November 28, 2024
The Auckland ratepayers' Alliance can reveal through a Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act request that Auckland Council has spent $2.2 million on purchasing phones in the last three years, and a further $1.5 million on mobile connections last year alone.
“The question must be asked, what's costing ratepayers money, unnecessarily?" said Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance Spokesman, Sam Warren.
“Using phones as library scanners is well-and-good, but in 2024, virtually everyone already owns a phone. Why are corporate staff even considered for mobiles, on-call or not?
“Yes, work related travel should induce allowances for data and phone calls, but is this deal the most cost effective option? A yearly bill of $1,522,893 is massive, and will only get bigger.
“Chief Executive Phil Wilson must find cuts and efficiencies, big and small, throughout Auckland Council to avoid rates rises reaching double digits next year.”
November 20, 2024
The Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance is calling for disciplinary action against Auckland Transport chief executive Dean Kimpton following his political comments reported in the NZ Herald this morning.
"Dean Kimpton is the poster child of what an undemocratic CCO model has led to," says Jordan Williams, a Spokesman for the Ratepayers' Alliance.
"Here we have a Mayor, clearly elected with a democratic mandate to put the CCOs back under democratic accountability, and we have a media white-anting with a PR campaign by the very CCOs being reformed. It is nothing short of disgraceful that officials think it is their role to speak to the media about a matter before democratically elected councillors.
"Professionalism and decorum once ensured public sector bosses like Kimpton knew better than to inject themselves into politics. It is, yet again, case-in-point of why local government needs to have a statutory duty of political neutrality imposed on its officials."
"If Mr Kimpton wants to be a politician he should stand for election, not undermine a Mayor with a democratic mandate to bring CCOs into line."
November 19, 2024
Responding to the draft mayoral proposal released today, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman, Alex Emes, said:
“Auckland CCOs have been able to hide in the shadows for too long. This lack of accountability has seen waste spiral and service levels fall.
“Mayor Brown putting democracy first is a huge step in the right direction. Why should our elected representatives not have full oversight over these huge bureaucracies?
“This is a clear message to central government that the city wants Auckland Transport rolled under the Council’s leadership. There can’t be any delay in changing the law to make this possible.”
November 04, 2024
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has come out swinging against the council’s cultural and economic agency for spending $737,208.58 on its ‘Happiness Guide” campaign to improve the city’s declining public perceptions.
“Once again Tātaki Auckland Unlimited has demonstrated its proficiency in wasting money, almost as if waiting on queue” said Ratepayers’ Alliance Spokesman, Sam Warren.
“A post-mortem showed around only 14% of those surveyed actually improved their perceptions of Auckland, making any rushed defence for the $730,000 campaign beyond comprehension.
“TAU seems very eager to flex its enormous budget, but much less concerned about providing any real value to ratepayers footing the bill. This is also the case with other CCOs like Auckland Transport – whose model skirts accountability time and again.
“Condemnation by Brown follows moves to explore reform of Auckland’s Council Controlled Organisations. With this kind of wasteful spending going on, there’s no shortage of justification for Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, and it’s fellow CCOs, to be rolled.”
September 30, 2024
Leaked documents to the Post can reveal that Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is several steps closer to disestablishing the city’s beleaguered economic development agency, Tataki Auckland Unlimited.
“It’s been a long time coming” said Spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, Sam Warren.
“Like it’s sibling CCOs, Tataki Auckland Unlimited’s arms-length independence from Council has allowed for a near-untouchable gluttony of overpaid bureaucrats with oversized, ratepayer-funded budgets.
“Following requests made by the mayor, some previous attempts have been made to temper Tataki Auckland Unlimited’s enormous $125 million yearly budget. But in reality, much of what it does is simply not required by a council-controlled organisation.
“Bringing only its core functions in-house while scrapping the rest will result in a leaner, much more focused operation that will reduce the financial burden on ratepayers. Other CCOs that are guilty of wasting ratepayers’ money should also face the chop while the Mayor is at it.”
September 30, 2024
In a bid to promote ‘random acts of kindness’ during Art Week, Auckland Council has commissioned a new lighting sequence along its pink Lightpath in the CBD.
“It’s confirmation that Auckland Council has entirely ignored the Prime Minister’s calls for them to cut back on nice-to-haves” said Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance Spokesman, Sam Warren.
“Right now, Aucklanders want their council to focus on doing the basics really well and keep rates affordable.
“This, and the wider Art Week campaign, has been funded through a targeted rate paid for by commercial and residential property owners in the city centre, who are already struggling.
