Updated 1.59pm: Auckland's deputy mayor is calling for an end to the culture of canapés, as Auckland Council counts its coins.

Councillors have voted to proceed with a review of council funding, including the potential sale of council assets.

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Some councillors want a sell-down or sell-off of Ports of Auckland and Auckland Airport.

Deputy mayor Penny Hulse said the focus should be luxuries like spare council carparks.

"We are not politicians of the 80s with wide shoulder pads and excesses and drinks cabinets."

She said the council needs to act in its long-term financial interest.

"This isn't a a quick sell-down, a garage sale to keep rates down for election year, so lets be really clear about that."

The value of the two assets have increased by more than 50% over the past five years.

Councillors are debating several options, including selling off assets which don't align to core business or achieve sufficient returns.

That could include a sell-down or sell-off Ports of Auckland and Auckland Airport, but Mayor Len Brown isn't keen.

"They gave us a valuable return. We receive twelve percent return on our investment on those two assets whereas we're only paying four percent on our borrowing."

The Employers and Manufacturers Association fully endorses the decision for sell-offs, with CEO Kim Campbell saying asset sales are crucial to the Council's future funding plans.

"We believe that the assets would be better managed and more efficiently used by being partly privatised," he said.

Campbell said that given Auckland is short of capital for the development of necessary infrastructure, everything needs to be on the table.

"It's not like we're just relying on Auckland ratepayers to do all the heavy lifting. I'd be very surprised if they didn't expect some of these city-owned assets to be on the block."

Auckland is one of several councils calling for alternative funding sources like road user charges and fuel taxes.