Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has described his city deal as "underwhelming" just three weeks after publicly signing off the agreement with the Prime Minister.
The Auckland deal, announced in April, does not commit any new capital funding from central government to the city, with the language for the agreement focusing on "exploring" and "considering" future plans.
The mayor’s proposed bed tax has also been taken off the table until at least 2027.
Brown tells Q+A that news the Government will place rates caps on councils came amidst the negotiations for the city deal, "which is not a particularly good example of a working relationship," he said.
"You'll notice that the rates cap is not in the agreement," said Brown. "We said we're not going to agree to it... we’re not going to have it in there, because it’s a dumb idea.”
Local Government Minister Simon Watts announced a 2 to 4% envelope for councils’ annual rates increases in December 2025, with the policy projected to be in force from 2029. Auckland Council was planning a one-off 7.9% rates increase for 2026/27 to account for the cost of running the City Rail Link.
The first-of-a-kind agreement in New Zealand sets out a plan for greater cooperation over coming decades. (Source: 1News)
While Auckland was not exempt from the rates cap policy as it stands, Brown was counting on the government coalition changing before the policy comes into effect.
Brown has also been publicly agitating for a "grand coalition" between National and Labour after November’s general election, pointing to the Indian free trade agreement as an example of the two parties working well together.
"It's the only way we’re going to reverse the long-term decline of our nation.
“You have people who try and say 'we run it [New Zealand] like a business'. They're running it like a wrecking yard."
He derides the influence of minor parties like ACT, New Zealand First, the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori because they "have to be radical to be noticed".
He said New Zealand First’s opposition to the Indian FTA risks alienating a strategic partner on the world stage – and at home.
"Winston Peters says things about the Indian and Chinese sectors in order to get votes in Tauranga from old ladies, where, in fact, overseas, people hear that, and they don’t like hearing that.
"We can’t afford to not have good relationships with India and China. They’re our second- and third-biggest populations in my city."
Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
SHARE ME