Newsletter - 5 August

The school holidays are over, the days are getting longer, and our top athletes are in Paris representing New Zealand in the Olympics. We may be in a different hemisphere, but I do hope the athletes feel our support. Let’s face it, it’s a real achievement to even make the Olympic team representing our great country.

Back home, as usual, lots happening in Auckland.

As you know it is so important to have your say through the council’s consultation process. One that’s on now  ( but is closing soon) is “How we represent you: Auckland Council representation review” open until 8 August. A representation review makes sure that each councillor represents a similar number of people, known as the 'fairness of representation rule' or the '+/- 10 per cent rule.'

What does this mean for you?

If you live in Parnell, Newmarket or Grafton, do you want to be represented by an Ōrākei Ward Councillor or change to a Waitemata and Gulf Councillor or aren’t bothered either way? The consultation has significant effects on the Ōrākei ward boundaries. Specifically, the proposal is to remove the suburbs of Parnell, Grafton and Newmarket (and the Auckland Domain) away from the Ōrākei Ward so they are then part of the Waitemata Ward. This would mean the Orakei ward would start in the west at Remuera and go east to include Ellerslie (which it doesn’t currently) and more parts of St Johns  (around Felton Mathew Ave) which currently sit within the Maungakiekie Tāmaki Ward.

I have given a very brief overview, however, there is more information in the link below, including maps. Please have your say by 8 August. My vote on this will definitely take your views into consideration.

https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/auckland-council-representation-project

Next, the decision to cap public transport at $50 over 7 days to help Aucklander’s budget better in these challenging economic times is now operational.  As a key priority in Council’s Long-term Plan, this initiative means fares on AT buses, trains, inner harbour ferries and AT Local will be capped at $50 over seven days in a row. The fare cap period runs for a week, expiring at 11:59pm seven consecutive days after the initial tag on. For example, if you tag on a Tuesday, your fare cap period will run until 11:59pm the following Monday. The good thing about this change is that all you need to remember is to continue to tap on and off, the cap happens automatically.

Further information can be found on the AT website - https://at.govt.nz/7dayfarecap

Moving on, visibility of road cones has become a matter of public frustration. We see endless cones and not necessarily any activity happening behind them. However, Temporary Traffic Management is critically important to a functioning city where development happens. Keeping everyone safe is paramount, so finding a balance between works, cones and disruption without decreasing safety is what we need to work towards.

As background, in February 2024, The Mayor commissioned an independent report into the temporary traffic management (TTM) system in Auckland. This was released 16 July.

The report, by Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY), found:

·         Temporary Traffic Management contractors have little incentive to work cheaper and faster.

·         Existing rules and regulations incentivise contractors to cause maximum disruption to maximise profits.

·         Legislative change is needed to change this behaviour and minimise disruption.

The full report is public https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/media/0vrey2lt/240718-final-temporary-traffic-management-in-auckland.pdf

The report has identified 25 actions, that have been defined as low, medium, high impact.  It is great to see that Auckland Transport is already underway with 12 of the recommendations and will look at the others that relate to them. They have reduced the amount spent on Temporary Traffic Management by $1.27 million since February this year.  This is work in progress, Council will need to work alongside, central government for bigger impacts due to needed legislative change.

Staying with transport, a few newsletters’ ago I encouraged you to feedback in relation to the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024-2034 – the region’s investment proposal for transport over the next 10 years. The RLTP is a multi-agency plan by Auckland Transport (AT), Auckland Council, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and KiwiRail. It sets out the region’s transport objectives and how proposed transport initiatives and activities in Auckland should be prioritised for funding.

The draft RLTP was put forward to Aucklanders to have their say in May.  It now has been confirmed that 13,108 pieces of feedback were received, more than twice as many as the previous draft RLTP in 2021.Feedback from this consultation has helped shape the final RLTP.

Auckland Transport has reported that feedback showed moderate support for state highway improvements and less support for walking, cycling, safety, and sustainability initiatives.

Changes to the draft RLTP based on Aucklanders’ feedback included:

•          Bringing forward funding for unsealed road improvements and bus optimisation programmes, with the deferral of some funding for ferry decarbonisation.

•          Raising the priority of the state highway improvement projects.

•          Allocation of an additional $600m (budget which was approved through Auckland Council’s Long-Term Plan 2024-2034) to make public transport faster, more reliable and easier to use, and to optimise the transport network, as follows:

o          $92m to the park and ride programme.

At our last Transport and Infrastructure Committee, the revised RLTP was approved by elected members.  The next step is for AT to submit it and we will wait and see which of our priorities and projects are included by central government for delivery. 

Local updates

I am following my usual pattern on ending with local news, so here we go:

While restoration works are undertaken at Remuera library until mid-2025, the new temporary Remuera library at Somervell Presbyterian Church (497 Remuera Road) is now open.

I can confirm that the Te Ara ki Uta ki Tai Lights on the Ōrākei Basin boardwalk (the straight section along the basin) are now repaired and operational. Thank you to local residents who let me know that the lights were broken, walking along the path in darkness was neither safe nor practical.

An incredible amount of work has happened in our area over the past financial year. We are fortunate to have great beaches, parks, boardwalks, and reserves in our area and there is a dedicated Council team that have ensured that our open spaces are maintained or upgraded for the community to use. To assess what works are prioritised they condition rate the assets and when they become in poor condition, they create a programme for renewal.  

Here is a list (a sample) just concentrating on works in and around our local parks and community facilities. All this and more was delivered for a budget spend of  $4.8m in FY23/24:

·         Bins, tables and park benches were repaired or replaced across the Orakei local board area in 25 locations. From Portland Reserve to Glendowie Park, Bonnie Brae reserve to Colin Maiden Park    

·         Playground equipment has been replaced and/or fixed based on the team’s annual playground inspection reports that identifies equipment that needs replacing. These include- Okahu Bay cargo net, Burma bridge and spinner, Thomas Bloodworth playground net and rope replacement for play equipment, Wharua Reserve playground climbing rope replacement, play equipment at Patteson Reserve , a new formed concreted manual skate pad at the Crossfield Reserve Skate Park and renewed flying fox at Little Rangitoto Reserve.  All because our playgrounds are well used and well loved.

·         Kohimarama Beach Reserve lighting along the boardwalk has been upgraded, which was a massive task.  The lighting on Kohimarama Beach Reserve had failed due to being inground (up lights and bollard lights) and not suited to the environment ( a lot of learnings there!).The opportunity was taken to put in lamp posts in keeping with what was done at Selwyn Reserve, Mission Bay to keep a consistent look along the waterfront. These will also be more protected from the elements. This has provided much better lighting and a more pleasant, safer experience for the public.

·         Glendowie Community Centre has had a big upgrade with works on the roof and cladding as well as solar panel installation

·         Crossfield Reserve playground has been upgraded, there was a grand opening a few months ago. The opportunity was also taken to install a path network (at the eastern end of the reserve) that connected through the park better.

·         Waiatarua path- Progress continues with the Waiatarua Reserve path renewal project, contractors are working through the reserve in sections. The new entrance at Grand Drive has been completed and there has been a tidy up of the Towle Place entryway. The contractors have also cleaned all of the bridges throughout the reserve and installed new anti-slip mesh on the platform at the dog pond

·         St Johns Bush walkway - these paths were bought back to life after the January 2023 storm caused a lot of damage.  The work undertaken will increase the resilience of the walkway.

·         Tahapa shared path bridge - work to apply an anti-slip surface to the bridge at one of the feeder paths to Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai path was completed

·         Building repairs – 85 Merton Rd (Colin Maiden Park) - known as the old radiology building, this building and the garage were in dire need of repairs the roof and gutters were replaced and exterior painted.

·         Thomas Bloodworth Park’s bridges and picket fence have had a complete transformation.

