The Auckland Transitional Authority has revealed its plan for the development of the Auckland waterfront. Currently, decisions on what the waterfront will look like are made by the elected Auckland City Council. The unelected ATA wants to change that, giving complete control to an unelected Waterfront Development Agency, which develop a new plan - in secret, of course. Worse, it will be directly funded by the Auckland Council. So Auckland ratepayers will be forced to pay for development they have no control over and no say in. And if they don't like what the Waterfront Development Agency does, tough - the whole structure is designed to ensure it doesn't have to worry about being de-elected by pesky ignorant voters who don't know what's good for business themselves.
Whatever you want to call this, its not democracy. Instead, its a corporate coup in New Zealand's largest city, bought to you by National and ACT.
