3.8 Technology, support and resources

Auckland Council supports the governance structure as required. In addition, there is dedicated support provided for the mayor, Governing Body and local boards. The provision of offices and support staff differs depending on an elected member’s role.  

Office support for the mayor

The mayor has an office and staff working directly to support their statutory and constituency roles. Check Office of the Mayor for more information. The Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 sets a minimum level of the council’s overall budget to fund the mayoral office which is at least 0.2 per cent of the budget. 

Office support for Governing Body members 

Each Governing Body member is provided with an office and office equipment. They also receive support and impartial advice for their governance and constituency roles from the councillor support advisor team. 

Office support for local board members 

The local board chair will usually be supplied with an office and equipment. The local board members have a shared workspace. Each local board’s services team provides support to its chair and members.  

Council held information

Elected members are also offered an integrated technology solution to help them in their roles and reduce paper use [1]. 

All information on council-supplied technology remains the council’s property and is subject to the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) [external-link]. If an elected member stores council information on a privately-owned device, it may still be subject to LGOIMA, depending on the facts. Check Official information and transparency for more information. 

The policy prevents elected members from using council supplied technology for election campaigns. The technology cannot be used by an elected member’s family or friends. 

Elected members may supply their own technology provided it is compatible with council’s systems and standards. Members can claim an allowance, depending on the personal technology used. 

Footnotes

[1] See Attached Elected Members’ Technology Policy.