Difference Between Local Board and Councillor Roles?

2 April 2025. With it being an election year I am receiving queries asking what is the difference between the role of a Local Board member compared to that of a Councillor?

Local Boards are elected to provide governance at a local level. They enable democratic decision making by, and on behalf of communities within their local board area and Ward area.

The role of the Councillor differs, requiring a focus on Auckland-wide strategic decisions, and working to make the most of the council’s ability to deliver across Auckland.

The Rodney Ward area has nine elected Rodney Local Board members (part-time roles) and one Councillor (full-time role). All are elected to work and serve the best interests of the ratepayers, who elected them, rather than for the best interests of Auckland Council – which frequently requires them to challenge the bureaucracy.

Local Board’s have always had decision-making responsibility over local reserves and parks. Along with that responsibility comes accountability.

Another example of what the Rodney Local Board does is supporting community groups, landowners, volunteers and schools to manage pest plants, animals and pathogens. The Local Board helps to carry out native planting and stream restoration work in our parks, reserves, and public land.

The Rodney Ward area

Local Boards also support people to work together for a better way of life, provide local community facilities, forward plan township growth, ensure transport networks are accessible, as well as help local groups protect the environment. They spend local rates locally.

I have been working closely with the Mayor to drive changes allowing Local Board’s to spend even more of the rates collected, locally.

As a result the Rodney Local Board is receiving a significant increase in their budget to invest back in to building local community facilities. This is a great win for our area.

With the imminent restructuring of Auckland Transport coming back under the direct control of Auckland Council the goal is to devolve specific transport functions to Local Boards. This includes giving Local Boards, and thus also local communities, greater say over transport issues such as local parking policies, setting of local speed limits and approval of interventions on the roads, such as speedbumps and pedestrian crossings.

If elected members get any of these decisions wrong they can be elected out of office and held accountable by the ratepayer. For example, at the moment the Auckland Transport Board of Directors cannot be held accountable by the ratepayer, and removed from their job if they get it wrong. However, if the elected members now get it wrong the public can hold them to account by voting them out of office. 

With these greater future responsibilities will also come greater accountability – which democratically, will be a significant improvement upon how the Supercity has been running to date.