·         Shore road footpath - The path at Shore Road was a constant mud pit which pooled with water. The path has now been fixed and designed to look like it had always been there. The community can now enjoy a much cleaner walk

·         Ellerslie Domain – sports field renovations- new grass was seeded to ensure a greatly improved quality of sports field.

·         Kohi boardwalk - The boardwalk along Kohimarama has been tidied up. Trimming back the grass to create a nice straight edge, which has widened the boardwalk in time for the increased usage over summer.

·         St Heliers Bay Beach Reserve path - The removal of the safety edge of the playground removing the trip hazard and the renewal of the hogan path to concrete has been completed

·         St Heliers Library seismic upgrade and general works.  This heritage building has been strengthened and restored.

·         Signage, for example wayfinding bollards and entry signs – Dingle Dell, Michael Joseph Savage Memorial, Martyn Wilson Field, Ngake Walkway, Bonnie Brae, Patteson Reserve, Watene Reserve, Swainston reserve, Koraka Reserve, Roberta Reserve, Waiata Reserve and Kupe Reserve.

Unfortunately, graffiti and vandalism continue to be a problem across the city.  Our contractors work tirelessly to remove graffiti as soon as it is reported. Anyone can report graffiti and vandalism using this online form -  https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/grants-community-support-housing/graffiti-vandalism/Pages/report-graffiti-vandalism.aspx

Finally, this month (August) Auckland central will host restaurant month. Hospo, like many businesses have had a tough time over the past few years. If you are able, I’d encourage you to participate in Restaurant Month 1-31 August. There are over 100 special menus at participating restaurants to choose from. These range from Chef’s table series to walking food tours, and special menus from $30 pp.  Things can book up quickly so have a look on the below website to find out more. https://heartofthecity.co.nz/restaurant-month

Closer to home St Heliers Village is also running Restaurant month with a $50 restaurant voucher available for $30 to spend at  4 participating restaurants, Annabelles, Curry Village, La Vista and Moretons – terms and conditions apply please see https://www.stheliers.com/products/restaurant-month for more details.

Newsletter - 4 July

It’s the start of the new financial year, in less than 6 months it will be 2025, the colder evenings have hit, and the school holidays are rapidly approaching.

 July also sees Auckland host the World Choir games, which is basically the Olympics of choral singing. 250 groups (around 11,000 singers) from 40 countries will be participating in what will be a great celebration of music from 10 -20 July.  The event includes an open competition and a champion competition and will truly be a magnificent showcase of choral music. Tickets to performances in some cases are free and others there is a charge. If you would like to find out more, or attend one or some of the events, the schedule can be found here: https://www.wcg2024.co.nz/

With a musical background and connection to choirs in Auckland through my mother, this event inspired me to add another challenge to my life! I thought as host city, we should have a Council choir. So, I’ve put one together and created a choir that will be performing in a smaller form at the opening ceremony and in its full capacity at a couple of the free friendship concerts. If you would like to see us in action, the council choir will be singing at the Auckland Museum (Atrium across from the South Side of the Museum) on Tuesday 16 July at 6.30pm. There will be four choirs and the council choir will be singing first. We would welcome all supporters and the concert is free. 😉

Now for more serious news, last week was a big week for Auckland. After months of deliberation, public consultation, further discussions and adjustments we dotted the i's and crossed the t's in relation to the Long-term Plan. Formally adopting the full plan on 27 June.

We have worked to deliver a greater return from our two biggest income producing assets (the Ports of Auckland and our $1.3billion worth of airport shares), increased our savings targets and delivered the lowest rates rise of any metropolitan council in NZ.

So, what does this mean for the average value residential property in the Ōrākei ward? With the 6.8% increase for the 2024/25 year, residential rates will be $385 higher than last year. The weekly change is $7.41.

With the start of the new financial year, now is a good time to list a few reminders that are happening from/around 1st July.

The kerbside bin collection date for many residents has changed as of this week –if you haven’t received a letter or just want to double check , you can find out online by typing your address into the box of the below webpage.

https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/rubbish-recycling/rubbish-recycling-collections/Pages/rubbish-recycling-collection-days.aspx

The early bird catches the worm, however, in this case remember to register your dog to get the early payment discount (if you pay before 1 August). You can save a significant amount so add to your to do list.

https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/dogs-animals/register-your-dog/Pages/dog-registration-discounts.aspx

As usual it is good to end on some local positives.

Parnell residents - Watercare have confirmed that the work to rehabilitate the Ōrākei Main Sewer around the sinkhole site (St Georges Bay Road) by relining a 116-metre section between two nearby manholes is nearing completion.  In the coming months, they’ll reinstate the carpark where the sinkhole formed and will be removing the temporary bypass pumps and pipeline. I know for local residents and businesses this day couldn’t come soon enough.

I would like to congratulate Remuera Intermediate students on their amazing art exhibition last week. My spy on the inside showed me photos of the fabulous works, from yarn art and paper quilling to a trash to fashion parade.

Just in time for the school holidays – several playgrounds have been repaired or upgraded, for example the new platforms for the play unit at Patteson Reserve, a new formed concreted manual skate pad at the Crossfield Reserve Skate Park and renewed travellator flying fox at Little Rangitoto Reserve.

Also, if you like going for local walks, you will be pleased that at Waiatarua Reserve all of the bridges throughout the reserve have been cleaned and new anti-slip mesh installed on the platform at the dog pond. As well as the St Johns Bush walkway project has been completed, which will increase the resilience of the walkway.

You blink and it is the school holidays again! For caregivers, finding things to do in the July school holidays to occupy the children can be a challenge .However, we are fortunate that we have parks, reserves and beaches on our doorstep for when the children need to be outside. For rainy days our libraries and museums are a good option. St Heliers library for example, has a range of activities timetabled, some drop in, like the Fun with Lego sessions on the 9 and 12 July 2-4pm and others that you will need to book in advance - the Matariki Kite Craft session on 18 July 2-3.30pm.  If you would like further inspiration, have a look on the “Our Auckland” website, where you can search for fun things to do.

https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/tags/school-holidays/

Best to you all as always

Desley

Newsletter - 21 June

Today (Friday June 21) we celebrate the shortest day of the year – that means we will officially be halfway through our calendar year and on the downhill slope towards summer and warmer days. This time of the year is also special for Māori as it’s the official Matariki celebrations (June 15 -30) with next Friday, 28 June being a public holiday.  The rise of Matariki in the winter skies is an important time in the Māori calendar, as it signifies the start of the Māori new year. There are a wide range of activities for you to see and do this Matariki season. These range from kite days, to soaring lighting installations, live music performances to colourful light shows on our Auckland Harbour Bridge thanks to Vector.

The list of these events can be found on the council website:

https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/matariki-festival-2024/matariki-events/

Locally, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei are hosting an official Umu Kohukohu Whetua (a traditional ceremony acknowledging the Matariki star cluster) on June 28 at 5.20am. This will be held at Takaparawhau/Bastion Point (enter via Kupe Street). If you wish to attend that please wrap up warm and wear gumboots or old shoes as it can be very muddy. https://ngatiwhatuaorakei.com/parongo/events/2024-umu-kohukohu-whetu-ki-takaparawhau/

Changing the subject, and moving away from reflection and more to correction, I wanted to update you also on the KiwiRail squeaky rails saga.

I have received many complaints about the screeching trains on the Eastern Line, particularly across Hobson Bay and around Meadowbank and Ōrākei stations. Following multiple calls to KiwiRail, I recently received some promising news. On Thursday, last week I had an in-person meeting with a senior manager where he acknowledged our  noise concerns and acknowledged that wasn’t the standard we should expect from Kiwrail.  So, I put it to him directly “what are you doing about it? “ 

Essentially, the issue is threefold. First, admit there is a problem, which KiwiRail have now done. The characteristics of the Eastern Line are that it has lots of curves, which means lots of lateral movement of the wheels on the tracks.  This creates friction and consequent noise. 

