1_ The Auckland Plan is the strategy to make Auckland an even better place than it is now, and create the world’s most liveable city. It shows how we will prepare for the additional one million people we may have to accommodate by 2040, and the 400,000 new homes needed.

2_ Many people have been involved in the preparation of this Plan: Auckland residents, community groups, infrastructure providers, central government, iwi, business groups and voluntary organisations have helped shape this Plan for Auckland’s future. Although the Mayor and Auckland Council have led its development, the Auckland Plan is for all of Auckland and all Aucklanders, and its successful implementation will require leadership, action, investment, and commitment from many organisations, groups and individuals.

3_ In 2009 the Royal Commission on Governance in Auckland recommended that a single council for Auckland be established to address its fragmented governance and poor community engagement, which had contributed to Auckland’s under performance. Since its inception on 1 November 2010, the Auckland Council has provided a new model of local government in New Zealand. The Council consists of the governing body (Mayor and 20 Councillors) and 21 local boards, which represent the interests of local communities. This governance structure strengthens Auckland-wide leadership and provides effective local democracy.

Having a single council has given Auckland an unprecedented opportunity to plan for its future in an integrated way, and to bring together actions for better transport, environmental protection, improved land uses, housing growth, and economic development in one plan, and with one authority responsible for their co-ordination. The Auckland Plan sets the long-term strategic direction for Auckland.

4_ Section 79 of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 requires Auckland Council to prepare a spatial plan (the Auckland Plan). The purpose of the plan is to:

Contribute to Auckland’s social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being through a comprehensive and effective long-term (20- to 30-year) strategy for Auckland’s growth and development.

To achieve this purpose, the Auckland Plan:

• sets a strategic direction for Auckland and its communities that integrates social, economic, environmental, and cultural objectives
• outlines a high-level development strategy to give direction and enable coherent, co-ordinated decision-making by Auckland Council and other parties
• describes Auckland’s role in New Zealand
• identifies the existing and future location of residential, business, rural production and industrial activities
• identifies the existing and future location of critical infrastructure facilities (such as transport, water supply, wastewater and stormwater disposal), other network utilities, open space, and social infrastructure
• identifies nationally and regionally important recreational and open space areas, ecological areas that should be protected from development, environmental constraints on development, and landscapes and areas of historic heritage value
• identifies the policies, priorities, land allocations, programmes and investments to implement the strategic direction.

5_ The Auckland Plan describes the kind of place Aucklanders have told us they want, and outlines what is needed to achieve it. All Aucklanders, not just the Auckland Council, will need to ensure that the changes Auckland experiences over the next 30 years are catalysts for enhancing our prosperity and quality of life. This can only be accomplished through working in partnership, and through a shared commitment to achieving the outcomes that will make Auckland the world’s most liveable city. We are committed to shaping our growth to support Aucklanders, rather than allowing growth to shape our lives in an unmanaged way.

6_Box A.1 provides background about Te Tirīti ō Waitangi – the Treaty of Waitangi – and its importance for Auckland.

Figure A.1 shows the relevance of the articles and principles of the Treaty of Waitangi to the Auckland Council:

• Article 1 Kāwanatanga / Governance relates to the governance structure of New Zealand.
• Article 2 Tino rangatiratanga / Self-determination relates to iwi / Māori entitlements under the Treaty to control how resources will be managed, used, developed and protected. Caring and restoring the health of Papatūānuku / Earth and Ranginui / Sky is consistent with Rangatiratanga, because rangatiratanga confers not only status but also responsibility, to ensure that the natural world and its resources are maintained into the future. Local government has powers and responsibilities to do this in legislation, such as the Resource Management Act (1991), which is the principal statute governing natural resource management in New Zealand.
• Article 3 Ōritetanga / Citizenship guarantees Māori the same rights of citizenship as all New Zealanders. This is relevant to issues in the areas of health, education, housing, and social and cultural well-being: ways to improve these rights for Māori are included in this Plan.

Figure A.1 Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi Framework

7_ The Treaty is articulated in law through an evolving set of principles. These include:

• reciprocity
• rangatiratanga
• partnership
• active protection
• options
• mutual benefit
• right of development
• redress.

8_ As a result of the treaty settlement process, partnership arrangements between iwi, Auckland Council and the wider Auckland community will become an increasingly important means of enhancing the prosperity and quality of life of all Aucklanders. These arrangements can include active Mana Whenua involvement in the co-governance of maunga (volcanic cones), wahapū (harbours), motu (islands), and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of land and marine resources.

