This was the first of several seminars the Local Government Centre will be presenting on aspects of Metropolitan governance with a strong focus on the Auckland region.  In this seminar we looked at one of the prerequisites for strong Metropolitan governance; relative freedom from arbitrary or unwarranted intervention by central (state or provincial) government.
Auckland's experience in recent decades mirrors that of many metropolitan regions in the English-speaking world including Australian state capitals, major Canadian metropolitan regions, and London.  Often ad hoc intervention seems to be a fact of life, and one which often undermines the potential for strong Metropolitan governance.
Graham Sansom and Peter McKinlay each made brief presentations and then led an interactive discussion.

Graham Sansom is the director of the Centre for Local Government at the University of Technology, Sydney, a former chief executive of the Australian Local Government Association and a current board member of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum. 

Peter McKinlay is the director of the Local Government Centre at AUT and is leading its current work on preparing a report laying out the different options for the structure of Auckland local government which should be considered in addressing the Royal Commission's terms of reference.

Peter McKinlay's presentation (PPT 1.9 mb)
Graham Sansom's presentation (PPT 476kb)