Second, KiwiRail replaced a lot of rails during the 2020/21 period to deal with what they call “Rolling Contact Fatigue” (cracking rail in layman’s terms). I am told the new rail tracks take a while to smooth out. KiwiRail did grind down some of the tracks when first upgraded to reduce some of the friction and noise, but this obviously wasn’t enough.

Third, come up with a solution that will make a tangible difference.

As mentioned, KiwiRail have now acknowledged they have a   screeching noise issue that needs to be addressed, so what’s their plan to reduce the noise?

KiwiRail told me they now have a couple of solutions which will help solve this problem.  The first is a comprehensive lubrication programme, using automated lubrication pots next to the rails in strategic locations.  The second solution is to put in place an annual grinding programme, using an upgraded grinding machine which KiwiRail has leased for the next 4 years. 

Collectively, the lubrication of the tracks, the upgraded grinding machine and annual grinding maintenance will make a difference which KiwiRail say will be noticeable to residents and users from Christmas this year.

The outlined plan of action will commence in their new financial year starting from 1 July. 2024.  As I receive further updates, I will keep you informed.

From tracks to train services. I am sure if you are a train user you’ll be aware of the industrial action currently affecting the timetabling of our trains. For the latest updates please visit at.govt.nz/train action and plan your journey at at.govt.nz/journeyplanner

And to end on a positive, this week we also celebrate the thousands of amazing volunteers who work across so many sectors helping Auckland and Aucklanders in a multitude of ways.

If you are one of them THANK YOU. Volunteers, make a huge difference to the social, cultural, environmental and community aspects of our great city and we appreciate the dedication, time and knowledge they give back. If you manage to get a chance to be part of a volunteering opportunity, I can guarantee you will benefit too 😊.

Newsletter - 12 June

In this newsletter, there will be a few reminders, a couple of updates and a big thank you.

 First, I would like to thank you all for the kind messages and condolences I have received since my mother, Leonie Lawson passed away a few weeks ago.

Leonie was a music teacher, a choirmaster, a conductor, organ player, singer, the heart of my family and much more. It was lovely to see so many people at her funeral, paying their respects and highlighting the positive impact she made on her students, her colleagues, her peers and the wider Auckland musical community. Next month (July), Auckland  will be hosting the World choir Games. Over 11,000 singers from more than 30 countries will participate in the largest choral competition and festival on the planet. I am sure she will be there in spirit.

Now back to council business.

Travelling by train has been undeniably unreliable over the past months. There have been signal issues, hot tracks, fallen trees on tracks, to name but a few examples.  To add to our woes, in the last few days, we have been informed about two industrial actions which mean disruption to  Auckland’s public transport even more. Until the unionised staff of Auckland One Rail (train drivers/ managers etc) and unionised staff of CAF (who look after the trains,) their union and employers come to an agreement, there will be disruption for the foreseeable future. It should be noted, that Auckland Transport staff are not on strike.

So if you use the train, please note that trains at peak time will be running every 20 minutes (rather than 10 mins). Please plan your journeys and check Auckland Transport journey planner. Due to this industrial action, there may be additional cancellations outside of our control.

Ngāpipi bridge widening finished.

It has been a long and eventful journey to get the Ngāpipi pedestrian bridge project completed. There have been hiccups and delays, but it is finally complete!

The pre-existing light pole, that ended up in the middle of the new pedestrian walkway (an accident waiting to happen) and a set of temporary traffic lights that were there so long they should be considered permanent have now both been removed. Traffic can now flow, and pedestrians can walk, run, scoot without having to dodge the light pole.

The trio of Ōrākei transports projects are now finished:

-           Tamaki Drive pedestrian walkway completed August 2023

-           Kepa Road - slip zone retaining wall completed December 2023

-           Ngāpipi Bridge widening opened in May 2024 (completed June 2024)

Residential bin collection day changes

Council is changing the routes and days of rubbish, recycling and food scraps collection services to make sure it’s operating at maximum efficiency and to deliver the best service.In short, we have a new contractor to deliver this.  

These changes affect approximately 113,000 properties across Auckland Central, Manukau, East Auckland, Papakura and Franklin and take effect from 1 July 2024.  

All three kerbside services (rubbish, recycling and food scraps) will continue to be aligned to a single day of the week for each respective property. However, your bin day and week may have changed.  Please check if you are affected here at aucklandcouncil.nz/binday

To be extra sure you know about any change you may have, directly affected properties will also receive a letter outlining the change.

Kerbside recycling reminder

Sadly, some Aucklanders are not using their recycling bins correctly. This behaviour is not only contaminating the recycling trucks, but also costing the ratepayer an additional $3 million a year to sort, process and dispose of the contamination! Contamination in council’s kerbside recycling bins has doubled since the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2021 and sadly we now dispose nearly a quarter of all that’s recycled to landfill, almost defeating the purpose.

You may have seen in the news about the Kerbside recycling bin contamination reduction trial that is being undertaken in Mangere-East, Wiri, Manurewa and Papakura. Data and results from the trial will be analysed and will be reported on to elected members in late 2024.

Whilst the trial is not in the Ōrākei ward, it is a good reminder to be mindful about what you put in your recycling bin. The list of do’s and don’ts can be found at this website:

https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/rubbish-recycling/bin-requests/Pages/what-put-your-recycling.aspx

Basically the below list is what you can put in your blue topped recycling bin

·         Glass bottles and glass jars (empty and clean).

·         Tin, steel and aluminium cans (empty and clean).

·         Plastic bottles (grades 1, 2 and 5) from your kitchen, bathroom and laundry.

·         Plastic food containers (grades 1, 2 and 5).

·         Newspapers, magazines, and advertising mail.

·         Paper, cardboard including empty pizza boxes, egg cartons and window envelopes.

Things you CANNOT put in your recycling bin include nappies, clothing, aerosol cans, and batteries.

The Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) consultation

The Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP ),  better known as   the 10-year investment proposal for Auckland’s transport network, is  open  until 17 June.  You have a few more days to have your say which I strongly encourage.

This major plan sets out which projects, programmes, and operating items that Auckland Transport, along with the  New Zealand Transport Agency and KiwiRail is seeking to fund or partly fund, from the National Land Transport Fund.

The draft RLTP 2024 proposes $63 billion worth of investment over the next 10 years. The transport priorities in the draft RLTP are taken from Auckland Council’s Long-Term Plan (LTP) and the government’s Government Policy Statement (GPS). 

 For example, if you want the Meadowbank Kohi connection (Gowing drive) to shared path to go ahead, please have your say. Auckland Transport have it in the plan for delivery 2025/2026 but it’s yet to get the government’s matched funding.

Read the RLTP and have your say: https://haveyoursay.at.govt.nz/hub-page/rltp

I also strongly suggest you email your local MP and the Minister for Auckland/ Transport Simeon Brown to keep this on their radar too!

My final reminder is about Remuera Library.  As I have mentioned in an earlier newsletter we are doing improvements to our wonderful heritage listed Remuera Library, but to do the works we need to be inside it for a long period of time. The library will be temporarily closed from 1 July 2024 for approximately a year.

I know many local school children use the library straight after school – so for the next 12 months caregivers will need to make alternative plans.

The library’s services will be relocated to Somervell Presbyterian Church, 497 Remuera Road, with the library expected to resume operating from the church around mid-July 2024.

In the meantime, Library users are welcome to visit the Parnell, St Heliers or Epsom libraries (or any other Auckland Council library) until the temporary library is open.

