Auckland Council Local Governance Statement April 2020 Contents 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Auckland Council at a glance ................................................................................................... 1 1.2. What this document contains ................................................................................................... 1 1.3. He Puka Matarau, The Governance Manual ............................................................................ 2 2. WHAT THE COUNCIL DOES ................................................................................ 3 2.1. Functions of Auckland Council ................................................................................................ 3 2.2. Other legislation ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.3. Activities ..................................................................................................................................... 5 2.3.1. Roads and footpaths ................................................................................................................ 6 2.3.2. Public transport and travel demand management ................................................................ 6 2.3.3. Water supply ............................................................................................................................. 6 2.3.4. Wastewater ................................................................................................................................ 6 2.3.5. Stormwater ................................................................................................................................ 6 2.3.6. Local council services ............................................................................................................. 6 2.3.7. Regionally delivered council services .................................................................................... 6 2.3.8. Council controlled services ..................................................................................................... 6 3. GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE, MEMBERSHIP AND DELEGATIONS ................ 7 3.1. Local government in New Zealand ........................................................................................... 7 3.2. What is the governance structure of Auckland Council? ...................................................... 7 3.3. Decision-making shared between governing body and local boards .................................. 8 3.4. Allocation of Decision-Making Responsibility for Non-Regulatory Activities ..................... 9 3.5. Delegations ................................................................................................................................ 9 3.5.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................... 9 3.5.2. Delegations made by the governing body ............................................................................. 9 3.5.3. Delegations made by local boards ....................................................................................... 10 3.6. Decision-making with Māori ................................................................................................... 11 3.7. Governing body and its committees ...................................................................................... 11 3.7.1. Members .................................................................................................................................. 11 3.7.2. Committee structure and delegations to committees ......................................................... 11 3.7.3. Governing body ...................................................................................................................... 11 3.8. Governing body committees .................................................................................................. 12 3.8.1. Committees of the whole and their reporting committees ................................................. 12 3.8.2. Other standing committees ................................................................................................... 13 3.8.3. Joint committees .................................................................................................................... 13 3.8.4. Independent Māori Statutory Board membership of committees ...................................... 13 3.8.5. Advisory Panels ...................................................................................................................... 14 3.9. Local boards ............................................................................................................................ 14 3.9.1. Overview .................................................................................................................................. 14 C o n t e n t s 3.9.2. Members .................................................................................................................................. 15 3.9.3. Local board committees ........................................................................................................ 15 4. ELECTORAL SYSTEM AND OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE IT ......................... 16 4.1. Local authority elections ........................................................................................................ 16 4.2. What is an “electoral system”? .............................................................................................. 16 4.3. First Past the Post ................................................................................................................... 16 4.4. Single Transferable Voting (STV) ........................................................................................... 16 4.5. Changing the electoral system ............................................................................................... 17 5. REPRESENTATION ARRANGEMENTS ............................................................ 18 5.1. What are representation arrangements? ............................................................................... 18 5.1.1. Auckland Council wards ........................................................................................................ 18 5.1.2. Local board areas ................................................................................................................... 18 5.2. Review of representation arrangements ............................................................................... 19 5.2.1. What can be reviewed ............................................................................................................ 19 5.2.2. Election at large or by wards and subdivisions .................................................................. 19 5.2.3. Requirements for effective and fair representation ............................................................ 20 5.2.4. Representation arrangements review .................................................................................. 20 5.2.5. Māori wards ............................................................................................................................. 21 5.2.6. Reorganisation proposals ..................................................................................................... 22 6. ROLES AND CONDUCT OF ELECTED MEMBERS .......................................... 23 6.1. Role of elected members ........................................................................................................ 23 6.1.1. Mayor of Auckland ................................................................................................................. 23 6.1.2. Deputy mayor .......................................................................................................................... 23 6.1.3. Committee chairs ................................................................................................................... 24 6.1.4. Committee deputy chairs ....................................................................................................... 24 6.1.5. Local board chair .................................................................................................................... 24 6.1.6. Local board deputy chair ....................................................................................................... 24 6.2. Role of the chief executive ..................................................................................................... 24 6.3. Code of conduct ...................................................................................................................... 25 6.3.1. Conflicts of interest ................................................................................................................ 25 6.3.2. Alleged breaches of the code of conduct ............................................................................ 26 6.3.3. Responses to breaches of the code ..................................................................................... 26 6.4. Other legislation relevant to conduct .................................................................................... 26 6.5. Disputes between local boards and the governing body .................................................... 27 7. RELATIONSHIPS WITH MĀORI ........................................................................