An academic has lashed out the appointment of directors to manage services at the new Auckland (Super) City Council saying that it is “a blow to democracy.”
Massey University Management School Senior Lecturer Dr Andy Asquith said the newly created roles were unelected and hence should be interim.
He criticised the process followed by the Government in appointing 29 persons to the posts of Chairmen and Directors of the six Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs).
Dr Asquith said the taxpayers had funded the appointments but the authorities did not follow the proper procedure of consulting them.
“It is hard to see where the words ‘local democracy’ fit into these appointments. The appointees will be accountable to yet unknown elected representatives who will be elected to the new Auckland Council next month. Surely these appointments should at best be interim, pending their confirmation by the new Council,” he said.
Describing the appointments as “political patronage,” Dr Asquith said the authorities had shown preference towards the private commercial sector over those from the public sector.
The Government announced several appointments last fortnight, including those of former Deputy Prime Minister (and former Commonwealth Secretary General) Sir Don McKinnon, Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey and Auckland Transition Agency Chief Executive Mark Ford.
Dr Asquith said the selection of Mr Harvey was a positive move.
“At least one appointee can claim to have an understanding of how Local Government works, and how local democracy ought to operate,” he said.
His colleague Dr Andrew Cardow agreed, saying that the Government did not refer the issue to the electorate, which he said was “much in the same vein as the construction of the amalgamation to date.”
“It is no wonder that voting turnout for local elections is low. The Central Government has once again paid just lip service to the concept of Local Government. The citizens now have experience that their voices really do not count,” he said.
