Earlier this week, Auckland Council signed off its 10-Year Budget (2021-2031), our Recovery Budget. The plan consists of a record $31.8 billion investment to assist economic recovery, deliver increased renewals for our ageing infrastructure, fast-track improvements to water quality, alongside a reduction in non-essential spending. It has one of the highest levels of investment back into our ward of any Long-Term Plan in the history of Auckland Council.
How is it funded? First, this budget builds on our record $120 million in savings and efficiencies from the Emergency Budget, locking in $90 million of savings for every year of the ten-year budget. It’s a target we need to meet, and it is achievable. Second, we will temporarily increase our borrowing, having discussed this with our rating agencies. They have indicated that in this Covid-impacted environment, they are comfortable with our budget as outlined. Our average general rates increase of 5% then 3.5% for the remaining years gives us a $900 million investment opportunity in the first three years of the budget, to deliver more, faster.
Feedback on the draft budget from the Ōrākei Ward showed more support for than against. Both local boards (Ōrākei Local Board and Waitematā Local Board) supported the budget (in fact, 20 of the 21 local boards were in support) and based on that feedback, so did I.
So, what’s confirmed in the plan for the Ōrākei Ward area over the next 3 years?
Parks
Colin Maiden Park will receive nearly $3 million to upgrade sports fields, add lighting, paths, and other amenities to improve its use. Secure funding will also support the development of a third sports field and lighting at Shore Road East Reserve. Thomas Bloodworth Reserve will also receive funding for an upgrade.
Transport
The north-south links to the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path (which I have advocated for since 2013) are finally funded. This will improve road safety and reduce congestion by providing off-road access to schools and commuters and connect multiple communities across the Pourewa Valley. This has been in the Ōrākei Local Board’s top three most advocated for projects for every ten-year plan since Auckland Council began. Great to finally have it funded.
The seaward-side footpath on Tamaki Drive, alongside the new separated cycleway on the causeway, will also be funded, allowing this project to be fully realized. Don’t ask why it wasn’t part of the road raising/separated cycleway project in the first place!
Often the most wanted transport improvements are smaller things like new bus shelters, safety improvements around pedestrian crossings or footpath improvements. The Ōrākei Local Board will receive just under $3 million over the next three years to deliver these small but often requested transport improvements. The Waitemata Local Board will also receive just under $3 million.
Environment and Climate
Funding from the Natural Environment Targeted Rate will go towards restoring and enhancing the natural environment of the Pourewa Valley, including St Johns Bush, Kepa Bush, Selwyn Bush and Tahapa Reserve. A dedicated staff member will oversee the delivery of the Pourewa Integrated Plan, which will see some wonderful environmental outcomes for the valley. The Natural Environment Targeted rate will also ensure continued delivery of Kauri dieback mitigation measures in our area, including at Dingle Dell in St Heliers.
Tamaki Drive will receive funding for climate mitigation work, which will include the implementation of temporary flood barriers along the sea wall, as well as installation of the non-return valves on existing stormwater outlets.
The reserves alongside Portland Road will also receive funding for work to restore and enhance their wetlands this year, finishing with the road raising component – both reducing the impacts of flooding.
Community
The Meadowbank Community Centre will receive funding to deliver a major rebuild. Again, this has been on the ‘most wanted’ list for over 9 years but now the Ōrākei Local Board will make it happen.
Regional grants have been reinstated and are now available to support the incredible work done by the various groups dedicated to positive community outcomes. A key example of region wide grants for our area includes the funding of our Eastern Bays Songbird project, which has significantly reduced pests in the Eastern Bays and tangibly brought back more birdlife to our area.
As a result of more grant funding, Ōrākei Local Board grants will also be available for community groups to deliver further local investment where needed.
Water
Responding to health warning signs all around Hobson Bay, the increase in the Water Quality Targeted Rate (WQTR) will enable significant investment six years earlier than planned into the Eastern Beaches from Parnell to Glendowie (in the first instance focused on Hobson Bay), Newmarket and the Tamaki Estuary. This project is called the Eastern Isthmus Programme and had a strong level of local support in ward feedback.
As Watercare deliver new wastewater infrastructure projects such as the Newmarket Gully Tunnel, we will optimise that investment by undertaking stormwater upgrades and stormwater separation. In fact, the one off 5% rates rise (dropping down to 3.5% for the remaining years) also delivers 50% of below the ground infrastructure renewals for us in central Auckland.
We have a long way to go in terms of improving the quality of our water, but the level of investment provided through the WQTR is a big step in the right direction and one I have particularly championed for this budget. Overall, this rate will enable an additional $255.9 million of investment.
Regional funding will also deliver renewed sluice gates at our much-loved Ōrākei Basin. This will result in improved water quality through better flushing of the basin.
Whilst we shouldn’t always compare, it’s worth noting that other councils around New Zealand such as Tauranga, Wellington and Dunedin have decided on a much higher general rates rises than Auckland, as they too tackle the issue of replacing ageing infrastructure and planning for future growth. It is also worth noting that while our rates income has increased, the percentage of revenue we get from rates has decreased to 37% in year one. We are doing more ourselves and relying less on ratepayers to fund all we do.
So, is it perfect? No, nothing is. We don’t know what the future will hold but in my personal opinion, backed by our treasury and finance team and the Office of the Auditor-General, this budget is fiscally prudent enough to ensure that if we stay safe in our Covid-impacted world, we can recover well. If we don’t, we can weather that storm too.
Happy to discuss any aspects of the budget with you if required.
Newsletter 30th April
Earlier this month in our Finance and Performance Committee meeting, I moved a resolution noting council had reached a record $119 million of savings in just 9 months, $1 million short of our Emergency Budget savings target of $120 million. It’s sometimes hard to articulate how big that achievement actually is, so for context I’ll tell you that this figure is larger than the total rates income from 16 of our 21 local boards, and higher than the residential income from three more – no mean feat let me tell you. As we continue to search for more savings and more efficiencies, I will continue to push the council to deliver cost efficiency while ensuring that we focus on improving essential services that Aucklanders rely on. Good council news isn’t always easy to find, but I’m sure you’ll agree this is definitely one.
