ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a critical discussion of the most phases in the development of Auckland's Regional Economic Development Strategy (AREDS), the Metro Auckland Project (MAP). It argues that assessment of a civic development project, such as the MAP, must explicitly recognise the "before", "during" and "after" politics of policy formation. The chapter also provides a contextual account of regional economic policy processes in Auckland in relation to national policy frameworks since the early 1990s. It also argues that prior alignments amongst key regional and local actors in Auckland and with Wellington-based central government were important pre-conditions for the MAP. The chapter outlines the broad architecture of the MAP policy project, along with discussion about the MAP's formative politics. The Draft Regional Policy Statement placed strict expansion limits on councils through Metropolitan Urban Limits, and was vigorously contested by them. The chapter reviews policy projects in the New Zealand and Auckland regional governance context.