9_ This co-governance model represents a natural progression from the treaty settlement era and a maturing of the relationship between Auckland Council and iwi. The Council is developing a Māori responsiveness framework to support this model of management. This framework will guide Council operations and help develop robust and sustainable relationships with Māori, which will be underpinned by the tribal maxim, “Te pai me te whai rawa o Tāmaki” – The abundance and prosperity of Auckland. The basis of this framework is shown in Figure A.2

10_ The framework under development proposes four key drivers that will guide Council’s relationship with Māori:

• Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi
• Mana Whenua – Mana Motuhake – Self-sustainability, Self-identity, Self-determination
• Mataawaka – Te Puāwaitanga o te Tangata – Realisation of Māori Potential
• Council’s statutory obligations.

11_ The proposed framework incorporates three objectives for Council to guide its primary activities concerning Māori:

• effective Māori communication and engagement
• contribution to Māori well-being
• development of Māori capacity.

Figure A.2 Proposed Māori responsiveness Framework

Box A.1 The Auckland Plan and Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi

AUCKLAND’S IWI

• Ngāti Manuhiri
• Ngāti Rēhua
• Ngāti Wai
• Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara ki te Tonga (Ngā Rīma)
• Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei
• Te Runanga o Ngāti Whātua
• Te Uri o Hau
• Ngāti Paoa
• Ngāti Maru
• Ngāti Tamaterā
• Nga Tai ki Tāmaki
• Te Kawerau a Maki
• Ngāti Tamaoho
• Ngāti Te Ata
• Te Akitai
• Te Ahiwaru
• Waikato/Tainui
• Ngāti Whanaunga
• Patukirikiri

12_ Implementing the Auckland Plan will require sustained commitment and investment over many years from stakeholders. For many of the priorities set out in this Plan, other parties, particularly central government agencies and the private sector, will provide much of the required investment and take the lead role in implementation, while Auckland Council’s role will frequently be one of facilitation or advocacy. It is therefore crucial that long-term implementation partnerships (such as public private partnerships) are developed, to ensure the actions and investments of different stakeholders are well co-ordinated. Internal alignment between sections of the wider Auckland Council organisation, such as the governing body, local boards and the CCOs, is required. Co-ordinating investment, monitoring progress and evaluating the effectiveness of the many projects and actions set out in this plan is critical, especially given the uncertain global economic environment. Auckland Council will develop a number of tools to do this, including an annual implementation update, which is attached as a separate addendum.

13_ Two plans are especially critical to Auckland Council’s role in implementing the Auckland Plan over the first 10 years of its life. They are the Unitary Plan, which details how we design, develop and grow the city; and the Long Term Plan, which prioritises the funding to deliver the Plan on a staged basis. Figure A.3 shows how the Auckland Plan relates to the Council’s other key strategies, policies and plans. Essentially, the Auckland Plan provides the direction and path for other strategic implementation.

Unitary Plan

14_ The Council is developing Auckland’s first Unitary Plan to replace the district, and regional plans and policies of the former city, district and regional councils. The Unitary Plan is the Council’s principal land-use planning document prepared under the Resource Management Act (1991). It is one tool to implement the strategic direction of the Auckland Plan. The Unitary Plan uses policies, rules and incentives to achieve this.

Long Term Plan

15_ This is a statutory plan that describes the Auckland Council’s intended activities, key projects and programmes, and funding information for a 10-year period. It outlines the funding for the actions in the Auckland Plan that Council will deliver in the first 10 years. Auckland Council’s first Long Term Plan covers the period 2012 to 2022.

Local board plans and agreements

16_ Local boards review the development of their own plans every three years. These plans set out the priorities and projects each local board and its community has identified for its area. Their priorities have informed the development of both the Auckland Plan and the Long Term Plan. In addition, annual agreements between local boards and the governing body set out the funding available for projects in their areas. Local board boundaries are shown in Map A.1.

Other key strategies and plans

17_ The Council continues to work with its partners and other stakeholders to develop a range of more detailed strategies, policies and plans to achieve the outcomes of the Auckland Plan. Documents such as the Economic Development Strategy, City Centre Masterplan, and the Waterfront Plan are important tools for implementing the Auckland Plan, and show how Auckland will progress.

Figure A.3 Auckland Council’s Strategic Framework

Map A.1 Auckland Local Board Areas