May 06, 2024
Dear Supporter,
I don't often get to email you with good news for Auckland ratepayers, so today I'm celebrating.
I've spent the afternoon working through the details of yesterday's Watercare announcement by Prime Minister Chris Luxon, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, and Mayor Wayne Brown. It is nothing short of a Ratepayer Victory!
Aucklanders avoid 26% hike in water bills 💦
Watercare has a $13.9 billion shortfall over the next 10 years. Plugging this hole would see the water bill for the average Auckland household jump from $1,340 to $1,688.
Unlike for Council rates, Watercare's high costs aren't to do with a growing bureaucracy or wage bill – rather it needs to invest in capital plant (i.e. the pipes and pumps that will last generations).
But the mess we are in is because Watercare needs to pay up front as the Council's overspending and waste has seen the Council's group borrowing cap reached.
Put another way: Len Brown, then Phil Goff, maxed out the mortgage and credit card, so Watercare can't go to the bank.
What the Government is doing 🏦
The deal that has been struck with the Government will see legislation passed in Parliament later this month to take Watercare's liabilities off the Council's books. Basically the legislation will see that Watercare's finances are ring-fenced and the Council can't he held liable for Watercare's debt.
That will mean Watercare will again be able borrow prudently and smooth the cost of longterm infrastructure improvements – and not pass the buck directly onto Aucklanders with extremely high upfront water charges.
And unlike the last Government's undemocratic/co-governed Three Waters plans to take local assets away from Aucklanders – under this deal, Watercare will remain owned by ratepayers.
Ultimate control of Watercare (such as appointment of Watercare's directors) will remain with the democratically elected councillors.
7% is not "good", but not nearly as "bad" as 26% 🤔
Credit where it's is due – the Mayor stuck to his guns and got this over the line. A 7.2% increase in water bills is still too much – but it is a lot better than the 25.8% we faced!
It is certainly a lot better than Auckland ratepayers having to also subsidise Northland's water networks as would have been the case if the last government's 'Three Waters' proposals were fully implemented.
But why do I still have a sinking feeling? 🚰
The underlying problem that got us into this mess remains: Auckland Council has borrowed up the wazoo – and it doesn't have capacity to fund long term infrastructure investment.
As of 31 December, Auckland Council's total liabilities (i.e. how much the Council owes on your behalf) amounts to $31,901.29 for every Auckland household.
This dwarfs every other New Zealand council on a per household basis. Even post-earthquake Christchurch comes out better!
And what did we get for ? The best possible infrastructure (yeah right!).
Auckland Council's culture of wasteful spending remains. Unless something changes – rates will continue to be flushed down the toilet on pet projects and vanity schemes. That's where we come in.
Support our work in exposing this waste and advocating for better accountability in Auckland Council.
👍 Yes, I'll support less waste and a more accountable Super City 👍
Thank you for you support,
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Sam Warren
Spokesperson
Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance
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The Ratepayers’ Alliance relies 100% on donations from grassroots supporters wanting Auckland to live up to its potential. If you agree that Council needs to focus on efficiency and re-prioritise its already bloated budgets – rather than just reach deeper into ratepayers pockets – we are counting on your support.
April 22, 2024
The Auckland Ratepayer’s Alliance can reveal that Auckland Council failed to conduct a specific cost-benefit analysis for the $12.8m pedestrianisation of Queen Street in Auckland's CBD.
The project involved the removal of car lanes and widening of footpaths, affecting hundreds of businesses, making Queen Street virtually un-drivable and disrupting emergency services.
Auckland Ratepayers Alliance spokesperson Sam Warren said: "A cost-benefit analysis should be stock standard for any project, especially one of this scale.
"Rather than doing the work to figure out whether this was a good use of ratepayer money, Auckland Council produced a range of vague and un-costed platitudes, such as ‘Aucklanders are prepared for change’, and ‘making the city centre attractive, healthier, inclusive and safer’ - presumably because they knew any economic analysis would rubbish their proposals.
"Once again, the pursuit of ideologically-driven pet projects takes a higher priority over respect for the ratepayer, which in reality, they should be accountable to."
