Auckland Council website.
This website has changed
This is the former Auckland City Council website, which has some of the information and services you need if you live or do business in the area. Go to the main Auckland Council website to access the complete range of council services.
Skip navigation
In this section
Plans, policies and reports
Plans, policies and reports

Auckland City Local Governance Statement

<< back

Functions, Responsibilities and Activities

The purpose of the Auckland City Council is to enable democratic local decision-making to promote the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Auckland City in the present and for the future.

Auckland City Council is a territorial local authority governed by a Mayor and nineteen elected Councillors. Council provides services for residents and ratepayers, businesses, organisations and visitors of Auckland City. Total expenditure on these services is approximately $380 million per year (excluding Metro Water). The community assets needed to provide these services have an estimated net value of $4,968 million (excluding Metro Water).

Council concentrates on core business as defined by local and central government law. Its key roles are defined as follows:

  • Leadership, representation, decision making and advocacy on behalf of the community.
  • The strategic direction and forward planning of the City balancing private aspirations with the public good, and long term sustainability.
  • Conveying public rights and responsibilities and protecting people and the environment through the establishment and enforcement of controls on development and behaviour.
  • Ensuring the provision of essential utility services through advocacy, regulation, business ownership, contracting or direct provision; using direct charges where practical, to place costs where they lie; and promoting sustainability by rewarding conservation and avoiding excess monopoly profits.
  • Facilitating the provision of community lifestyle services through advocacy, partnerships, contracting and direct provision as appropriate using rates where services provide reasonable benefit across the community.

Through regular reviews and check, Auckland City Council ensures it provides services that:

  • are permitted or required by Central Government;
  • cannot be equally or better provided by private operators in the long-term; and
  • contribute to achieving long-term goals and objectives for the community.

The law requires Council to ensure that it operates and delivers services efficiently and effectively regardless of whether its service supplier is an outside firm or organisation, or Council staff.