Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown have announced a major shake up to the transport policy decision making powers for the region today.

The Council Controlled Organisation of Auckland Transport will be turned into a service delivery agency by transferring strategy, policy and planning functions to the control of Auckland Council, under new Government reforms.

Simeon Brown, who is also the Minister of Auckland, announced the changes at a joint media conference in the central city at 3.30pm today.

The Herald will live-stream the event from the top of this file.

The Minister said a new Auckland regional transport committee would also be established.

Auckland Council would also be designated as the road controlling authority.

The pair are working closely on several transport issues for the city, including time-of-using charging, or congestion charges, on busy motorways; the future governance of Auckland Transport, and ensuring the $5.5 billion City Rail link is delivered on budget and on time.

Wayne Brown’s plans for Auckland Transport

The mayor promised to reform AT as part of an election promise to “take back control of council organisations”.

In August, Brown said he wanted to “dethrone” AT by stripping its mostly unelected board members of powers and putting elected representatives in full control.

“The layers of bureaucracy and management within AT are totally impenetrable to elected politicians. We ask for information and don’t get it. We tell AT through the letter of expectations what they should do, and they often don’t do it. They have made some progress on a few things, but there is no sense of urgency.

“The only real power we have is to change the board. But we’ve tried that. It’s not effective because the culture of independence is so deeply embedded,” he said.

As part of next year’s budget, he has put forward three options for AT.

• Turn AT into a service delivery agency by transferring strategy, policy and planning functions to the council, including responsibility for the Regional Land Transport Plan.
• Turn AT into a service delivery agency by transferring strategy, policy and planning functions to the council, including responsibility for the Regional Land Transport Plan, and bring transport services like roads, footpaths, parking and cycling under council control.
• Disestablish AT and deliver all functions via the council.

The mayor’s preference is to strip AT of its planning, strategy and policy roles.

The CCO reforms will be discussed at an extraordinary budget committee tomorrow.

How has AT responded?

At the time Wayne Brown flagged plans to “dethrone” AT in August, the AT board rejected the council’s idea of elected representatives setting the strategic direction and funding allocations for transport.

Instead, the board suggested an alternative Transport for Auckland Agency made up of AT, NZ Transport Agency, and KiwiRail to plan and deliver the city’s transport system governed by a Government and council-appointed board.

Background documents on the mayor’s latest plans for AT show chief executive Dean Kimpton agreed there was room for change, but not along the “full reset” proposed by the mayor to bring all transport policy, strategy and planning functions back to the council.

Kimpton agreed the council should have a statutory role in long-term planning for transport in Auckland.

But he said AT was established as a statutory body to ensure long-term infrastructure investment strategies and plans were not disrupted by regular changes in the political landscape, including Auckland Council.

“Long-term infrastructure investment requires certainty beyond the political cycle, which is somewhat ‘protected’ by AT’s arm’s length status,” he said.

Short-to-medium strategy should remain with AT to avoid an “operational disconnect” between planning, funding and delivery, he said.

Simeon Brown’s role in the reforms

The Minister of Transport and Minister of Auckland was given Cabinet approval to engage with Brown to ensure stronger democratic accountability over AT and decisions on transport outcomes in Auckland.

The two leaders have held several meetings about potential reforms to make AT more responsive to the needs and views of Aucklanders.

“We both recognise that Auckland Transport needs reform and share concerns that its decision-making has not adequately reflected Aucklanders’ views or responded effectively to their needs for moving efficiently around our city,” the minister told the Herald last month.

The minister said 14 years after the Super City was created, it is time to assess whether the transport governance structure remains fit for purpose for Auckland’s unique challenges and growth.