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Wayne Brown

Auckland Mayor with approach to treat the city like a project, not a political theatre.

Engineer-turned-politician focused on fixing infrastructure, cutting waste, and making council organisations accountable.

Core Philosophy​

"Fix Auckland, Fix New Zealand."

Brown sees Auckland's dysfunction as a symptom of structural problems: too many unaccountable CCOs, too little democratic control, and infrastructure that hasn't kept pace with population. His solution: centralise accountability, decentralise delivery.

The Five Pillars (Second Term)​

  1. Transport - From "appalling" to "quite good" - reclaim AT's planning powers, focus AT on delivery
  2. Housing & Growth - New intensification plan, stop building on floodplains
  3. Technology & Innovation - Auckland Technology Alliance, attract capital, boost productivity
  4. Water Infrastructure - Watercare independence, accelerate key projects
  5. Democratic Accountability - CCO reforms, transparent decision-making

Key Reforms​

Auckland Transport Overhaul (Dec 2024)​

BeforeAfter
AT controls planning + deliveryAT focused on delivery only
Road-controlling authorityCouncil takes planning powers back
Separate CCO governanceMore direct mayoral accountability

CCO Reform Agenda​

Brown's position: CCOs were meant to bring private-sector efficiency but delivered bureaucratic bloat instead. The fix:

  • Democratic accountability over operational independence
  • Transparent decision-making (no more closed-door deals)
  • Revenue efficiency metrics (borrowed from Rod Drury's playbook)

Auckland Future Fund​

Sold remaining Auckland Airport shares, created investment fund projected to generate $400M+ over a decade for infrastructure and services. The logic: assets should work harder than passive shareholdings.

On Technology​

Brown established the Auckland Technology Alliance to:

  • Connect public and private sectors
  • Attract capital to Auckland
  • Position Auckland as NZ's tech hub
  • Boost productivity through applied AI

Technology is infrastructure. Treat it like roads and water.

How This Maps to Dreamineering​

Wayne's PriorityDreamineering StackOpportunity
CCO accountabilityBlockchain (B) - immutable recordsTransparent decision audit trails
Transport efficiencyDePIN (D) - distributed infrastructureCommunity-owned mobility vs Uber's 25% clip
Water infrastructureAI (A) + DePINSensor networks, predictive maintenance
Auckland Future FundCrypto (C) - tokenised coordinationCitizen participation in infrastructure returns
Tech AllianceABCD stackAuckland as sovereign DePIN testbed

Key Quotes​

"AT as a separate CCO hasn't delivered what Aucklanders want. The government has agreed to return control to Council."

"We need to change Auckland from the world's largest suburb to a global city."

"Wealthy Aucklanders should be able to invest in Auckland's infrastructure directly, not just through rates."

The Pitch Angle​

Wayne's problem: CCOs lack accountability, citizens can't see where money goes, foreign platforms clip value from local transactions.

Dreamineering's answer:

  • Blockchain makes decisions auditable without bureaucracy
  • DePIN lets Auckland own its infrastructure rails instead of paying Uber/Booking.com
  • Crypto aligns citizen incentives with city outcomes (stake in Auckland's success)
  • AI optimises operations without expanding headcount

The frame: "You've centralised accountability. Now give citizens tools to verify it themselves."