April 12, 2024
Watercare has signalled the possibility of a 25.8% increase in bills in order to remain in Auckland Council's borrowing limit.
Watercare's debt currently sits in Council's books, and are therefor unable to borrow to offset these increases.
Commenting, Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance spokesperson Sam Warren said:
"The root of the problem is Auckland Council's recklessness."
"Watercare is one of the few entities justified to borrow at such scale to fund critical infrastructure – but Auckland Council has acted like an impulsive teenager and maxed out Mum and Dad's credit card."
"At the end of the day, Council urgently needs to reign in its wasteful spending on vanity projects, cut the fat, and stick to its core services."
April 12, 2024
A new Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance – Curia poll reveals that 67% of Aucklanders want to see a decrease in Auckland Council managers compared with just 7% who want the number to increase. 17% of respondents wanted the number of managers to remain unchanged.
Voters were asked: “Last year, Auckland Council employed 876 managers with an average salary of $142,613. Do you think the number of managers employed by Auckland Council should increase, decrease, or stay the same?”
Commenting on the poll results, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Sam Warren, said:
“Aucklanders are done with overpaid bureaucrats inside the Council costing ratepayers a fortune. It’s time they are showed the door.
“Before the Council starts hiking rates, it needs to urgently cut the fat to focus on core services, not backroom bureaucracy.
“Wayne Brown was elected on a mandate to get spending under control, this poll shows he clearly still has that mandate – no he must act on it.”
April 11, 2024
A new Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance – Curia poll reveals the net favourability of prominent Aucklanders.
When asked for an indication of favourable; neutral; or unfavourable; of a list of six notable public figures, found that Simon Bridges was the most favourable by a significant amount with a net score of +18%.
Mayor Wayne Brown and Paula Bennett both scored +12%, followed by Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, with a score of +10%.
The remaining two Aucklanders reached a net negative favourability, Richard Hills at –1%, and Michael Wood at –9%.
Commenting on the poll, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Sam Warren, said:
“Wayne Brown’s popularity took a hit following last year’s floods, but his favourability is now back in the black, and even keeping on par with the likes of Paula Bennett and his Deputy Mayor, Desley Simpson.”
“Interestingly, it’s Simon Bridges who leads the pack by a country mile since his appointment as CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber, and more recently, news of chairing the NZ Transport Agency.”
Any media or other organisation that reports on this poll should include the following summary statement:
The poll was conducted by Curia Market Research for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance. It is a random poll of 1,000 adult Aucklanders and is weighted to the overall adult Auckland population. It was conducted by phone (landlines and mobile) and online between 2 March and 4 March 2024, has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1% and 21% were undecided on the mayoral vote question. The full results are at www.ratepayers.nz/favourability
April 09, 2024
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance can reveal that Auckland Council’s ‘economic development’ wing, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, blew $450,000 on buying corporate box access to the ASB Classic (Auckland Open) tennis tournament.
Auckland Ratepayers Alliance spokesman Sam Warren said:
“Ratepayers should not be forking out so that councillors and unelected bureaucrats can wine and dine at sporting events.
“Not only was $450,000 of ratepayers money spent on a day in the sun, but an extra $6,163 was spent on food and beverages. Of the 120 visitors, only 30 represented the council, while 90 were stakeholders, customers and partners.
“The justification around this spending, being needed for securing media and broadcasting, is a joke to Aucklanders. An event as successful and established as the ASB Classic already has multiple sponsors. These guests should meeting in an office – not a corporate box.
“Auckland Unlimited needs to remember ratepayers aren't an ATM. If the council wants to encourage economic activity in the city, it would be better off scrapping Auckland Unlimited and it’s $100 million budget entirely to help reduce the rates burden for businesses, along with removing the tangle of red tape that makes it difficult to do anything in the city."
March 28, 2024
A new Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance – Curia poll released today shows strong support for lower rates rises when Auckland Council sets its Long Term Plan.
