CRAIG LORD

The Journal

HOW WILL I FIX AUCKLAND TRANSPORT?

1/4/2022

 
Auckland CCO’s - What would I do?
Firstly, we need to understand the construct.
Auckland has four Council Controlled Organisations. 

  • Auckland Transport
  • Eke Panuku Development
  • Auckland Unlimited
  • Watercare.

During the current Mayoralty, these CCO’s have been left to their own accord.They have had an easy run, semi-autonomous.

Each of them have their own unique issues in regards to fiscal irresponsibility, lack of accountability, and minimal standards of servicing the ratepayer.

For this statement however, I wish to focus on Auckland Transport - but bear in mind that the others will require a similar treatment.

The Board of Directors for a CCO is created by Auckland Council via the Appointments and Performance Review Committee.

The official role of APRC is as follows:

  • Reviews the chief executive's performance
  • Makes appointments to council organisations and council-controlled organisations (CCOs)
  • Makes recommendations on CCO accountability policy.

Currently, the Appointments and Performance Review Committee consists of:

Chair: Mayor Phil Goff
Dep Chair: Cr Christine Fletcher

Members:
Cr Josephine Bartley
Cr Alf Filipaina
Cr Pippa Coom
Cr Richard Hills
Cr Chris Darby
Cr Angela Dalton
Ex officio: Deputy Mayor Bill Cashmore
Independent Māori Statutory Board member:
David Taipari

As you can see by the names on the APRC, it is stacked with Councillors from camp Goff. Thankfully Christine Fletcher is there trying to hold things together, but running through the names you can quickly see how she would be outnumbered. 

So from that APRC, we have the following appointments to the Auckland Transport Board of Directors:

Adrienne Young-Cooper, Chair 
Wayne Donnelly, Deputy Chair
Darren Linton
Kylie Clegg
Mark Darrow
Dr Jim Mather
Nicole Rosie
Abbie Reynolds
Tommy Parker

CCO liaison councillors:

Councillor Bill Cashmore
Councillor Chris Darby

Most of those members sit on a multitude of boards, it’s their profession. It should be noted that the Chair for Watercare is not an Aucklander… same will go for many members across the four boards.

You can go to this page to find out more on each member, their specialty. https://at.govt.nz/about-us/our-role-organisation/board-of-directors

Previously, Councillors Christine Fletcher and Mike Lee were on the AT Board with voting rights - but they were removed by Mayor Goff, and replaced by Councillors Darby and Cashmore. However those two positions are now non-voting.

So, again, what would I do?

Firstly, the Appointments and Performance Review Committee would be replaced by Councillors who listen to the ratepayer, Councillors who I feel would have a much better idea of what the people want - and would make better decisions towards who are on the Auckland transport board. I would place myself on this Committee as Chair. 

I do not want people who are captured and driven by ideology. 

I want people on the Committee and Board who understand that Auckland is more than just what’s between K’rd and Northcote. 

The refreshed APRC would then decide who stays and who goes on the Auckland Transport Board of Directors. 

As Mayor I would not place myself into AT, as there will already be too many other tasks requiring my attention. But I would have confidence in the new APRC to hold the CCO to account - as they currently have not been. 

Next, I would ensure that Councillors are reinstated to the AT Board - with voting rights. 

Finally, Auckland Council would produce a very firm letter of expectation to Auckland Transport, and use that set of standards to hold them to account. 

This is what I would do for you, the ratepayer and resident of Auckland. This is not just for AT, all four CCO’s need to be completely analysed from the top down.

You deserve better than what you are currently getting. Together we can make it right. 

1 Comment
Susan Jayne
1/7/2022 06:30:03 pm

Re-"Appointments and Performance Review Committee would be replaced by Councillors who listen to the ratepayer,..... I would ensure that Councillors are reinstated to the AT Board - with voting rights. ...... This is not just for AT, all four CCO’s need to be completely analysed from the top down."
Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!
I get the feeling as a person who really does rely on AT transport "options" to get around-and is currently nursing a bodily injury as a result - plus having seen more of my fair share of unpleasant busdriver / passenger interactions and mishaps,[mostly involving others]. I also have sympathy for the many "nice" AT personnel- but AT also hires some 'stinkers' too! but in some ways I don't blame them, they have little personal protection if things do go pear shaped, and they get a 'bad' passenger.
I appreciate the need for this reconstruction of the relationship between AT and Auckland City Council.... and... don't get me started on the mismanagement of the shared access walking and cycleways.
Would there be room for some localized forum type events, where people who regularly rely on these services could express their desires and experiences actually using these services. We had some excellent 'Delta' type workshops held which involved planning for the Western Springs Rubbish Recycling project to 'repurpose' the old AHC Hall. Cheap to put on and effective for 'real' data gathering.
Often, as in the instance of the cycleways the design and more importantly the codes of conduct regarding what is expected of users is MIA.
AT are great clarifying these issues for passengers on their vehicles but the shared cycleways and existing footpaths are a mutuality disrespectful battleground between between cyclists, ev users, and pedestrians.
For example is the cycle/walkway an appropriate place to off leash walk your dog or let your toddler to roam free, your children to use as a ball playing court,or a ride-on toy yard; or a convenient place for the amateur sports cyclist to practice their speed trials while commuting to and from the office [in particular, the track from Newton Gully through to Morningside] ? Or for Mum Dad riding their own 'big' machines, and the kids wobbling along trying to keep up on their first two wheelers which should really be restricted to the park or back yard? [behind Mt Albert Pack'n'Save] What if a child falls off into another rider's way? And; wasn't 12yrs or 14yrs once the [ACC] recommended minimum age for road bike riding? Maybe 10yrs for sole charge of a bike might be better for public pathways. And; Mums pushing giant prams also 3 abreast [often with 'satellites' on tiny rideons buzzing round them] strolling home from playcenter, oblivious of someone trying to move past them, without flattening one of the little critters. Or experiencing nearly getting a school bag in the face from a bunch of school kids, clogging the path as one slung her bag full of books over her shoulder - giving me that 'apologize -who me?' look when she discovered I was behind them getting sandwiched between them and the next bunch who just got off the bus - location for that one -Rocket park on the pavement outside the takeaways. No wonder there's so much anger out there. My solution for that so far is 'be in a safe place by 3pm'.
Apparently 'civility' is not a legal obligation- as long as you don't mention sex race or disability. It seems that all of these social groups feel exclusively entitled to behave in this way. I've seen too many near misses and accidents and too much whingeing and mindless blame slinging in the aftermath.
The major thing causing this nonsense is the user/ designer attitudes - constipated planning, funding and design; and far too much political correctness and virtue signalling opportunism - not the existence of these shared pathways, which actually are the way of the future.
A major reaction to raising these points can be a 'romanticization' of the 'chaotic foreign [3rd world] street'.....we get to deal with it that is, then its put as a 'mystery' why Aucklanders refuse to get out of their cars. It took how much alphabet soup after their names to come up with these conclusions? Time our city planners are made to stop posing about 'climate change' and relying on virtue signalling like campaigning for 'fare free' public transport for everyone to resolve the issues. The 'cost' of the bus isn't the main issue - many people who are too poor to catch the bus already have access to discounted services.
Unfortunately, its the 'crap' and sometimes surly, shoddy and dangerous 'gotchas' hidden within the service delivery that is the issue- like being intimidated waiting at a lonely bus stop or rail station at night, or the lack of shelter in bad weather and worse. No car often means 'no social life at night'.
Unfortunately many people who do have to deal with it in NZ are 'people who don't matter'- all others ['real' Aucklanders] can afford to use a c

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