The section of wall that was replaced is marked on this photo of a report.

Auckland officials have spent $50,000 on a rock wall that cost just $15,000 to repair.

The balance of the money to repair a footbridge on Huia waterfront was spent on consents and adherence to heritage rules.

Waitākere Ranges local board member Ken Turner said bureaucratic costs were out of control when consents for a project amounted to more than twice the cost of the actual job.

"The inflationary effects upon building construction and repair both public and private, large and small, staggers belief," Turner said.

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"To use public money in this way, is not waste, it's plain dumb."

SUPPLIED West Auckland politician Ken Turner says bureaucratic costs in local government are out of control.

"What's more, if there is any part of Auckland's development that is going to be impacted by climate change, it's that walking bridge. It will be shifted in no time."

Auckland Transport has replaced a portion of the wall holding up the footbridge, a few meters long, that crosses over a protected road ford at the end of rural Huia Rd.

Its spokesman Mark Hannan said there were extra costs associated with the consent process because of the heritage status of the bridge.

Turner said Auckland Transport had to run a "gauntlet of bureaucratic process" to demonstrate adherence to four different local and national pieces of legislation, including the Resource Management Act and the Auckland unitary plan before completing the upgrades.

"In my opinion, the base of all our community's financial woes is not that there's not enough council income. Our woes are from no one analysing how the spending is done," Turner said.

"We must be smarter than this, we must reduce process and reassure our civil servants that they're allowed to apply their initiative and common sense."

The $15,000 cost to replace the section of wall was already excessive, but the extra $35,000 in bureaucratic costs was over the top, Turner said.

"The problem that we have got is we are getting ourselves bogged down by all sorts of policies. There doesn't seem to be an holistic view on the costs," he said.

In his role as local board member, Turner said he had spoken with Auckland Transport about the issue.

"I would like to see a distinct separation between new projects and maintenance work. And with all maintenance, the council should have a cap on what they charge for consents."

Auckland Council has been contacted for comment.