An Auckland Councillor says a new management plan for the Waitākere Ranges is about consultation - not decision-making. 

The council wants to set up a regional committee, jointly controlled by Council-and-Government, alongside tangata whenua. 

Richard Hills says it's a sounding board, and final decisions would still be made by the council and local boards.

He says it would make an already existing process easier - putting all the usual groups consulted in one place. 

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