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The Hew Zealand Herald
‘Monstrosity’ for Gulf
By Michael Dickison
5:30 AM Tuesday Oct 2, 2012
A council meeting today is proposing a "bureaucratic
monstrosity" of up to 52 decision makers - half of
them unelected - to decide the future of the Hauraki
Gulf.
“It's a lot of bureaucracy and a lot of cost, but not
much democracy,” said councillor Mike Lee.
Mike Lee. Photo / NZPA.
The council proposal, for today's Auckland Plan committee meeting, is one of two
options on the agenda for the Hauraki Gulf Spatial Plan's project steering group ~
which is additional to a stakeholder forum, an expert advisory group and a project
team.
The first alternative is to have 26 Maori representatives and 26 representatives of
councils and government agencies, such as the Ministry of Fisheries. The second
option is eight of each, in which case Auckland Council's representation would be
limited to just two.
Councillor Lee said there already existed a statutory body of 21 members, 15 of them
democratically accountable, to deal with Gulf issues - the Hauraki Gulf Forum ~ and it
was bizarre to suggest setting up a “bureaucratic monstrosity" dominated by unelected
people in its place.
By Michael Dickison
- NZ Herald
Copyright 2016, NZME. Publishing Limited
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/news/print.cfm?objectid=10837818 4/03/2016