Newsletter - 17 May

Yesterday, the Mayor and councillors voted on and passed the Council ten-year budget (also known as the “Long-term Plan”) for 2024-34.  The final version was different to what was proposed and in essence that reflected the feedback from Aucklanders as a result of the consultation, the concerns of councillors around the table and the input from local boards.

Probably the most debated topic was the Auckland Future Fund. We will be establishing a long-term intergenerational fund called the Auckland Future Fund. In simple terms what we have done here is ensure the value of our current airport shares ($1.3 billion) is locked up in a new structure which is more secure, less risky and will deliver a higher rate of return for future generations of Aucklanders.  It will be in a trust structure, and we will look to pass legislation in a similar way to New Plymouth District Council.

One change we made, and which I discussed in a newsletter with you last week, was not to include the value of a Ports lease in the future fund. While this will reduce the initial value of the future fund, the deal that the mayor has struck with the Ports and their unions means we will get significantly enhanced dividends and greater value over ten years compared to the original lease proposal.  This is a version of the ‘enhanced status quo’ from the original Mayoral Proposal.  In consultation, clearly Aucklanders were not comfortable with aspects of the port lease proposal, and our Ports company has responded to the challenge.  Though it hasn’t escaped me (and probably you) that it was only with the threat of change, that we reached a better place – that’s a $244million better place!

North Harbour stadium. This was a contentious proposal from the get-go. The decision yesterday allows the North Shore community to lead a solution for a stadium and confirm its future role.  The people of the North Shore are passionate about their stadium, always have been, and when they came to me with solution, I wanted to ensure its future was both fit for purpose for generations to come and had a governance structure that made it financially viable.

Transport is obviously a massive part of any Council budget and I broadly agree with where we have landed.  Our LTP sets the envelope for the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP), and there is an additional $600m over 10 years in the LTP  which means we can continue to deliver important roading and of course public transport services. 

That said, I am still concerned about two issues.  First, we need to keep the pressure on to get the most out of buses with continual reviews of services that are underutilized – so called ‘ghost buses’.   And secondly, for all the excellent work done by Auckland Transport and its staff, the governance relationship in law and in practice, still needs work.  We saw this earlier in the week with the issues around 24/7 parking charges in the central city.  I know that’s something we will need to address in the remaining time of this political term. 

A big topic of conversation with local boards was the Fairer funding proposal. I have to say in the original version, I didn’t see it as fairer at all- it had unusual effects for boards like Henderson-Massey, Otara-Papatoetoe and Mangere-Otahuhu with losses of funding to them totaling some millions. It also potentially penalized boards like Ōrākei that has worked hard to optimize its assets over time.  The new proposal provides a solution to this and actually increases funding to our Ōrākei Local Board.

On rates.  The rates rise for year 1 is lower than originally proposed – 6.8% instead of 7.5% - and much lower than many councils in New Zealand are facing. I believe that will be welcome by many who are struggling financially.  For the average Ōrākei residential ratepayer that means   $43 a year less than what was proposed in December. I know any rates increase can be challenging as those in the Ōrākei Ward pay the highest average rates of any local board area in the region. However, the budget represents an ongoing package of investment both locally and regionally for our children, grandchildren and their children.  We have big issues with transport, community services and open space, with the economic environment being a tough one for council just as it is for households – our costs are rising too.

That said, I am pleased to see in this LTP our rates income still stay well  below 40% of our income and  our budget contain savings targets for Council and its CCO’s of $142m on top of $123m existing targets (most of which we have achieved).   The decisions taken yesterday on the future fund show we are a council still committed to not just taking from the pockets of our ratepayers as our first option but using our assets in intelligent productive ways.

You will recall my recent newsletter where I discussed the final governance structure for Watercare. I’m thrilled where we landed with the government on that, for  a 25.8 per cent rise  was simply too high and would have taken the water bill for an average household from $1340 to $1688 per year!  Even if we had had the pay less get less rates option that we consulted on, that would have seen a rise for households of $547 a year. Whereas under the revised central proposal, and with the government’s solution for Watercare, the average Auckland ratepayer will be looking at $342 more a year, a saving of over $200 (more if you are very water savings conscious). More importantly though, Auckland will now see  a  much needed capital investment of $3.9 billion over the next 3 years and just under $14 billion over 10 years to deliver infrastructure for growth and the next generations of Aucklanders. 

Finally, the local investment for the Ōrākei Ward. The restoration of the water quality targeted rate means our crucial eastern isthmus water quality improvement work is confirmed, with the most important work to coincide with Watercare’s Newmarket Gully project. There is funding for environmental projects, community facilities investment, parks and local transport projects. Lastly, I’m assured that the Remuera Library seismic strengthening project is also safe, despite a move to reduce spending on seismic strengthening.  That will set our  much loved community asset up for many years to come.

So finally, after 120 hours of meetings and 28,000 pieces of feedback, months of discussions, listening and compromising we have worked hard to deliver a budget that a majority of councillors and a majority of Aucklanders can get behind.  I believe we have done that and give credit to the mayor in the way he has demanded a process that is more politically led.

Newsletter - 7 May

It’s only Tuesday and there are a couple of big announcements from this week that I thought I’d update you on.

Let’s start with the Government announcement on Local Water Done Well. Last Sunday (5 May) the Mayor, the Prime Minister, and the Minister for Auckland visited the Central Interceptor site in Mangere to make a final announcement on Water reform for Auckland. This, once and for all, scraps the 3 waters proposal for us and delivers a solution which as a Council we have been requesting for some time.

The agreement effectively separates the balance sheets of Watercare and Council which means Watercare can take on more debt than Council is able to provide. In doing so they can still deliver their much need capital investment programme and  without them on our books we have a greater debt capacity for the investment  we need to do.

Council still maintains democratic control of Watercare, and it maintains Council ownership of our water assets.  Watercare also keeps managing drinking water and wastewater (two waters) and Council keeps managing stormwater, which is more about our parks, streams, and roads.  So basically, it means no changes in the everyday way council works with Watercare. 

From a Watercare perspective it enables greater debt headroom, allows it to properly invest in growth, environment, and public outcomes, while ring-fencing their revenue for water investment. 

To you the ratepayers there is good news too. The proposed increase of just under 26% for the 2024/25 year will not go ahead. It will be just over 7%. That said Aucklanders are very efficient water users as we are metered and only charged for what we use, unlike in other parts of the country.

Win win and my thanks to this government for listening to us.

Next, the Mayor’s plan to make the most of Auckland’s port and prime waterfront. Today (7 May) the mayor did a stand up with the Chair of Ports of Auckland, Jan Dawson and the Maritime Union of New Zealand’s Auckland Secretary, Grant Williams, to announce a new plan. In a nutshell, Auckland’s Port land, assets and operations will remain in Council ownership and the proposed long-term lease is now off the table. Why? Because the Ports of Auckland and the Unions have agreed to now contribute $1.1 billion in profits to Auckland Council over the next ten years. This now exceeds the projected net returns from investing the proceeds of a port lease by $172m, and is a lift of $244m from Ports’ original 10-year profit projection ($856m). 

On top of this Ports of Auckland support the mayor’s proposal to return Captain Cook Wharf and Marsden Wharf to Auckland Council which will have no impact on the Ports profitability. Public access will also be provided to parts of Bledisloe Wharf as a shared space for public use and cruise.

On one hand it’s a pity Ports needed the threat of a long-term lease to someone else to up their productivity, but the good news is that they have risen to the challenge and done it.

Again, potentially win win.

The agreement made today between the mayor, the port and the unions will still need to be discussed at Governing Body and voted on by mayor and councillors as part of the Long -term plan (10 year budget) process.

Finally, rubbish bins or I should say the removal of rubbish bins. In brief, the mayor proposed in his first annual budget the removal of underutilised rubbish bins in town centres and parks which had low use as part of a savings drive ($1.4m per year or potentially savings of $9.5 million over the next eight financial years). Auckland had around 10,000 bins before the bin optimisation project started. We will still have around 7,000 once the project is complete, or 30 % fewer bins.

