Newly-elected Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has outlined his agenda for his first few days in office.
Speaking to reporters this morning, Brown said he would be meeting with new council members over the coming week.
He said he's "in no rush" to appoint deputy and committee chairs before he meets with them.
"I've got this odd habit of liking to meet people before I make judgments about them."
Brown also plans to have a "quiet beer" with fellow mayoral candidate Efeso Collins later in the day.
"I'm not having a meeting with Efeso... it's not gonna be John Banks and John Key with you guys (the media) crowding around us. It'll just be a quiet beer."
The newly-elected Auckland mayor spoke to reporters ahead of his first day on the job. (Source: 1News)
He denied he had cancelled any appointments yesterday, saying he never set any up, but people had "assumed" he would be working.
It comes after he pulled out of a scheduled Sunday morning interview with TVNZ's Q+A late on Saturday.
"It was important that I have a day off with my family," he said this morning.
"My poor wife hasn't seen me for ages and I can't afford a divorce."
Asked about the resignation of Auckland Transport board chairwoman Adrienne Young-Cooper just hours after he was elected on Saturday, Brown said: "I respect her for it."
He assured that the jobs of "most" AT staff were safe, after his campaign promise to replace all directors of major council-controlled agencies, including AT.
In the meantime, Brown is making good on his promise to be briefed on Auckland Council's books and review its economic forecasts over the next three years.
He said a brief statement "may be made later in the day" on the council's finances.
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