On a slightly different tack, yesterday you might have read about the High Court action against Auckland Council to stop the ongoing Queen Street pedestrian trial. Last year, a decision for the City Centre Masterplan refresh came to council’s Planning Committee. The report outlined the future of the central city and council’s approach to placemaking. While much of the plan had merit, one of its key changes was no east-west connection. As the mayor put it, central Auckland would now be a place to go to, not through.
Vehicles wanting to go east-west would need to travel an ‘around’ route via The Strand (which is a state highway designation) to the motorway and back off on the western side. My concerns voiced at the meeting covered three key points:
1. Before we adopted any new plan, we needed to know the practicalities of how this would work, along with the associated traffic modelling. Auckland Transport commented (quite rightly in my opinion) they would need at least a year to figure this out and I believed we should see that work first.
2. No east-west connection. Many of you have contacted me voicing dismay at this change. Concern from me was further enhanced due to the re-routing option that would only work if Waka Kotahi- NZ Transport Agency (central government) prioritised infrastructure for this – which has yet to happen despite this plan dating back to 2012. Hasn’t the central city enough cones and disruption already? Why don’t we wait until the CRL and other key works are completed before embarking on even more disruption?
3. The cost. Transport infrastructure is expensive, we have many competing demands from all parts of Auckland, and we have already spent considerable millions on the central city. We need to be mindful to spend equitably.
So, while I believed in some of the long-term outcomes presented, I was nervous about the practical implications of pushing forward with that work without knowing details around implications.
So did not vote for the refreshed City Centre Masterplan but was considerably outnumbered!
Fast track from last year to this year. East /west route is now limited to one lane on Quay street and busses are taking up almost all of Customs Street. Victoria street is a chicane for west/east vehicles in and out of bus lanes (kachink for $150 driving in bus lane fines) and Queen Street is, well,……I’m struggling for words here….let’s just say it’s not working well for most people. As for the inclusion of that around the city off ramp? Still not in any plans.
So, what we now see today is a group of people totally frustrated as to their lack of ability to be heard re their concerns and looking at the courts to resolve.
Sad this could not be settled in another way as the cost of legal support for both sides comes at a financially challenging time for all. My understanding is that the court hearing will take place next week - will keep you posted
Finally, we are currently in the final stages of the process to determine our 10-year budget. In the next weeks, I will provide further detail about the steps to get us to the final decision, including unpacking the feedback we received from our local communities. What we know to date includes the response from the Colmar Brunton feedback. This was an independent piece of research speaking to more than 4000 Aucklanders from every local board area and found that 46 per cent of respondents supported the proposed 10-year budget, with 37 per cent of respondents opposed.
Enjoy your weekend and remember school is back next week.
Newsletter - 4th March
Going into lockdown twice in as many weeks is a worrying time for all of us but specifically business owners who are still recovering from last year. Knowing that the losses in previous lockdown were estimated at between $30-40million per day in lost GDP - as well as around 200 jobs lost per day – there is no doubt Auckland is still taking an economic hit from Covid.
Council playgrounds are closed under level 3 so if you need to leave your home by car please be extra vigilant as there will be potentially more children and adults getting some ‘out of the house time’ on our footpaths. Many small businesses are shut but try and check out those who are open and support them if you can. Equally ‘at home time’ can be stressful for some, so a friendly phone call to check in on neighbours, friends and family can make a positive difference.
I’ve shared with you previously that Auckland Council’s drop in revenue last year was significant. We now know the impact will be ongoing and with losses estimated to total $1billion by 2024. We are committed to the prudent management of our finances and a continued focus on a large amount of savings, while maintaining the essential services that Aucklanders rely on and supporting the region’s economic recovery. Therefore, the 10-year budget we will adopt in June, and now open for public consultation, will be one focused on recovery rather than business as usual.
I understand the scrutiny that is placed on the setting of rates. It is really important to me that we address any concerns about rates and the way we spend ratepayer dollars upfront. Pre-Covid, much of council’s income - 60% - came from non-rates sources, much greater than any other council in New Zealand. In this budget, we will need to do more to help ourselves and to this end we are increasing our short-term borrowing; continuing our drive for savings and efficiencies; and selling surplus assets to reinvest in critical infrastructure. We are also looking at other income, like introducing a targeted rate on Vector of $10.5 million per year (which they support). This seeks to reduce the risk of Vector’s powerlines from trees owned by council, ultimately improving public safety around power lines and reducing power outages. As for rates in general, the Mayor’s proposal seeks to retain an annual 3.5% rates increase with a one-off general rate increase of 5% for 2021/2022. This increase forms part of an overall investment package which will enable $900 million of additional investment over the next three years and would mean amongst other things a higher level of investment in projects in our two local board areas (Waitemata and Orakei). Some specific examples include restoring the Auckland Art Gallery’s beautiful heritage building and the long-awaited north/south links to the Tamaki Drive to Glen Innes shared path. However, without this level of investment projects like the restoration of the Art Gallery would be deferred out for at least three years of the plan.
As part of the budget, we will also remain committed to making savings and providing value for money to ratepayers. On that, it’s worth noting that the savings we have made since 2011/2012 mean we are operating for $316 million less than we would have otherwise, all without impacting service levels. That’s a cumulative total of just under $2Billion.
Further to that, as part of our current Emergency Budget, as of the end of January, we have made a record $105 million of savings through organisational restructuring including a review of how and where services are delivered, a reduction in the council’s vehicle fleet and more efficient procurement. We are now proposing to lock in $90 million of the savings that have been made in the current financial year, as well as selling surplus property that is no longer needed or fit for purpose, to play our part in reinvesting in the critical infrastructure Auckland needs.