Because town centres and parks sit within local board delegations, each of the 21 local boards were asked for their input on this. Only 4 I think wanted to keep their bins (and did).  With the rest agreeing (or giving no feedback) so, the proposal went through.

The Orakei Local Board did not request to keep their bins.

Now the bin removal has been implemented, it’s obviously causing concern in several places.  Last week the mayor and I moved a resolution to receive staff advice on the removal programme with a view to the replacement of rubbish bins where there is an obvious need, with a focus on town centres, high use playgrounds, high use local parks and reserve entry exit points. See below:

It’s important local boards input into the current situation, I do know that they have been asked for their feedback a second time already.  I will update you further when the resolution above has been reported back to the mayor and councillors.

Thanks for keeping in touch and as you know I’m always available on desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt

Desley

Newsletter - 1 May

Can you believe we are already halfway through this political term?

As both the Deputy Mayor and the Councillor for Orakei I believe it’s important to communicate achievements for both Auckland and the Orakei Ward that I have been part of and/or lead.  The first 18 months of this term have definitely had their challenges, storm events and cost of living challenges to name just two. However, even with all we have faced, there have also been successes.

Auckland wide

The storm events of 2023 will go down in history as being the worst in our region’s history. Over and above leading much of the communication with Aucklanders during the events, I have where possible and logical, pushed for Council to look after those Aucklanders affected by the storms as generously as possible. This has included successfully advocating for rates relief, engaging with local affected groups across the city, meeting with the Insurance Council and Bankers Association, visiting property owners across Auckland, listening to the concerns raised and feeding back to council colleagues. This work remains ongoing.

Arts and Culture: I have been given a specific role to lead the political working group to reform governance of Auckland’s major cultural institutions. These include the likes of the Auckland War Memorial Museum (AWMM), Stardome and MOTAT.  Did you know our very old legislation dictates that Auckland Council could have to contribute up to $200 million per year to AWMM, yet has no governance role or input into their strategic direction? After six months of negotiation, Auckland War Memorial Museum and Auckland Council signed a three-year funding agreement giving greater financial certainty for both parties through to financial year 26/27 and Council a greater say in their strategic direction (Also, significantly less funding than the law dictates). I am working closely with Minister Goldsmith on further work in this space.

I was appointed as the Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU) lead councillor (Sept 2023).  This means I’m the key liaison point between governing body and Tātaki, particularly in supporting the Chair as she improves TAU’s performance and results. This has already seen a savings target of $35m and a staff reduction of 200 achieved while continuing to deliver high quality cultural, entertainment and venue services to Auckland.   For every dollar Tātaki invested in a major cultural or sporting event on behalf of Auckland Council, Auckland received almost $10 dollars in return. Tātaki invested $1,237,500 in major events between December 2023 and March 2024, which in turn have generated $12.2m and 85,000 visitor nights for the regional economy. Just for clarity the role of TAU is to deliver a coordinated region wide programme to maximise cultural, social and economic benefits for our residents and visitors.

Finances: as I’ve reported previously the mayor’s first budget changed significantly from what was consulted on based on feedback from Aucklanders. As we work through the current Long-term plan (ten year budget) I have visited all 21 Local Boards (from Ōrākei to Great Barrier Island, from Rodney to Franklin) as part of Long-term Plan engagement (March 2024). I’ve been told this hasn’t ever happened before. Too early to say what this budget will look like, but I’ll update on that in a few weeks.   Savings wise, as Council we set staff a tough target in the 2023/24 Annual Budget - $32.8m on top of the existing $17.2m which hadn’t quite been achieved out of the $90m target for 2022/23.  Of this $50m target, by December 2023 Council had achieved 87 per cent of this ($43.7m).  This was through detailed budget reviews, staff vacancies, and improved commercial terms through contracts – plus agreed initiatives (stopping activities).  Our next update is on 2 May 2024, and I look forward to more good news on the savings front.

I’m always asked what LOCAL investment or return do we get for our money?

The Ōrākei ward has had many projects delivered in the past 18 months, a number of which have been requested strongly by our community for many years.   

I am fortunate to have the Auckland Domain in my ward. As chair of the Domain Committee, I have overseen:

·         Futureproofing the Domain Wintergarden glasshouses. Structural strengthening and restoration of these two heritages listed buildings has ensured this important part of the city’s architectural heritage will be around for many decades to come. They were even awarded an Enduring Architecture award by by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects. Finished in March 2023, they were delivered on time and on budget

·         The repainting in original heritage colours of the Auckland Domain's iconic band rotunda, a grand 111-year-old landmark which hosts many music events

·         The heritage grandstand building at the Auckland Domain - works on the roof and high gable end areas, timber repairs, plumbing improvements and painting plus repairing the stone wall and asphalt in front of the building. This was completed in April 2023.

Watercare has had a ‘busy’ time in the Ōrākei Ward in the last 18 months and I’ve stayed close to them to emphasise the need for ongoing investment, swift action to remedy faults, and ensuring the community is kept well-informed of what’s going on.  We have seen the following investment from Watercare in the ward.

·         Prompt reaction to the St Georges Bay road sinkhole which saw one of New Zealand’s largest pump stations built in a record 20 days.  This temporary pump station (as big as some of our permanent pump stations) consists of around 400 metres of pipe and six large pumps being put underground to direct sewage away from the broken section in Parnell. It can handle flows of up to 600 litres per second!

·         St Heliers watermain renewals began on 20 February 2024 on Rarangi Road. These works are part of Watercare’s renewals programme to upgrade aging watermains that are susceptible to breaks and to ensure the security of the water supply in St Heliers

·         Rehabilitation work undertaken by Watercare in the areas bordering Ayr Street and Cathedral Place in Parnell – included rehabilitation of 87 manholes and relining of 1,396 metres of wastewater pipes

·         Watercare’s Board approved $26.1 million to cover the cost of repairing the damage to the old sewer pipe ( St Georges Bay road) and relining an additional 600 metres of the century-old Ōrākei Main Sewer. The $26m bill includes $5.8m in operational costs to stabilise the sinkhole, construct the bypass, pumping, environmental, monitoring, and other costs related to responding to the incident

·         $86.74million investment to upgrade the Ōrākei Main sewer post Parnell sinkhole. Watercare are planning to reline about 1.6 kilometres of the sewer – from close to the Parnell Train Station to the end of Logan Terrace – in the next few years. This investment will significantly reduce the risk of future sewer collapses in Parnell.

Transport is a key area which Council makes investment decisions about. Some larger local projects include:

·         Delivering the often requested pedestrian walkway upgrade along Tamaki Drive (raising the footpath, adding seating, artworks and a new railing) between Ports and Ngāpipi intersection

·         Ngāpipi Bridge - new pedestrian bridge leaving the old one for cyclists - both this and the one above have been strongly advocated for by our community for many years

·         Kepa Road – new footpath / and retaining wall to prevent future slips. Part of the road, beside Ōrākei Basin, is in a slip zone. The site is located along Kepa Road and is situated approximately 200m west of Brenton Place on the westbound side of the road

·         Parnell station pedestrian underpass from the station to Lower Domain Drive officially opened.

·         Last year I advocated for getting school buses sorted on the Panmure to Selwyn College route once it was brought to my attention re. buses not turning up/ overcrowded. AT did action some changes

·         This year alerting Auckland Transport that the school buses were still overcrowded/ leaving children behind along some routes. AT are also making changes to prevent this from happening.

