procurement Committee is chaired by former government minister Maurice Williamson and is tasked with finding savings in tight times. The CCO Direction and Oversight Committee will be led by councillors Wayne Walker and Shane Henderson, while Josephine Bartley and Ken Turner lead the Regulatory and Safety committee.

The mayor has also set a goal of cutting $25 million from the council’s head office. Brown said he had picked the committee members carefully to ensure they would protect essential services while finding savings. He also said a mechanism would be developed on how the Independent Māori Statutory Board will participate in the annual plan, budget and long-term plan processes.