An Australian politician who led the economic transformation of Melbourne says sport and culture appear to be missing from plans to transform Auckland.
Jeff Kennett, a former state premier of Victoria, has told a business audience in Auckland that his priorities would including developing the waterfront and building long-term infrastructure.
However, Mr Kennett says there is little reference in a council discussion paper on Auckland's future to sport and culture.
He says while his government was making big budget cuts and reforms in the 1990s, it continued to invest heavily in the sport and culture which was important to the community.
Melbourne invested heavily in infrastructure as part of its transformation in the 1990s and costs which seem high today will look cheap in a few decades' time, he says.