Some of the other highlights relate to community assets and infrastructure.  These include:

·         Reopening of the Parnell Baths - After the floods in January 2023 the whole cliff face by the Baths was classified as unstable requiring major works to make it safe. The water in the baths was deemed unsafe to swim in after the weather events as well, and it took a major amount of work by our stormwater teams to get it to a state where it was reopened in December 2023

·         The James Turkington mural at Parnell baths is currently being restored after it was damaged by graffiti and should be back by the end of this year

·         St Heliers Library heritage/ seismic works completed and the library reopened in August 2023 after a year of the library operating from temporary site across the road

·         The Portland Road environmental works in Remuera––an incredible local walk of native plants and walkways. Over 6000m3 of silt from the stream removed to improve water flow. This allows water to flow unobstructed when tidal gates are open and created a land feature out of the silt. By repurposing the silt, we prevented it filling up our landfills, it has kept trucks off our road network and saved over $800k in tipping and transport fees.

·         Alongside Ōrākei Local Board members and volunteers we planted 1500 new trees at Waiatarua reserve in Remuera

·         The Planning, Environment and Parks Committee on 7 September 2023 agreed to $250,000 of funding for new indoor/outdoor replacement lights for the Auckland Netball Centre.

As you can see a lot has happened. This is by no means an exhaustive list but highlights some of the positive changes we have witnessed in just 18 months, halfway through this term.

In my role as deputy mayor, I have supported the mayor with a large amount of media interviews, opening of events, speaking engagements and international delegations. There is never a dull moment and some  ‘fun’ examples include opening of the first Padel Court in NZ,  welcoming esteemed  guests at the official opening event at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Marae for the New Zealand Fashion week- Kahuria, attending the Auckland Property Council Award ceremony where several council buildings won awards,  welcoming international delegations, promoting and representing  Auckland Council at the incredible  Women’s FIFA World Cup matches and welcoming guests from across the world at the Pan Pacific Barber shop competition.  I have also walked deep underground in the City Rail Link Tunnel and the Central Interceptor tunnel to see the progress. I have climbed up to the roof tops of some of the tallest new buildings in the city to be there at the topping out ceremonies, highlighting the changing landscape. I have walked across the sand flats at Whau River undertaking marine ecology monitoring. I have even visited the council’s library automated sorter out in Otahuhu, which is an amazing piece of technology! Arts, culture, community, transport, infrastructure, the environment:  all these components are vital for a city. 

Of course, not everything is positive. Sometimes my role has been focused on responding to problems, such as the two broken sewers (Judges Bay Road and St George’s Bay Road), several major water leaks in Remuera, congestion on St Johns Road, and the Eastern Line being down for nine months! However, I do believe in highlighting the positives. The projects mentioned have been delivered by a wide range of different parts of Council, so I’d like to thank the hard work of the various teams and their committed staff along with my colleagues who I’ve worked with to get projects ‘over the line’. There is no “I” in Local Government. We always need other elected members to support what we want to achieve.

And now we are in the second half of our term, and my commitment is to keep you posted on Council progress. As always, I am available should you wish you contact me, desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Desley

Newsletter - 15 March

It’s the last few weeks of daylight saving, March madness is here with increased traffic and busy public transport and lots going on for you to know about and share you views on.

Let’s start with an update on the Parnell sinkhole. The big question asked was why/how did this happen?  Last week the independent report by external experts on the “how” and “why” was released.  Interestingly the report is not conclusive and does not identify one main root cause but highlights a multitude of factors that contributed to the collapse of the pipe. The three key causes noted were:

1.  The immense amount of rain we had in 2023

2. 100-year-old pipes

3.  Inspection CCTV images of Ōrākei Main Sewer from 2019, not as clear as they would be today due to technology advances. (even though Watercare led the way with CCTV footage at the time).

I am pleased that Watercare have yet again, apologised to Aucklanders and are taking onboard the report’s recommendations and will put these into action.

Looking after our wastewater network is a priority for Watercare who have allocated $1.9b over the next 20 years for pipe renewals. Included in that figure is an $86.74million investment to upgrade the Ōrākei Main sewer.

I also feel it’s worth noting that well before this incident, (in 2019), works to futureproof Auckland central’s aging water infrastructure began with the start of the Central Interceptor project, due to be complete in 2026 and ultimately designed to free up extra capacity and take some of the pressure off the Ōrākei main sewer.

Watercare responded rapidly to the Parnell sinkhole incident. A temporary pump station (one of New Zealand’s largest) was designed and built at record speed in Parnell to stop the wastewater overflows. However, we cannot ignore the disruption caused to local residents and businesses or the wider environmental effects of having wastewater overflowing into the Waitemata for a prolonged period of time. The impact of the Ōrākei main sewer collapse is ongoing, the whiff in the air is not pleasant but to end on a positive I am reassured that the funded investment on the Ōrākei Main Sewer will considerably reduce the risk of future sewer collapses in Parnell. 

The report is publicly available and you can find it on the Watercare website here.

Staying in Parnell with another sewer pipe break in Judges Bay. Remember this was also a  result of the unprecedented weather we had in 2023, in March last year, which saw a wastewater transmission sewer line break 25 metres below ground under the Parnell Rose Gardens. A temporary bypass has been in place for 12 months which has not been ideal in the least for nearby residents. Watercare, have now confirmed that they have completed the preliminary design of a permanent solution. It Is not viable to replace like for like, so the solution consists of installing a small wastewater pumping station. Construction of this design is a while away but as I receive more information, I will keep you posted. In the meantime, temporary holding tanks and site fencings have been installed. The tanks provide additional wastewater storage capacity, will keep the network operational and help reduce wet weather overflows. The fencing was installed to protect the septic tank and dampen noise.

How to have your say.

You have until 28 March to have your say regarding the Long-term Plan (10-year budget) which includes proposed options for rates rises and a new Future Fund.  A video from the mayor and two webinars are on the council website for you to watch if you missed the local drop-in sessions. You can find them here.  Please have your say, if you haven’t already!

There is a second consultation equally as important which also closes on 28 March. It is a mouthful to say but the Draft Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2024 and sets council direction and work to manage and reduce waste (rubbish) in Auckland. The consultation, asks Aucklanders whether they support or not the below options:

Option 1: full implementation of the Waste Management and Minimisation plan, 2018. In simple terms this is what we do now (status quo) – However the consultation notes this would not achieve the required pace to achieve the aspirational goal of zero waste by 2040.

Option 2: Deliver the waste plan 2018 and extend activities into new priority waste areas. This provides scope to achieve significant reductions in waste to landfill and is the staff preferred option.

For context, in Auckland, around 1.5 million tonnes of waste is sent to mixed waste landfills each year. That’s enough to fill Eden Park every week.

The draft plan includes proposals to:

-           focus on rethinking how products are designed and extending their life span, and options to re-use, repair or repurpose items

-           target construction and demolition waste and focus on organic, plastics, packaging and textile waste, and biosolids (organic materials resulting from the treatment of wastewater)

-           move from weekly to FORNIGHTLY kerbside rubbish collections from 2026.

-           speed up efforts to minimise operational waste from the Auckland Council Group (Auckland Council and its council-controlled organisations)

-           address litter and illegal dumping to protect public health and the environment.

The devil is in the detail, and this directly impacts you. For example, the proposal to introduce fortnightly general waste collection from 2026 (currently the red lid bin is collected weekly) may well impact you and your family. Anecdotally I have heard that the introduction of food waste bins has seen a decrease in the rubbish put in your red bin. I have also heard that with the introduction of government’s nationwide recycling rules last month (meaning Aucklanders can recycle less than before) there is little choice but to put more in the bin! Each household has different requirements when it comes to waste collection, so please visit the website, read the consultation papers and have your say.

https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/waste-management-and-minimisation-plan-2024-2030

Last but not least local news.