Knowing how important feedback has been on water quality in the past, the mayor has also proposed we extend the Water Quality Targeted Rate (WQTR) out from 2021-2031, which makes sense in terms of enabling further investment around the region. However, I personally don’t think that proposal goes far enough. That extension would see investment in the likes of Hobson Bay held up for another six years. Based on the numerous sites across Ōrākei that have public health signage, I’m interested in your views as to whether we should wait six years for that much-needed investment or get it started now. To that end, there is an alternative proposal I’ve put forward to increase the WQTR in line with the general rates increase and bring forward work that will address the conditions of our water along the Eastern Beaches from Quay Street to Glendowie, as well as the Tāmaki catchment, along with issues facing the communities of Parnell and Newmarket. The cost of that equates to $3.30 for the average residential ratepayer.
But none of the projects are guaranteed.
Feedback is now open on the Recovery Budget (until March 22) and it’s really important to me that we hear your thoughts on all that is proposed. For information on how to take part in the consultation process online or at one of our events (depending on alert levels), please see our website here. As always, if you want to discuss any matters including our proposed Recovery Budget please reach out to me.
Stay safe in your bubbles and best wishes as always.
Desley
Newsletter 27 January
I hope you are all feeling refreshed after a break over the festive period and enjoying our wonderful Kiwi Summer. Even though Council meetings were in recess I stayed in touch assisting with constituent queries including an urgent issue for one St Heliers resident on Christmas Day. With overseas travel being a ‘no go’ it was wonderful to spend time at various NZ locations, a reminder as to what a great part of the world we live in. My holiday included time on Waiheke with my family, especially my 3 wonderful grandchildren whom I love but some days definitely tyre-ed me out! I’m missing being at the beach, but happy to be back in the office and raring to go - our official council meetings start up again next week.
The next few months will be busy as we enter the consultation and deliberation phases of the Long-Term Plan 2021-2031 (10-year budget) process. Public Consultation will be open from 22nd February until 22nd March and will involve a series of public meetings; webinars; drop-in sessions across the region as well as the opportunity to Have Your Say online. I’ll provide details of those events in my next newsletter. In the meantime, you can read over the Mayor’s proposal here and consider how we might best respond to the impact of COVID-19; climate change; water quality issues and our options for rating and regional investment. I’ll also update you on my amendment to the mayor’s proposal to assist water quality next time too.
I’ve received a lot of feedback from cyclists about the uneven surface on the new cycleway on Tāmaki Drive between Ngapipi and Solent Street. Owing to the width of the path, the asphalt was laid by hand rather than by machine. This has worked successfully in other locations but in this case the delivery was not up to standard. The contractor will be fixing this, obviously at no extra cost to the ratepayer. Auckland Transport acknowledged that the path was slightly uneven before Christmas and after confirmation that the undulations did not pose a safety risk for cyclists made the decision to allow it to be used and delay its repair until after the festive period to prevent the chaos of a new holiday period traffic management plan. I find it unacceptable we didn’t get this right the first time around, however I’m pleased to hear improvements will be made - at no extra cost.
In terms of the broader Tāmaki Drive project (which as you know isn’t just a cycle lane project), work between the Ngapipi Bridge and Solent Street intersection will be completed in May 2021. Work will commence on the next section – between Solent Street and the Strand – and be completed in August of this year. At this stage I have managed to keep tidal flows for peak hour vehicle traffic to somewhat mitigate the considerable inconvenience this project causes to regular Tāmaki Drive users.
Sticking with Auckland Transport news – they announced last week that Off-Peak fares will become permanent on 7th February. Anyone using an AT-HOP card between 9am and 3pm and after 6.30pm during the week; and anytime at weekends will receive a 10% discount on their fare! They’ve also introduced a daily cap of $20 for all buses, trains and inner harbour ferry services no matter how far you travel.
KiwiRail are in the midst of some vital track improvements meaning that rail closures will continue into February. Buses will replace trains on the Eastern Line this weekend – full details of which lines are operational and when are available here. Again, this is an inconvenience, but one they are not able to avoid.
I know those of you not able to watch cup racing live at one of our local vantage points or on the water, have been glued to the television following the exciting Prada Cup races – what a great opportunity to show the world our beautiful Hauraki Gulf! I’ve also been down to visit the America’s Cup Village and the big screen at Summer in the Square. One thing to remember though is that ferry timetables will be slightly altered on race days. If you’re planning on taking a ferry anytime soon, best to double check if your sailing will be impacted here
Did you know you can also purchase a limited edition 36th America’s Cup AT HOP card? These can be purchased online or at your nearest location – a great memento!
You will no doubt have heard about New Zealand’s first community case of COVID-19 since November. As of Wednesday 27th January, it appears the infected person has not passed the virus onto anyone else, included to 15 close contacts who have all tested negative. While important questions are being asked regarding how the woman contracted the virus in a managed isolation facility, we can consider ourselves very lucky that she did everything right – she used the COVID Tracer app everywhere she went, and she was tested when she showed symptoms. A big thank you to her for doing her bit to keep us all safe; and a fitting reminder of how important using your COVID Tracer app is when you are out and about.
Although most of us are back at work, we can look forward to some public holidays including Auckland Anniversary this Monday 1st February. Below are just some of the events being held this weekend:
· Vector Lights show on Auckland Harbour Bridge every 15minutes from 9pm until midnight between 29th January and 1st February.
· New Zealand Folk Festival in Kumeu Showgrounds
· The Auckland International Buskers Festival across the waterfront and Viaduct Harbour
· The Chinese New Year Festival and Market Day will be held on Saturday 30th January at the ASB Showgrounds
· The Auckland Anniversary Regatta will be held on February 1st – you can watch from Westhaven or various other locations across the city.