A plurality of Aucklanders (40%) support the so called 'pay less, get less option' while 32% support the central proposal and just 9% support the 'pay more, get more' option. 19% of respondents were unsure.
Aucklanders also believe that rates increases should be no higher than the annual rate of inflation. 48% of respondents thought that rates increases should be in line with inflation, 32% supported rises below inflation while just 11% wanted rates hikes above the rate of inflation. 8% of respondents were unsure.
Commenting on the poll, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Sam Warren, said:
"These numbers aren't surprising. When Aucklanders are struggling with their mortgages and the stubbornly high cost of living – the idea of increasing rates at a level far-exceeding inflation is really untenable for a lot of people."
“Auckland Council must first go to greater lengths to cut the waste of its own internal bureaucracy before it can go rifling through the backpocket of everyday ratepayers."
Any media or other organisation that reports on this poll should include the following summary statement:
The poll was conducted by Curia Market Research for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance. It is a random poll of 1,000 adult Aucklanders and is weighted to the overall adult Auckland population. It was conducted by phone (landlines and mobile) and online between 2 March and 4 March 2024, has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1% and 21% were undecided on the mayoral vote question. The full results are at www.taxpayers.org.nz/aucklandratespoll
March 27, 2024
The Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance is calling out a deliberately misleading poll commissioned by It's Our Auckland that claims Aucklanders are not in support of the proposed lease of Port of Auckland operations in the mayor's Long Term Plan (LTP).
Voters were asked: "There is a proposal to sell off the Auckland Port operating business which is currently 100% owned by Auckland Council and Aucklanders, via a lease. How strongly do you support or oppose the sale of the port operations?"
Commenting on these claims, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Sam Warren, said:
"The phrasing of the poll is deliberately misleading – angled to elicit a certain response."
"The mayor specifically wants to lease operations of the Port while ratepayers retain the land throughout. When the lease expires after a proposed 35-years, operations would be returned, or negotiated for extension by both parties. There is no 'sale', and it's expected that Aucklanders would get much a better deal."
"It seems pretty disingenuous to ask about the sale of the port's operations, and then go on to claim Aucklanders don't want it to be leased."
A recent Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance – Curia Poll showed 60% of Aucklanders are in favour of leasing Port operations when asked: "Auckland’s Mayor has said that leasing out the management of the port, while still retaining ownership of the port land, will deliver much higher financial returns to the Council. If Council could deliver a much higher return, would you support the port management being leased out, or would you prefer it to continue with the status quo and lower financial returns but keep full ownership?". 26% opposed the port operation's lease.
March 25, 2024
A new Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance – Curia poll released today shows Aucklanders back Wayne Brown’s proposal to lease out the management of the Port by more than 2 to 1.
The poll also showed that Aucklanders support the Mayor’s proposal to create a Future Fund to manage its investments in Auckland Airport and its Port company by nearly 3 to 1.
Commenting on the results of the poll, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Sam Warren, said:
"Aucklanders want to see Council get smarter about infrastructure. Leasing Port operations while keeping the land in the hands of ratepayers would see a significant upfront source of revenue, that could be used to to pay for infrastructure and reduce the impact of future rates rises.”
“When ratepayers are facing hikes of up to 38% over the next 3 years – moving to a more efficient, profitable model makes sense to the majority of people, who are tired of the status quo.”
March 25, 2024
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is calling out 'Stop Stealing Our Harbour' for scaremongering about Ports of Auckland, misleading Aucklanders that an operating-company/property-company proposal before Auckland Council would see the CBD port expand or stick to its current footprint.
"Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman, Sam Warren, says: 'Stop Stealing Our Harbour' are launching the ship before building the dock.
"We understand from Council sources that private operators have in-fact offered to take over the Port operations using a smaller footprint to both free up land back for public use, and return more to ratepayers than the current mismanaged model allows. It’s a win-win.
“Auckland needs a Mayor and Council to look at all options to calm the Super City’s fiscal whirlpool. Unless a magic ferry comes along to pay to move the port, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
"The question should be, who is best to operate the port in the most efficient, and environmentally friendly fashion. Clearly the status quo is failing.”
