Today Auckland is one year old! The city, of course, is much older than that, stretching way back to when New Zealand was still a new colony. But one year ago today, eight local councils in the Auckland region ceased to exist and the new Auckland Council came into being. It’s been a fast year.
There have been ups and downs over that year, of course, but the great behemoth that is the new Auckland seems to be finally moving forward—little thanks to central government, it has to be said. Still, Auckland is doing its best to persevere and move on.
It seems to me that much of the political negativity in the new Auckland governance comes from politicians from the North Shore, who have transferred their fractiousness and divisiveness from the old North Shore City onto the new government. I hope that will improve over time, because I’m mightily sick of the Grumpy McGrumpersons and their alternating foot-stamping and foot-dragging. We have all got to focus on moving forward, not playing political games.
And yet, despite that, the new Auckland Council has been getting on with things. A distinctly Auckland identity is starting to emerge, and that’s a good thing in itself.
So, I’m optimistic about the future for Auckland. There’s a lot going on at the community level, with government and local residents finding new ways to get things done. I can’t wait to see the changes over the coming year and beyond.
Happy Birthday, Auckland!
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