· The SeePort Festival will be held Sunday 31st January at Captain Cook Wharf
The following weekend, head down to Ōrākei Domain next Saturday 6th February from 10-3pm for Waitangi Day ki Ōkahu hosted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. This is a free day out involving delicious food, arts & crafts stalls and health screenings and is a smoke-free, alcohol-free and zero-waste event!
Best wishes to you all and lets hope 2021 is a better year for everyone
Desley
Sewage contamination in the streams flowing into Waitaramoa/Hobson Bay and orakei Basin
What’s the issue?
• Sewage is contaminating the streams flowing into Hobson Bay and Ōrākei Basin in all weather.
What are Auckland Council and Watercare doing about this?
• Auckland Council and Watercare are working to identify and fix the most urgent problems. Water quality is being regularly monitored however the problems will take some time to fix. Until this happens, please take extra precautions around the streams and Waitaramoa/ Hobson Bay
• Public Health Warning signs have been placed at key locations advising the area is not safe for swimming, other water activities or collection of and eating of kaimoana.
• Significant investment by Auckland Council and Watercare is currently being proposed to address the long-term problems but it will take over a decade to make the major improvements needed.
What you need to know to keep safe?
• We recommend only swimming at Safeswim sites when it is safe to do so (safeswim.org.nz). The nearest safeswim sites are at Okahu Bay and at Taurarua/Judges Bay
• Treat the streams flowing into Waitaramoa/Hobson Bay and Ōrākei Basin as potentially contaminated by wastewater at all times. This includes Newmarket Stream, Hapua Stream, Portland Road Stream, Waiata Stream and Ōrākei Creek. The water quality in Pourewa Creek is good in dry weather but potentially poor within 48 hours of any rain.
• Do not play in or around the affected streams. It is recommended you never swim in any urban stream. If you touch the water in the affected streams it is strongly recommended that you wash or sanitize your hands and anything that has come into contact with the water straight away.
• Keep children and dogs out of the water at all times.
• It is recommended you do not swim in Hobson Bay at any time at present. While the water quality at Tinana’s/Wilson’s Beach is usually good, the water quality in other parts of the bay is variable.
• Kayaking and other on-water activities within Waitaramoa/Hobson bay are generally low-risk during dry weather but should be avoided within 48 Hours of rainfall. Please take more caution near where streams enter the bay.
• Treat Ōrākei Basin with caution within 48 hours of rainfall. During dry weather the basin is safe for recreational use.
• Please observe all warning signs. Please contact Auckland Council Environmental Health on 09-301-0101 if signs have been damaged or removed
What would help?
• You can help by keeping yourself safe, letting others know and reporting any pollution you see or smell on 09 3773107
• Have your say on the Long-Term Plan for Auckland Council between 22 February 2021 -22 March 2021 which will include major projects to help resolve these issues.
Newsletter - 11th December
Last Tuesday was officially the first day of Summer, and the good news is that after months of water savings across the region, we finally voted to relax water restrictions! From 14 December, Aucklanders will be able to use hand-held hoses and water blasting devices so long as they are fitted with trigger nozzles. This is great news as we come into Summer and means we can look after our gardens, top up pools, flush boat motors and wash homes and cars. We were only able to make this change due to the 7 billion litres of water we’ve saved since restrictions were enforced in May – so thank you for all the sacrifices you’ve made! As of this week, total dam storage level: 72.5%. Please see our water supply update for more information.
You will also remember that this year’s Emergency Budget included a $224million water infrastructure investment to fund improving our water supply, storage and processing. Progress against this is as follows, (figures are in MLD – million litres/day):
· The Hickey Springs Bores in Pukekohe have been is in service since October adding 5MLD
· Expansion of the Waikato Treatment Plant in Tuakau has delivered an extra 25MLD since August, which will increase to 50MLD by May 2021
· Expansion of the Onehunga Treatment Plant has been operative as of September adding 4MLD by January 2021.
· Papakura Hays Creek Dam is in service as of this month adding 6MLD by January 2021, which will increase to 12MLD by March 2021.
This week the mayor presented his mayoral proposal for the next ten years. In summary, he had 4 key propositions regarding spending and rates-setting:
1. Continuing with a strong emphasis on value for money and savings locking in at least $90 million dollars of the $120 million savings achieved in the current Emergency Budget as continued savings
2. A continuation of selling property surplus to need in order to reinvest the proceeds to meet Auckland’s critical infrastructure needs
3. Temporarily increasing our borrowing for three years
4. Having an average general rates rise of 5% in year one then 3.5% for the remaining years
With regard to the rates rise, there were a number of councillors who wanted this to be higher than 5% in the first and subsequent years, but equally there were those who considered 5% to be too high. I want to emphasise that the proposal was the mayor’s thoughts; and that councillors then collectively agreed to let this proposal go out to Aucklanders before making a final decision. This consultation will happen February/March next year - I will keep you updated as to the workstreams and projects relevant to Ōrākei Ward as well as how and when to have your say.
Now for a quick transport update - Auckland Transport open a consultation this week on a proposed raised zebra crossing on Portland Road, Remuera. This is in response to feedback from residents that safety in the area is paramount, specifically children crossing outside King’s School and those accessing nearby bus stops. The proposed zebra crossing would increase visibility of the crossing and also aim to reduce the speed for approaching drivers. Consultation is open until 22 December via the AT website which also contains full details of the plans and reasoning - please let them know your thoughts using the online survey.
From Monday 14 December, Waka Kotahi ( NZTA) will be taking up a little more space in Tahapa Reserve East. It is well within their consented area but will likely be frustrating for users of the reserve. Staff have attempted to keep as much open space available and will maintain the access into Purewa Cemetery. This will be the case until 9 February to ensure the team have a safe amount of space whilst they work on the pedestrian rail bridge.