As part of Ecofest, a celebration of our unique environment and sustainable living across Auckland. On Saturday (16 March 9am – 12pm) you can Recycle your e-waste correctly at the community e-Waste Collection in Newmarket for FREE.  The e-waste collection will be located in the Green Basement Carpark of Westfield Newmarket (the building with Farmers in it if you are coming by foot, by car head down Mortimer Pass; take the second entry on the right-hand side down to the Basement Carpark. Look for signs in the valet parking area)

This is a chance for residents and businesses to divert unwanted electronic items, so they don’t end up in our landfills.

These items can all be recycled:

TVs and Monitors,Tablets & Phones, Laptops & Computers, Printers, Toner & Ink, Cables & Wiring,Whiteware,Home Appliances,Modems & Routers,Batteries,Digital Storage Media -

https://ecofest.org.nz/event/newmarket-ewaste-collection/

Splash Landing – As part of Moana Auckland - New Zealand’s Ocean festival we have an amazing FREE event in our ward.  Hosted by the Ōrākei Local Board and Akarana Marine Sports Charitable Trust at The Landing, 8 Tāmaki Drive, there will be 2 days of fun 11am-6pm, 16-17 March. Enjoy markets, food trucks, games and entertainment on the shore, or have a go on a waka-ama, sailboat, or kayak. Waterworld Waterparks will be bringing their inflatable water park. This part of the festival is ticketed.

Ngāpipi Bridge – I have heard a whisper that the separated walking /cycling path over Ngāpipi bridge will  finally open on 25 March. The temporary traffic lights will stay in place for a short while after until cyclists and walkers get used to new bridge and I’ll keep you informed when they plan to be removed.

Thanks for keeping in touch and as you know, I’m always available on desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or 021971786

Newsletter - 1 March

So much has happened in the past few weeks, so this newsletter is a bit longer than usual. Sadly, it’s not all good news.  Ōrākei ward residents have experienced some poor customer experience, especially through the first few weeks of the school term with overcrowded school buses, reports of students being left at bus stops, ferries being disrupted and a significant water outage due to three broken water pipes in quick succession on Remuera Road leaving many residents in the surrounding area without water for 24 hours!

So, what am I doing about it?

I’ve met with the new Auckland Transport Board chair, and he is requesting staff to look at the school bus situation, I have also requested from AT’s Public Transport manager details around solutions from AT particularly an increase in the size of buses on key school routes including Selwyn College.

It’s imperative we get school buses sorted or else parents/ students will find a more reliable way to get to school and that may result in more congestion on our roads.

On the train delays/cancellations. When we first heard of heat issues, I contacted KiwiRail CEO and called for urgent confirmation this would be sorted. Following that, the Mayor called in the three agencies responsible for trains in Auckland. Yes, there are three of them. KiwiRail owns and maintains Auckland’s railway tracks and track infrastructure, including power lines, points and switches. Auckland Transport is a customer of KiwiRail, paying access fees so we can use KiwiRail’s network to run our passenger train services, and owns the fleet of trains used on passenger services.  Auckland One Rail is the operator – it runs the services and manages our stations. In my opinion the 3 agencies could do better working together and I’m seeing that now happen.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week had 100, 59 and 54 failed punctuality results due to network speed reductions.

Our last update from KiwiRail said there would be a new 25kph temporary speed restriction on the Eastern Line near Glen Innes due to a defect with a piece of rail and that they are working on a remediation plan (yes, I know the Eastern Line has been closed for months for an upgrade!). I’m keeping locals regularly updated on progress via Facebook.

Now to the positives news.  We have seen some great events in our area lately. The Auckland Domain hosted Synthony which saw 35,000 people dance the day and night away. Mission Bay hosted a jam packed Chinese New Year beach party, the Bean Rock Ocean swim and the Barfoot and Thompson triathlon, and last but not least close to 2000 families came to Glover Park to watch the free Movie in the Parks screening of Barbie.

We have also seen a number of students who live in our ward receive BEST IN THE WORLD results in the Cambridge International exams. Huge congratulations to them all, we certainly have a lot of exceptional kids in our neighbourhood.

Talking about the younger generation, the other big news is Auckland Council’s Long-term Plan (10-year Budget) 2024/34 consultation document was adopted by the Budget Committee on 20 February. 

The public consultation will run from 28 February to 28 March. The feedback will be considered in April, and all decisions will be made in May, with the final Long-term Plan adopted by the Governing Body in June. This plan will impact all Aucklanders.

I encourage you all to read the consultation document as it looks different this time around. 

First, some context.  The budget must grapple with four big challenges on Council finances: 

1.      Ongoing impact of inflation and high-interest rates which impacts the cost of projects, operations and debt servicing.

2.      Cost of last year’s storms and building resilience for the next one.

3.      Government’s recent decision to abandon the Three Waters proposal means we still have to find a solution for the burden Watercare’s debt places on the council balance sheet.  While Council a fan of the Three Waters solution, we do need help from government with our long-term water infrastructure needs, both for existing pipes and to cope with new growth in population.

4.      Removal of the regional fuel tax.  While I never originally supported it, it did allow many valuable projects to proceed – new or improved roads, big public transport projects, electric buses, and cycling projects.  I’ve written to the Minister urging him to continue projects like Gowing Drive cycle link that were approved and ready to move to consents and construction – and to find a replacement funding tool for Council.

So, the LTP includes some big strategic changes suggested including a proposal by the Mayor to lease Auckland’s Port operations for 35 years, get an upfront payment (rather than waiting for the dividends to come in year on year) and invest the potential multi-billion dollar proceeds into a council-owned diversified regional wealth fund.  There are also some choices around the spend to get Auckland moving, strengthening Auckland’s resilience to flooding and making do with what we have while spending where it is needed most. Decisions on cultural, community services and water infrastructure are included too. In short, we want Aucklanders to have their say if they want council to do less and spend less or do more and spend more.

These choices will have a direct impact on what rates increases you will pay and therefore service levels provided.  There at 3 rates options. A central proposal recommends average rate increases of 7.5% in year one ($271 more a year, or $5.21 a week), 3.5% in year two, and 8% in year three (almost exclusively the result of the cost of operating the newly completed the City Rail Link).  There is also a “pay more, get more” option ($506 more a year, almost $10 a week), and a “pay less, get less” option ($199 a year, or $3.83 a week).   

Of course, that’s the city-wide average.

For Ōrākei Local Board area the likely increase for the average residential ratepayers is higher because property values are relatively higher in Ōrākei than other areas.  The central proposal would mean around $428 a year more ($8.23 a week). 

For Waitematā Local Board area the likely increase for the average residential ratepayer would be much lower - $262 a year in the central proposal ($5.03 a week).

In a nutshell what we need your views on centre on these key issues:

·         Transport: feedback on the proposed transport plan, including funding road renewals, the introduction of a $50 weekly cap for public transport, and options to 'spend more’ or 'spend less’.

·         North Harbour Stadium: options to keep the stadium as is, change management, or redevelop the site.

·         Major investments: options to establish an Auckland Future Fund, using the council’s shareholding in Auckland International Airport; and either lease the port operations to another party or continue to operate the Port of Auckland ourselves, investing the proceeds from either in the proposed fund.

·         Use of port land: in all cases, the port’s land and strategic assets will remain in Council ownership. Options to transfer prime waterfront land from the Port of Auckland Ltd. to Auckland Council within 2–5 years (Captain Cook Wharf and Marsden Wharf) and 15 years (Bledisloe Terminal).

·         Changes to other rates, fees, and charges: feedback on targeted rates, the Long-term Differential Strategy, recycling charges for schools, and refuse collection.

·         Local boards: feedback on the priorities for your local board and the proposed ‘fairer funding’ model.

As you can see there are big decisions to be made, and the cost benefit balance will not be an easy one.  I will be expecting robust conversations around the Town Hall table!

