Auckland Council Group, Structure, Committees, Funds Distribution & Māori Representation
Auckland Council Group is led by a Governing Body of the mayor and 20 ward councillors, with 21 local boards making local decisions. A chief executive runs the parent council, and council-controlled organisations such as Auckland Transport and Watercare deliver services. In 2024/25 the group had $8.0b revenue, $3.9b capital spending and $14.1b net debt.
A clean, interactive mid-2026 snapshot of how political power, executive leadership, council-controlled organisations, activities and money are organised across the Auckland Council Group, including where Māori hold voting and co-governance rights.
Capex scale, Local Boards vs AT + Watercare
Transport and Watercare together absorbed ≈ $2.7b of the $3.9b Group capex. Local boards receive a minority residual.
21 Local Boards, 2025/26 funding
- Gross opex
- $491m
- Gross capex
- $212m
- Fairer funding (opex)
- +$35m
- Fairer funding (capex)
- +$33m
Allocation formula: 80% population · 15% deprivation · 5% land area
What do Auckland's local boards decide?
Māori Representation & Voting Rights
Houkura (Independent Māori Statutory Board) — voting rights removed by the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Act 2026. Houkura members may still sit on Governing Body committees and offer advice, but no longer vote or count towards quorum. Previously, Houkura appointed up to two members with voting rights to each resource-management committee. Chair David Taipari said the amendment "expressly and exclusively targets Houkura"; Mayor Wayne Brown opposed the move and warned it could affect the Auckland Deal.
The Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority is a statutory co-governance body with equal voting - 6 mana whenua representatives + 6 Auckland Council representatives, plus one non-voting Crown representative. It holds independent decision-making authority for the 14 maunga. Unaffected by the 2026 Act (established under separate settlement legislation, not a council committee).
Note: No Māori wards currently exist on the Governing Body. The Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua Forum (19 iwi/hapū) provides advisory engagement only.
Sources: NZ Herald (5 Oct 2026); The Spinoff (8 Jun 2026); legislation.govt.nz — Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill (2025 No 180).
Select any node in the tree to view its responsibilities, financial figures, funding sources, voting rights and notes.