There will be some heavy truck movements through the compound area at the reserve from 26 December and work will also begin in the ‘bowl’ section of the reserve from early January. NZTA have made affected neighbours aware.
Before I talk about the exciting upcoming America’s Cup races, some important travel advice:
· On race days between 1pm-8pm, Tāmaki Drive will be open to one-way traffic only – city bound between Ngapipi Road to Aitken Avenue. Businesses and residents will still be able to access their premises/residences but will need to go the long way around. Paratai Drive and Cliff Road will be closed for residents only access.
· General advice is to plan ahead, leave plenty of time and travel by bus/rail/ferry if you can.
From December 17-20, four international teams from New Zealand, Italy, United States, and Great Britain will compete against each other for the PRADA America’s Cup World Series Auckland and the PRADA Christmas Race (20 December). The event will see current America’s Cup defender Emirates Team New Zealand; the Challenger of Record Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team; INEOS TEAM UK; and New York Yacht Club American Magic race over four days on the Waitematā Harbour.
Race details you need to know:
· The first race on December 17 sees Emirates Team New Zealand compete against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team. There will be four races per day from 3pm to 6pm, of round robin competition when all of the four teams will race each other twice. See the race format here.
· On the fourth day (20th of December), the PRADA Christmas Race will kick off and will be comprised of two knock out stages, the first stage consists of two head to head match ups, the winners of each will progress to the final, the losers to a 3rd and 4th match which will help decide the final rankings. The pairing of the Christmas Race semifinals will be decided by the results of the PRADA ACWS Auckland double Round Robin.
· Situated at the start of Hobson’s Wharf and continuing on through the Eastern Viaduct and the Western Viaduct, up to the Jellicoe Car Park, the America’s Cup Race Village officially opens December 15 and is free to enter and a great place to enjoy the action from or just soak up the atmosphere. Besides the Village stage and big screens, fans can buy merchandise and test their sailing skills on the AC75 simulator, enjoy a meal or drink at Te Pou, a New Zealand themed bar and restaurant, or toast with champagne at the custom-built two storey Mumm Yacht Club champagne bar, all in the heart of the race village. There will also be concerts, cultural activities and other exciting activations taking place with more to be announced soon. The Village has a limited visitor capacity and will operate from 9am until 11pm on racing days and from 10am until 10pm on non-racing days. Download the Race Village map here.
On Monday 7th I celebrated the life of my friend and former colleague Dick Quax along with other Councillors, Howick Local Board members and Dick’s family. A memorial was unveiled at Wakaaranga Reserve in Half Moon Bay honouring Dick’s contribution to athletics and local government representing the Howick Ward and previously Manukau City Council. Interpretative signage and a series of bollards have been installed along the 5000-metre route of the Wakaaranga Creek walkway commemorating the world record time Dick Quax set at that distance. Dick remains in our thoughts and is sorely missed from the council table.
Finally, whilst we have Council meetings for another week or so, this will be my last newsletter of 2020 -what a year we’ve all had!!
I for one am definitely ready to have a rest! I hope you are all able to take some time out over the summer to relax and spend time with friends and family. To those who celebrate Hanukkah -happy holiday, to those who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas and to each and every one of you stay safe, enjoy the holiday season, take care of each other and may 2021 be better for us all
Seasons Greetings and thank you for reading my updates
Desley
Regional Investment for 2019 – 2020 Orakei Ward
One year on since election 2019, I am pleased to report on investment into the Orakei Ward resulting from my role and advocacy as your ward councillor.
Water
Funding confirmed and construction well underway for the Ōkahu Bay stormwater network separation project. This is a $15.5 million collaboration between Auckland Council, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and Watercare. The work will separate stormwater from the combined system, stop huge volumes of sewage into the harbour and to improve the water quality of the Waitemata -especially in Okahu Bay.
46 manholes have been installed and 1439m of public stormwater pipes have been constructed as part of the Ngake Walkway upgrade of our stormwater infrastructure funded regionally by the Water Quality Targeted Rate.
Safe Networks investigations to identify contaminants in our water network took place this year in Meadowbank, Mission Bay, St Heliers, Kohimarama, Okahu Bay, Judges Bay, Hobson Bay, and Newmarket Stream. When issues are identified we can then look at options for management and control of our stormwater infrastructure. This work has been funded by the Water Quality Targeted Rate and as a result will help give evidence to support further funding in the Long Term Plan.
Stream restoration projects in McArthur Avenue and Newmarket Stream took place and involve getting rid of invasive weeds and replanting the stream banks with native plants. These act as natural filtration and assist in enhancing native biodiversity. Again, this funding came from our regional Water Quality pot.
Waiatarua Reserve silt trap sediment removal occurred after years of delay This was part of a plan to enhance the important wetlands and wider reserve area at NZ’s largest urban wetland in St Johns. Funded by us regionally this has been well overdue, a very pleasing achievement which impacts not just Waiatarua but its network through to Orakei Basin and ultimately the Waitemata Harbour.
Heritage
One of the things I was able to achieve as a member of our Planning Committee was Plan Change 31. This identified and approved sites of heritage value that should receive heritage recognition as part of the Unitary Plan:
1. Remuera Post Office, 358-364 Remuera Road
2. Remuera Primary School War Memorial Gates, 25 Dromorne Road
3. Upland Road Village Shops (area)
Environment
New and expanded pest plant control was undertaken in Dingle Dell Reserve, Kepa Bush Reserve, Macpherson Reserve, Martyn Wilson Fields and Sonia Reserve, Orakei Basin, Roberta Reserve, Tahuna Torea Nature Reserve, Waitaramoa Reserve and Wharua Reserve as a result of funding from the Natural Environment Targeted Rate.