There are several ways you can leave feedback or find out more information. The consultation documents and ways to share your views can be found on the council website akhaveyoursay.nz

Online events - Monday 4 March and 12 March, Long term Plan information session webinar via zoom - https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/online-events

In person events - Thursday 7 March 2024, 4pm-5.30pm - at St Heliers Library, 32 St Heliers Bay Road, to ask questions or leave feedback about our proposed long-term plan. You must register to attend this event.   If you would like to go along, please email and let them know orakeilocalboard@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Tuesday 12 March 2024, 4pm-5.30pm you can meet the Waitematā Local Board team at the Town Hall Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Town Hall, 301-303 Queen Street, Auckland CBD. Register to attend waitematalocalboard@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Tell us what you think!

Moving on to what is happening locally.  We have had good news, bad news and some delay in news.

Good news – St Heliers watermain renewals began on 20 Feb on Rarangi Road (these works, and the associated disruption will be ongoing for around 5 weeks). These works are part of Watercare’s renewals programme to upgrade aging watermains that are susceptible to breaks and to ensure the security of your water supply in St Heliers.

Bad news- Remuera road burst water pipes earlier this month for the umpteenth time! Although the Remuera water pipe is in bad condition it is not by the far the worst in Auckland, therefore a permanent solution (rather than continual patch ups) won’t come anytime soon. Each year Watercare allocate close to $20 million for reactive watermain renewals. The current area on Remuera Road was assessed as of medium priority for replacement.

Delay in news – Ngāpipi Bridge- Auckland Transport originally said this work would be complete by December last year, and now the new estimated completion date is March 2024. I enquired about the delay and Auckland Transport have said that “the contractor was instructed to undertake some additional work on the new Ngāpipi pedestrian footbridge, to ensure the 36m section of the 98m footbridge is ready for use. This work ensures better ease of travel by foot, cycle traffic, and boat users. Pedestrian access will be fully opened, and traffic management restored to its normal layout once finished. In the meantime, the temporary traffic lights will have to stay in place until the bridge is complete. This is to ensure safe pedestrian and cyclist access while we still have an active construction site”. We can read between the lines! Hopefully the “additional work” has been ironed out and we can tick this off the to do list.

Watch this space - Many local residents have raised their concerns about the new Gull petrol station being built on St Johns Road and the predicted increase in traffic along this already busy road. I have asked council about the process that has been gone through and I’m following this up.

Thanks for keeping in touch and as you know, I’m always available on desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or 021971786

Newsletter - 1 February

Happy New Year! Here we are early February and January has gone already.

I’m sure we were all pleased to see some summer weather over the holiday period. January 22nd saw one of the hottest days on record in 4 years, and as I write this the temperatures are in the high 20’s and the humidity is up there too.

Auckland Anniversary weekend was full of activities with the International Buskers festival, the Auckland Anniversary Regatta, and the Red Bull Cliff Dive finals. However, whilst we have been basking in sunshine, I do think it’s important to remember and acknowledge this time last year.

January 2023 saw half of Auckland’s typical average annual rainfall fall across Auckland in just one month. Most of this was over the Auckland Anniversary weekend, including a huge deluge in only a few hours on 27 January 2023.

The resulting destruction was rapid and widespread. This was compounded further by Cyclone Gabrielle and then three further severe weather events. Hundreds of people have been working tirelessly to repair and redesign roads, clear slips and blockages, build new local water infrastructure, fix up community facilities - and assess thousands of affected properties for future flooding risk.

A year on there is still much to do. But, in remembering, we should acknowledge the severity of the numbers:

·         7,000 plus placards issued at properties in the aftermath

·         4,500 households required some sort of assistance

·         2,000 plus issues reported across the Auckland Transport network

·         Almost 1460 parks and community facility repair projects

·         And loss of life.

I would once again like to acknowledge those who lost their lives during those events . In the Ōrākei Ward, Dave Lennard who lived on Shore Road tragically died after his home was hit by a landslip.

As Council, we are in the recovery journey. Currently, affected properties are undergoing the risk categorisation process, and before Christmas the first buyouts took place.  Unfortunately, the complexity of Auckland’s geography and the assessment of future risk means that it is taking a long time to get clear answers for some homeowners.  For many Aucklanders, their reality is that they still haven't been given certainty, so they can either return to their homes, or move on, and that worries us all. But we do need to get it right to protect communities as much as we can against future weather events. 

Our roads, pipes, and infrastructure still require extensive repairs despite works already completed. We have secured almost $2 billion worth of investment in Auckland’s storm recovery and resilience programme in a cost share agreement between Government and Auckland Council, yet that’s nowhere near enough.

Looking forward, we have now implemented fair and equitable polices for affected homeowners, balancing that against ensuring the financial commitments to support them are affordable for all Aucklanders. People are navigating this process at different paces as each property must be assessed. The council, central government, insurers, and others, all have a role to play to deliver clarity, fairness, and equity for those affected. Visiting areas, listening to your harrowing experiences, and seeing the devastation the weather events caused and is still causing is truly heartbreaking. You have my assurance, that my advocacy remains focused on supporting affected communities across our region.

During the summer holiday season some of you may have missed the media relating to changes to recycling. As of 1 February, a central government directive to all councils means we need to change what can be recycled. Auckland Council collects approximately 132,000 tonnes every year from kerbside household recycling bins. However, because of these new changes we all now need to brush up on our recycling etiquette. Everyone across the country will follow the same guidelines. You now cannot put small lids from the likes of soft drink bottles in your blue bin and only plastic graded 1, 2 and 5. I hope your eyesight is good because the grade of plastic containers can be deduced from a small (often very small) triangle symbol with a number in the middle that will be on the container. No longer can you put juice or milk cartons, biscuit packaging, or bread bags in your blue recycling bin. For a full explanation, further information can be found here.

As mentioned in my November 2023 newsletter, over the next few months I will update you on the Long-term Plan (10 – year budget) process.  This budget sets out what we plan to achieve in Auckland over the next 10 years and how we will fund it. Currently the consultation papers are being drafted and it looks like they will be available for all to view at the end of this month – 28 February.  I know I am labouring the point, but it is so important that Aucklanders have their say, engage with the consultation process, and take the opportunity to be involved in the decision-making process. Investment in local facilities like libraries, pool and parks, flood mitigation, protecting our natural environment and our transport system are all points that will be discussed, challenged, and prioritised.

Moving on to local news and ending with some positives.

·         It has been a LONG wait, but Stage 2 of the Rail Network Rebuild is complete by KiwiRail. After nine months of work upgrading the track foundation and drainage the Eastern Line has now reopened- meaning Ōrākei, Meadowbank, and other Eastern Line stations are back in action (I know many local residents are relieved the rail replacement buses are gone).  Eastern Line trains will run between Manukau and Waitematā (Britomart) via Panmure. Trains will run every 10 minutes during peak hours, every 20 minutes inter-peak and every 30 minutes in the evenings and weekends.

·         Parnell station pedestrian underpass is officially open. The works were undertaken by Auckland Transport to makes it safer, quicker, and easier to navigate the platforms.

·         In yet another wonderful nod to history, Auckland Domain's iconic band rotunda, a grand 111-year-old landmark, has undergone a meticulous restoration. Originally gifted to the city by former Auckland Councillor James Mennie in 1913, the rotunda now stands as a beacon of historical accuracy, reverting to its original Edwardian colours that evoke the charm of the era in which it was constructed.

·         Just so you are aware Synthony in the Domain, a one-day music festival featuring electronic dance music, a live orchestra, DJ’s, internationally acclaimed performers and spectacular visuals will be back on Saturday 10 February (the event will go ahead rain or shine and ends at 11.30pm).

Finally, I hope you all have a great 2024. Thanks for keeping in touch and as you know, I’m always available on desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or 021971786