Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown wins a battle in his war of letters with central government
A Crown directive sent to Kāinga Ora to investigate development opportunities along Auckland’s light rail corridor has been retracted for now, with Minister of Housing Megan Woods saying she will take another look at the situation in November.
It’s the latest in a flurry of sometimes strongly worded letters back and forth between Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and the Government, following the initial directive back in June.
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The initial letter from government ministers to public housing organisation Kāinga Ora directing it to assess suburbs along Auckland's planned light rail corridor for new houses raised ire among councillors, who felt they hadn’t been consulted.
They agreed on the mayor sending letters to voice their near unanimous disapproval – and now it appears the Government is sitting up and taking notice.
In a letter sent back to Brown earlier this week, Woods wrote she had request Kāinga Ora halt its assessment of the area due to a delay in the notice of requirement.
“At the time the Minister of Finance had initially directed Kāinga Ora to assess ALR as a potential SDP (specified development project), the Notice of Requirement (NoR) was expected to be lodged imminently,” she wrote. “However, the NoR is now intended to be lodged in mid-November 2023, at which time there will be greater certainty of the mode, route and stations. Once the NoR has been lodged, we will consider whether it is appropriate to re-direct Kāinga Ora to assess ALR as a potential SDP.”
But while Woods is hoping November will bring greater certainty to the light rail project, the opposite may be true. A change of government in October could see the entire project put on ice.
Woods added the delay could allow the Government to more closely consult Auckland Council and other project sponsors on the merits of development plans in the corridor, which runs between the city centre and Māngere.
“Stopping the [special development] assessment will also enable us to further engage with Auckland Council and other sponsors to hear their views on the merits of undertaking the SDP assessment process and how we can better work together,” she wrote.
“We remain committed to working together with Auckland Council to achieve the best possible integrated transport and urban development outcomes related to [Auckland Light Rail].”
The original letter asked Kāinga Ora chair Vui Mark Gosche to explore how development in the area could contribute to the 66,000 homes set out in Auckland Light Rail's indicative business case.
The directive was bitterly received by councillors, many of whom were caught by surprise when the letter became public.
Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward councillor Christine Fletcher, who represents an area largely within the corridor, only found out about the letter after a member of the public brought her attention to it.
She then raised it at the council's meeting of its governing body in June and called on the mayor to send his own letter to Woods and Finance Minister Grant Robertson demanding a seat at the decision table.
She said a directive like this without council or public consultation was a “betrayal of trust” and “displays extraordinary arrogance by the Government”.
Over the next two months Brown penned two letters in which he didn’t hold back in communicating his frustration.
“I do not need to remind you that I was elected as mayor of our largest city with a vast majority to ensure that Aucklanders decide what Auckland needs in the way of transport and urban form, and that your directive is exactly the sort of action that will be unacceptable to not only all of my councillors, but also to the population at large of my city,” he wrote.
“I look forward to being informed that this directive has been withdrawn and to meeting to discuss acceptable next steps for [Auckland Light Rail].”
It appears the mayor has gotten his wish – at least until November, if the election goes Labour’s way.
John Burns, chair of the Balmoral Residents Association, at the time expressed concern the proposal had been put forward without consultation with council or people living in his area.
He welcomed the u-turn on the directive but implored central government to leave planning functions to council.
“We welcome the ministers’ announcement that Auckland Council’s planning functions for Balmoral will stay with Auckland Council until at least November next year, but think that they should scrap the idea of Kāinga Ora taking over altogether,” he said.
“Planning for our area should be left in the hands of our local community and our council, not imposed on us by a central government agency.”