Hauraki Gulf Controlled Area Biosecurity Management Plan was adopted and will provide greater prevention of the spread of pests across the Hauraki Gulf and neighbouring coastlines of which the Orakei Ward is part of.
Again, thanks to the Natural Environment Targeted Rate we approved a regional workstream which included Kauri Dieback control within our ward. This took place with the upgrade of tracks in Dingle Dell Reserve in St Heliers.
Enhancing our area’s natural environment in general, we were able to provide approximately 2,200 new plantings in Waiatarua Reserve, Tahuna Torea Nature Reserve, Churchill Park, Kepa Bush, Dingle Dell Reserve, and Wharua Reserve. Again, this was delivered through our Natural Environment Targeted Rate.
Funding and completion of Pourewa Nursery (on Kepa Rd) provides a fit for purpose hub focused on restoration of natives, education, and research on the environment.
Auckland Domain of which I am the chair, received regional funding for sports field renewals, pathway connections, Winter Gardens renewal, major events like ASB Classic and Music in the Park, pest control, improving operations for our glasshouses, and a new carpark on Kiosk Rd.
Transport
The Tamaki Drive (Plumer St to Ngapipi Rd) route connecting Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive shared path and Quay Street cycle route received a committed $14.4m in funding and is in construction with a completion date of the end of 2022. This will safely separate cyclists from pedestrians and vehicles as well as raising of the road up to half a metre to prevent flooding.
Funding was approved for the design phase of the Tamaki Dr / Ngapipi bridge widening project to add separated pedestrian ‘clip-on’ walkways without the need to narrow the road corridor.
We committed $37m funding to walking and cycling paths from Tamaki Drive to Glen Innes.
A further $108 million was dedicated to the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Scheme shared path which is an off-road cycle highway from Glen Innes Rail Station to Tamaki Drive. Stage three is in construction after years of delays.
Parnell East received a residential parking zone to the east of St Stephens Avenue at the same time as safety improvements were made to improve visibility on the street. Many residents have been advocating for this for a long time.
Government Advocacy
With Covid challenging us financially, successful advocacy to central government has resulted in the government committing to almost fully funding the most expensive third section of the GI-TD shared path.
Community Grants
Eastern Bays Songbird Project, dedicated to the restoration of the natural ecosystems of the Eastern Bays, received approximately $65,000 of regional funding to go towards their work making the northern suburbs of the Orakei Ward pest free and improving our bird corridors.
Auckland Netball received a Sport and Recreation Investment Fund of $190,000 to progress a site investigation and business case for future indoor/covered court development at the Netball Centre next to Stonefields.
A further $150,000 was given to fund community access to the facilities at Auckland Netball Centre in Ngahue Reserve.
$90,000 given to fund community access to the facility at Barfoot and Thompson Stadium in Kohimarama.
Financial
Securing a separate Value for Money Committee resulted in a programme that has delivered over $270 million in benefits and savings to date.
Auckland Council parent identified and delivered on a further $23 million efficiency target for 2019/2020 financial year through a greater control of discretionary expenditure and the removal of duplication from across our business.
This result was after accounting for a $79 million net negative impact of COVID-19 on group revenue during the period.
Auckland Council is now operating $312m less per year than the former Unitary Authority and former councils did prior to amalgamation
We remained with our prudential debt limits, with debt to revenue at 264% compared to our 270% policy limit.
Both of our credit rating agencies have reaffirmed our ratings with stable outlook:
o S&P Global rating of AA reaffirmed September 2020
o Moody’s Investor Services rating of Aa2 reaffirmed April 2020
Group investment of $2.6 billion in our city’s asset’s including $1.1 billion in transport infrastructure and $748 million in water infrastructure.
We do not expect our ratepayers to fund all our expenditure, in fact only 36% of our revenue came from rates while 64% comes from other revenue sources.
Community
Completed the project to upgrade the Orakei Community Centre – Citizens Advice Bureau which included 2 new CAB rooms, a new CAB office, new kitchen to serve the venue for hire facility and a repaint of the main hall.
Refurbished the sluice gates in the Orakei Basin – responsible for flushing the water of the Basin
So that’s the regional funding I secured to invest back into the Orakei Ward. This is of course over and above the Local Board budgets and workstreams (Orakei and Waitemata).
Newsletter - 6th November
In September, I shared with you the outcomes of the review of our Council Controlled Organisations (CCO) Review which included a recommendation to merge Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) into one entity. Last week the new entity was named- Auckland Unlimited – reflecting the huge potential our city has! Auckland Unlimited will now be responsible for tourism promotion, major events, economic development, and our major facilities including the Aotea Centre, Mt Smart Stadium and the Zoo. It’s important that we take these opportunities to make savings for ratepayers and I’m pleased to advise this merger is set to save us up to $7million per year!
Speaking of savings, last week the Finance and Performance Committee received an update on Auckland Council’s progress towards our $120million savings target for our Emergency Budget. In the last month, we’ve made a further $9million in savings taking us to a total of $78million thus far. This is an incredible achievement but also an absolute necessity if council is to meet our budget restraints.
On Friday 30th October, the Auckland Council Group published our Annual Report 2019/2020 detailing what we and our council controlled organisations have done over the past year to contribute to Auckland’s outcomes. While our careful fiscal management has ensured that we are well-placed to steer a course to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the drought, in the face of strong headwinds we will need continue to find economies and become a leaner, more agile organization. I have shared the key highlights from our latest annual report on my website.
The Finance and Performance Committee have continued our weekly workshops as part of our Long-Term Plan (2021-2031) process. Following the conclusion of these workshops at the end of November, Mayor Goff will put forward his proposal including the issues he would like to consult with the public on. Public consultation will take place from mid-February to mid-March. I will keep you informed via these updates as I feel strongly that you need to be informed and input before any final decisions are made.