“Blowing more money on an art installation might give some councillors the warm and fuzzies – but sponsoring a $3,600 lighting sequence to promote ‘random acts of kindness’ while rates are ever-rising has very Ardern-esque vibes to it that are perhaps best left in the past.
“The belt needs to be tightened, priorities need to be set. If Auckland Council really wants to see acts of kindness, it can start but reining in wasteful spending and focus on easing the burden of future rates increases.
September 26, 2024
The recently appointed chair for the country’s largest water provider has served only 12-weeks before being removed by the High Court following challenges made by the independent Maori statutory board for Auckland Council, Houkura.
Geoff Hunt was voted as chair of council-owned Watercare by councillors 3-months ago. During the process, Houkura made claims that standing orders were breached due to a procedural amendment by Councillor Maurice Williamson that was passed and enabled Hunt to win the role.
“We vote councillors in to represent us and make these important choices on our behalf. Isn’t it absurd that an unelected arm of council can go above democracy because they want their own person considered for the job?” said Spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, Sam Warren.
“Councillor Williamson’s motion was based on both legal and procedural advice by the secretariat, and in all forms was perfectly legitimate. It got voted on and then passed.
“Claiming that the process was procedurally flawed, Houkura wanted their own candidate considered for the role. Now it’s back to the drawing board as the appointment for one of the most important public sector roles in the country is to be reconsidered.
"Something is fundamentally broken when the independent Maori statutory board, which is entirely unaccountable to Auckland ratepayers, can strong-arm elected representatives and overturn their decisions.”
September 24, 2024
It can be revealed through the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act that Auckland Transport has cut staff numbers from 1923 in June 2023, to 1773 in June 2024.
Spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, Sam Warren, said:
“Over a 12-month period, 150 full time positions have been removed as part of a $30m cost-cutting exercise by Mayor Wayne Brown towards Auckland Transport’s bloated expenditure.
“The total number of consultants and comms staff however remains unknown to the public. It’s here where many of the unnecessary positions in AT exist.
“We can also reveal that 22% of Auckland Transport staff have management positions, which naturally comes with more pay and bureaucracy. With Aucklanders bearing the brunt of continuous rates increases, as well as stubbornly high living costs, a far leaner staffing model is required to get this expenditure under control.
“The cost of roading, infrastructure and public transport remain high, far outpacing inflation. Clearly there's much work to be done in this space to cut costs, and further cuts are necessary to meet budgets and get a handle on the Auckland Transport behemoth."
September 09, 2024
The Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance can reveal through Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act that Auckland Council spent $263,000 on four sets of stairs for Milford Beach's Southern Walkway.
As part of council's coastal asset renewals programme, the total figure adds up to $8,218.75 per step, replaced like-for-like with the addition of a handrail.
Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance spokesman Sam Warren, said:
“The photos provided to us confirm the Milford Beach stairs were unsafe, and work was obviously needed.
“However, just because something has to be done, doesn't mean the gold plated standard must apply.
“Auckland Council must implement better standards for replacement and construction work. Surely eight steps per stair should not cost $65,750 a pop.
"Common sense spending is desperately needed for Auckland Council and more must be done to keep costs low.”
September 04, 2024
Auckland Transport yesterday confirmed the appointment of Dean Kimpton as chief executive following an initial 18-month fixed term contract. Kimpton’s salary package, including a performance bonus, will be up to $713,000.
Commenting, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance Spokesperson, Sam Warren, said:
“Kimpton is one of the highest-paid bureaucrats in the country. On no planet should he be earning more than Auckland Council’s own chief executive, let alone nearly a fifth more.
"Mayor Wayne Brown has also been very vocal about this same expectation, however the largely unelected Auckland Transport board that sets the chief executive’s salary does not think the mayor’s views are worth listening to, which highlights a very big problem.
“It’s long been an open secret that Mayor Brown wanted Kimpton gone once his fixed term contract ended, hoping that the recruitment process would be opened so others could apply.
True to form, the board of Auckland Transport weren't interested and shut this down, saying ‘Dean is our man’ despite his tenure being a disaster so far.
“Most Aucklanders will be wondering how Kimpton has earned the right to be the highest paid bureaucrat in Auckland Council and its CCOs, with a plurality of Aucklanders thinking AT’s performance is below average in a June poll.
“The same poll showed 59% of Aucklanders wanted Auckland Transport to be directly accountable to elected officials in Council, which is now likely the only solution left to get a handle on the defiant beast that is AT.”
