Waiheke Local Board and De-Amalgamation Timeline
Excerpt from the Royal Commission Report pertaining to Waiheke
Part 9: Setting Community Boards in Context
Page 443
Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands differ very significantly. The nature of local government services is different, and yet from the viewpoint of preferred governance arrangements, their community board chairs reach similar conclusions. In the case of the Waiheke Community Board, the chair emphasised the following headline points:
- Waiheke is quite distinct as a community and very different from urban Auckland in environmental and social terms.
- At the same time it has strong links to Auckland City in terms of daily commuting,ownership of baches on the island, and some 80% of visitors to Waiheke Island coming from the Auckland urban area (with the need for infrastructure to accommodate a significant seasonal influx).
- The island has benefited from city-wide funding to support new and upgraded infrastructure such as the Oneroa sewerage scheme.
- Decision-making processes in “city hall” that bypass local input can seem strong in principle but miss important local context. A recent example cited related to the community board having the opportunity of input only after a council standing committee had set a course of action that would see large “wheelie bins” used for a curbside domestic refuse collection on Waiheke Island. In the view of the board, such a scheme lacked understanding of the number of steep driveways and older residents on the island.
- Notwithstanding the city council maintaining an office on the island with a dozen staff, the harmonious relationship between local board and council staff, spoken of on Great Barrier Island, was not described as existing on Waiheke Island.
From the submissions I have considered and discussion with the board chair, the most appropriate way forward for Waiheke seems similar to that for Great Barrier Island: namely, a community board or similar arrangement to achieve the following general framework:
- implementation of projects and the fine-tuning of other spending on the island
- significant input to development and review of the district plan covering Waiheke Island, with the plan being adopted by an authority in Auckland.