Those of you who travel by train will be aware of Kiwirail’s ongoing essential works which have resulted in temporary closures. This weekend (7 and 8th November), the Eastern Line is operational between Britomart and Sylvia Park, however buses will replace trains between Panmure and Manukau. The Southern Line is operational between Britomart and Penrose, with buses replacing trains from Penrose to Pukekohe. The following weekend (14 and 15th November), buses replace trains on all lines to allow for upgrades to the Westfield and Wiri Junctions.
Sticking with local news, I was delighted last month when my colleagues on the Parks, Arts and Communities and Events Committee joined with me and approved allocation from the Sport and Recreation Investment Fund for $190,000 to Auckland Netball. This money will progress a site investigation and business case for future indoor/covered court development at the Netball Centre in Stonefields. This is incredible news for the area .It’s so important that our young people have access to state of the art sports facilities so that we can nurture their talents.
Last year we had some really terrible fires at Maungarei (Mt Wellington) and Maungawhau (Mt Eden) on Guy Fawkes’ Night which caused significant damage to vegetation. In response, the Tūpuna Maunga Authority who govern Auckland’s volcanic cones announced they will be closed to the public in the evenings during the week of Guy Fawkes. This will be the case each year for as long as fireworks remain on sale to the public. I would encourage you to enjoy public firework displays rather than purchasing your own – in addition to potential dangers if misused, they cause a great deal of anxiety for our pets. There are several events throughout the month of November where families can enjoy firework displays safely.
The maunga will be closed from 7.30pm each night from Monday 2nd November until Sunday 8th November and volunteers will be present to advise the public of the closures. Remember you can only light fireworks on private property from 5pm-10.30pm and you CANNOT light fireworks on beaches or parks and reserves, that’s illegal. If you are concerned those around you are not following rules, please contact the police on 111. Council’s by law does not provide us with adequate enforcement options which is why we have petitioned central government for help- still waiting on that.
And sticking with the subject of fireworks, Auckland Diwali festival is underway across the city between now and the 14th November including dance performances and the chance to try some incredible Indian cuisine. To learn more about The Festival of Lights, celebrated by our significant Indian communities click here. Look out for special Diwali colours (fuchsia and yellow) lighting up the Sky Tower, Queen Street, the Harbour Bridge and Te Ara I Whiti also known as the Lightpath (either side of the pink cyclepath)
Locally there are also some exciting events happening in Ōrākei Ward this weekend:
For book lovers, the Great Auckland Bargain Book Fair will be held at the Barfoot and Thompson Stadium (behind Selwyn College) Saturday 7th from 9am-1am ( Sunday) and then Sunday 7am -3pm
Also Saturday, Kohimarama Presbyterian Church are holding their Christmas Gift Fair from 9am-2pm. Keep your kids entertained with the bouncy castle and cookie icing, whilst you look at all the festive fare.
On Sunday, New Zealand’s largest Italian Festival returns to Newmarket’s Osborne St, Kent St, Rialto Centre and Lumsden Green from 11am-5pm. Since none of us will be travelling to Italy any time soon, the next best thing is celebrating Italian food, culture and entertainment here in Auckland!
Finally, I’d like to pause to acknowledge a dear friend of mine, Tracey Elliot, who passed away on October 31st after a 6 year battle with breast cancer. Her husband, Troy Elliot is on the Ōrākei Local Board and was with me fundraising for the Breast Cancer Foundation when he received the sad news. I’m sure you will join with me in sending condolences to Troy and his wider family.
Stay safe and feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions or queries
Desley
ANNUAL REPORT - KEY MESSAGES
Last week we released our Annual report for the Financial year 2019/2020
Key messages I think are worth highlighting include;
1. Record capital investment
· Record $2.6 billion capital investment delivered, up $520 million on prior year (up 25%)
· Included $1.1 billion for transport infrastructure and $750 million for water infrastructure
· In 2018 we adopted our 10-year Budget with a substantial planned increase in capital investment enabled by the Regional Fuel Tax and the new water quality targeted rate. The accelerated rate of infrastructure investment shows that plan coming to fruition
2. Debt higher to support the investment, but within prudent limits
· Net debt increased by $1.3 billion to $9.9 billion
· That debt figure needs to be seen relative to our total assets of $56 billion (note debt to asset ratio of 18%)
· We remained with our prudential debt limits, with debt to revenue at 264% compared to our 270% policy limit
· Both of our credit rating agencies have reaffirmed our ratings with stable outlook:
o S&P Global rating of AA reaffirmed September 2020
o Moody’s Investor Services rating of Aa2 reaffirmed April 2020
3. Good year-end result despite COVID-19
· 36% of our revenue came from rates while 64% comes from other revenue sources. This has amplified the financial impact of COVID-19 on council group’s revenues as these other revenue sources (especially public transport and other user charges) reduced.
· $23 million efficiency target was achieved through:
o organisational design changes to remove duplication and reduce back-office support costs
o process improvements and digitisation, particularly in the regulatory area
o tight controls on recruitment, professional service fees and discretionary spending (such as travel and training)
· Costs directly controllable by management (i.e. excluding items such as depreciation and interest) was within $5 million (0.2%) of budget for the group and offset by non-rates revenue being higher than budget
· This result was after accounting for a $79 million net negative impact of COVID-19 on group revenue during the period
· This was the result of strong performance against budget in the first half of the year
4. Staff numbers increased to deliver more services and investments
FTEs for Auckland Council ( not including CCO’s) reduced by 78 to 6,470 (161 below target) on top of contingent workers
· FTEs for the CCOs increased largely to support the bigger capital programme and deliver projects for Auckland, for example:
o Auckland Transport taking on 108 additional FTEs to support the $1.1 billion transport capital programme which includes projects such as the downtown ferry terminal and ferry basin redevelopment, Puhunui Interchange, Eastern Busway, Hurstmere Road projects
o Watercare taking on additional staff to progress the Central Interceptor project - an increase in activity at main sites as well as increase in active construction sites required increase in the Project Management team.
