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The new Auckland Transport CCO will mean that the rules for operating in the road corridor will be standardised across the region.
ACT’s Rodney Hide said this tonight in an address to the annual conference of the crane association, adding that Auckland Transport is being set up with close links to NZTA.
“This will allow for better integration and co-ordination between local roads and highways.”
He told the conference that any major projects that are currently on the books of the existing Auckland councils will continue “unless the new supercouncil decides otherwise.”
However, before any new major infrastructure projects are decided, the new Auckland council would need to develop an integrated approach to regional planning, “and this will take time.”
He said Auckland Council’s planning will give Auckland a united voice when working with central government. This will involve a single long-term council community plan (LTCCP) for the Auckland Council. The LTCCP will be given effect to in a statutory Regional Infrastructure Investment Plan and an Auckland Spatial Plan.
These plans will enable the Auckland Council and central government to more effectively plan its investments in the Auckland region.
The Auckland Spatial Plan will pull together all economic, infrastructure, environment and other plans to ensure that collectively they can support the best outcomes for the Auckland region. It will provide a clear plan for infrastructure development for the Auckland region and will cover both the public sector and private infrastructure providers.
The Spatial Plan will set out how the region develops in the future, where critical infrastructure services will be located, such as water sewerage and roads, and plan future residential, business and industrial activities within specific geographic areas.
The National Infrastructure Unit, a specialist infrastructure unit established within Treasury, will develop a National Infrastructure Plan which will work hand in hand with industry to permanently lift the sustainable growth rate of the economy, through increased productivity and improved management of Crown assets.
This combination of Spatial Plan and National Infrastructure Unit based reform will improve the planning of major infrastructure work across the Auckland region, through better sequencing, more certain timelines and funding, and increased involvement from the private sector.
Mr Hide told the delegates: “This council now has the tools for Auckland to fulfil its potential; all its plans for transport, infrastructure, economic development, environmental protection and managing growth will now be coordinated.”
5 Comments
So essentially he’s saying this organisation will be a roading one.
CB - sounds very much so. I believe NZTA even get a seat on the board
“This combination of Spatial Plan and NATIONAL Infrastructure Unit based reform will improve the planning of major infrastructure work across the Auckland region,” (my emphasis)
Hold on - is he essentially saying that Wellington will plan Auckland’s infrastructure? To not even mention Auckland Council here other than in producing the Spatial Plan to me smacks of an intentional tendency.
Can someone vote this guy out please? All his party got was a few measly percent anyway. Who is he to claim a bloody mandate?
“I believe NZTA even get a seat on the board”
NZTA will get a NON-voting seat on the board of Auckland Transport, which is actually a very positive thing. And having worked with NZTA, including some of their current Auckland leaders, I know that they have a lot of very clued-up people, who aren’t as roads-centric as government forces them to be.
The sad thing is that KiwiRail didn’t get a non-voting seat either, which is so stupid when you think of the core importance of rail to Auckland.
Are any Council/Mayoral candidates proposing to get Kiwirail a seat on the Transport CCO Board? They might have to lobby the government to get it, but early commitment may help.
As to Hide’s delusions of ‘coordination’, that could have happened if him and his colleagues hadn’t overridden official advice to split key functions into siloed CCOs, and continued fudging about the scope of the Local Boards just keeps the waters muddy.