· FTEs for the CCOs also increased due to Watercare acquiring a company called Lutra Limited as well as Watercare contracting with the Waikato District Council to provide water and wastewater services. Both these generate revenue for Watercare which offsets their costs. Another notable contribution to the increase was RFA also converting casual staff to permanent staff (technical roles at Auckland Live), and filling vacancies in ICT, security, maintenance and museum staff.
5. COVID-19 had a mixed impact on our performance metrics
· COVID-19 disruption reduced PT boardings by 18 million (an 18% reduction compared with the previous year) and saw library visits fall by more than 2 million (a 23% reduction compared with the previous year.
· Borrowing of e-book and other digital items from our libraries increased to over 3 million issues and (with over 9,000 digital items issued per day during Alert Level 4, around 1,000 more than during a normal average day).
· 71% of Aucklanders now feel ready for an emergency, up from 64% in the previous year.
· We supported the community through Covid-19, delivering food and essentials parcels to over 25,000 households, checking in with 15,000 older Aucklanders to see if they needed assistance, and postponing rates for those in financial hardship.
6. This result puts us in strong position for the year ahead
· We are dedicated to delivering the $120 million of savings and costs reductions in our Emergency Budget for 2020/2021. We have now achieved $78 million or 65% of this target.
· Given the current high levels of uncertainty we are closely monitoring our financial position on a monthly basis via the Finance and Performance Committee. So far group revenue is tracking in line with the Emergency Budget despite the recent lockdown and restrictions in Auckland
· Auckland Council will continue to become a leaner and more adaptable organisation. Part of being adaptable means increasing or reducing staffing in response to:
o changing customer demand (and non-rates revenue)
o the profile for our capital investment (for example shovel ready)
o consenting volumes - which continue to stay strong (which is also a positive growth indicator).
· Recent reporting (as at the end of September 2020) shows that FTEs for Auckland Council had fallen by a further 129 to 6,341 as of 30 September as a result of attrition, restructuring and operational changes.
· Auckland Council estimates FTE will be around 6,000 by the end of the financial year also as a result of attrition, restructuring activity and operating model changes.
Newsletter - 15 October
Following Auckland’s first week back at Alert Level 1, it’s a nice change to be able to provide an update that doesn’t contain details of restrictions to our movements or behaviour. However, although it’s great to feel like we’re back to ‘normal’, Alert Level 1 requires us to remain alert to our own health and our hygiene practices to help prevent another outbreak; and to keep track of our movements to help contain it if it does eventuate.
Many of you will remember the hundreds of people who came to a public meeting in St Heliers voicing concerns about Auckland Transports proposal to add 12 raised pedestrian crossings removing 40 carparks from St Heliers Village. Following that meeting AT’s Chief Executive admitted to me and others that the way AT had gone about engaging with the St Heliers Community wasn’t right. He committed to improving the process and I’m pleased to advise he did exactly that. AT set up a working group consisting of representatives from the St Heliers Business Assoc, the St Heliers/Glendowie Residents Assoc, the Orakei Local Board and myself who fought hard to input into a new draft that took into consideration the considerable feedback received from the original proposal .
18 months later a new AT draft safety plan has been released for St Heliers
The objective of the proposal is to improve safety and accessibility for all. Having acknowledged the overwhelmingly negative response to the initial proposal and its impact on parking, AT have reconsidered.
There will be no loss of parking (the initial proposal would have seen 40 spaces lost)
4 zebra crossings will be installed at key points in the village (rather than the 12 were initially proposed) and footpaths will be re-surfaced
A 4-metre-wide shared path, separated by a white line, will allow space for cyclists, pushchairs and those exiting their vehicles while protecting vulnerable pedestrians.
There will be 2 raised crossings to meet the 30km/h speed limit approved by the AT Board and which will be implemented in 2021
Feedback on the updated proposals opened on 12 October and will close on 2 November – I would urge you to take this opportunity to let Auckland Transport hear how you feel. This has been an important learning for Auckland Transport which I trust will result in an attitude shift regarding public consultation moving forward. Full details of the proposals and the feedback form are available on AT’s website.
Another Auckland Transport consultation which may be of interest concerns pedestrian safety improvements at 80 Lunn Avenue, Mount Wellington in response to requests from the community to provide safe places to cross this busy stretch of road. Consultation on the proposals below is open until 3 November.
• Install a new pedestrian island which is a raised platform in the middle of a road that makes it safer to cross the road by breaking up the journey.
• Install new side islands which are raised platforms at the edge of a road and shorten the multilane section of Lunn Avenue by approximately 30 metres to help. This will reduce the crossing distance and encourage lower driver speeds.
• Install tactile pavers which are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road.
• Reconstruct the footpath near the crossing and install new road markings and signage.
Moving away from transport, here is an idea to help our environment. It’s now time to take part in the second of this year’s bird counts organised by the Eastern Bays Songbird Project As close as possible to 9am anytime between 17 October and 1 November, they are asking everyone to please take 5 minutes to tally the birds you see in your garden. Anyone old or young can take part and all the information you need is available here. These counts are so important for monitoring the project’s progress in its mission of bringing back birds to our local areas and assisting Council with statistics in this area.
Finally, there are a couple of other opportunities to Have Your Say, this time on wider Auckland Council bylaws which may impact you. Staff have proposed a series of improvements to the Alcohol Control Bylaw 2014 which if passed, allows us to ban alcohol in public places including Auckland Domain; and the Cemeteries and Crematoria Bylaw 2014 which sets out the rules around burial and the use of monuments and adornments. Consultation on these changes opened last weekend and will run until 13 November. The bylaws in their current form, the proposed changes and details of how to submit feedback are available on the Have Your Say page on our website.
As always, I welcome your views to help me frame my decision making.
Desley