Newsletter - 26 October

Who would have thought that since the last time I wrote to you, a hole the size of a tennis court would have appeared in Parnell. That lead to a 25-metre-long blockage in the Ōrākei Main Sewer and resulted in millions of litres of wastewater overflow (sewage) flowing into the Waitematā harbour!

In this newsletter, I will talk about the broken sewer, what happened, and what is being done to fix it. I will also explain the unanimous decision that was made a few weeks ago in relation to storm recovery and Category 3 buyout.

So, let’s start with the broken Ōrākei Main sewer.

Since the floods, we have had a number of ‘tomo’ or sinkholes.   A tomo is an “area of underground erosion (not always visible) caused by the scouring action of water, often around a fixed object such as a pipe or manhole. A tomo may also be caused by soil entering a crack in a pipe and slowly forming a void.”

Now we know the definition, what happened in Parnell?    A hole (tomo) appeared in a carpark on lower St Georges Bay Road and rapidly grew 20 metres wide and 13 metres deep. A part of the Ōrākei Main sewer pipe is directly underneath this hole. The pipe is from the 1920s, where the bottom is made of cast iron and the top of it bricked in an arched shape. The sewer pipe became blocked when the land above it caved in. The Ōrākei Main Sewer is a major artery of Auckland’s sewerage network that services parts of central and west Auckland and when the sewage could not pass through the pipe, it backed up causing millions of litres of wastewater overflow(sewage) to spill into the harbour (noting if it didn’t overflow there it would back up into homes, businesses, parks and streets).

This is as serious as it gets for Watercare- it’s called a level 3 issue. The highest concern. Stopping the overflow, clearing the blockage, and repairing the pipe has been an absolute priority. There have been daily updates with elected members, multiple organisations and teams working together to fix this huge and complex issue. The team have worked around the clock and completed a temporary bypass on  17 October. Basically, directing the sewage from the manhole before the blockage to the manhole after the blockage. However, clearing the blockage itself could take several weeks and the pipe’s long-term repair is likely to still be several months away. This means the temporary wastewater bypass solution may be in place for quite some time. The bypass is a HUGE engineering project that would usually take weeks/ months to plan and even longer to deliver.  The bypass consists of around 400 metres of pipe being laid and six pumps being put in an eight-metre-deep hole to direct sewage away from the broken section.

Watercare have signalled that there will be an independent review about the “how” and the “why” this happened so let’s wait and see whether this was in fact due to a long spell of terrible weather, under investment in infrastructure or both.

Throughout this process, my concern has been about the impact the sewage overflows have had on water quality. The overflows entered the harbour at a location at the western end of Wynyard Basin, and at two locations near the ports at Mechanics Bay. Depending on the level of contamination and physical conditions - tides, winds, currents, sunlight – water quality at some beaches may return to normal faster than others.

The Waitematā Harbour is treasured by all Aucklanders.

Healthy Waters, a council department, has been testing the water quality on a daily basis, alongside an independent scientist.  An array of bacteria that could cause ill health are being tested for and monitored. That is why the advice has been to stay off the beach, out the water and not do any recreational activities on the water.  If the water is contaminated, then it is not safe to swim in and a beach is black flagged.  Beaches are not physically closed, so please look out for the signage, and check on safeswim.org.nz. This website has the most up to date information about the water quality and a colour coded pin system for beaches.

Until this issue is resolved, I have some key messages:

1. Temporary pipes are not as strong as permanent pipes. Please only put the 3 P’s down your toilet. Pee, Poo and (toilet) paper

2. Please DO NOT fish or gather shellfish  in the inner harbour until public health advises it is safe ( you can check this on the Auckland Regional Public Health service website https://www.arphs.health.nz/news/sewage-in-the-waitemata-harbour-public-health-advice/)

3. Check the Safeswim website before you swim and if your beach has a black flag please DO NOT go in the water

4. If you have been in the water and you have sickness symptoms, please call Healthline on 0800 611 116.

It is great to end this newsletter with some better news.

Friday 6 October was a critical junction in Auckland’s storm recovery process. It was a moment many storm affected property owners were waiting for, as the Governing Body meeting was about whether the council would accept the $2 billion cost sharing deal with the Crown in relation to category 3 buyouts and storm recovery.  I am happy to report that a unanimous decision was made. After taking on board public consultation feedback (83% of consultees supported the deal) and having a free and frank discussion about setting the policy levers in relation to the buyout, everyone around the town hall table were in agreement that where we landed was as fair and equitable as possible.

The definition of Category 3 is “areas in the high-risk category are not safe to live in because of the unacceptable risk of future flooding and loss of life. Homes in these areas should not be rebuilt on their current sites”. In this category we estimate that there are around 700 properties in Auckland. Some of these properties were severely damaged in the floods/ land slips and others have been identified due to the “future risk” of flooding. 

As part of this decision, Governing Body agreed to five key areas of policy settings that will influence how Category 3 buyout offers will work.

1.      Valuation methodology

2.      Maximum buyout cap

3.      Homeowner contribution

4.      Insurance status

5.      Secondary properties

What was agreed. In layman terms: A pre-weather event market valuation will determine the starting point for the buyout offer. This was considered the most accurate and fair approach for all storm affected property owners.

Under the details of the agreed approach, insured Category 3 homeowners will be offered 95% of the pre-flood market value of their property. The remaining 5% of the property value will operate like an insurance excess.

Uninsured Category 3 property owners will be offered at least 80% of the pre-flood market value of their property, which may be increased up to a maximum of 95% subject to considering the special circumstances of those property owners.

Special circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Broadly, ‘special circumstances’ refers to an extraordinary situation that led to the homeowner not being able to have insurance cover.

The Governing Body agreed in principle to a dispute process that has both an internal and external review component. The council’s legal team will be developing this dispute process further and will present it to councillors for endorsement.

It was really important that we could work at pace in regard to buy outs. Therefore, the council expect to begin conversations with Category 3 homeowners at the end of October. This is the timeline we have been signalling for some time.

I have met with storm affected property owners and groups representing storm affected property owners from Remuera to Ranui and Mt Eden to Muriwai and I understand that the decision that was made may provide some assurance, but there are many hurdles with insurance companies and EQC that they are having to face. Just so you are aware the Recovery Office has recruited some new positions to make this process smoother. There will be navigators – this role came about from the Christchurch earthquakes. The navigator will be able to advise, and connect property owners to the right organisation, and people whether it is about insurance, temporary housing or rates relief, by way of example. Currently there are 17 in post, with the aim of recruiting 10 more people (of the 37 posts, 24 are funded via central government).

Lastly, a local piece of positive news:

·         Gowing Drive connection to the Meadowbank section of the Glen Innes to Tāmaki Drive cycleway.  A few weeks ago, Auckland Transport told us that this connection was unfunded and unlikely to progress. However, after many conversations with AT about the importance of the connection for my ward, AT have confirmed that the project will go to the AT board before the end of 2023 for funding confirmation. The new intended timeline for these works – an underpass will be installed Christmas 2024. I know this is later that we all had hoped but still very welcome news.

Desley

Newsletter - 13 September

Well, it has been another hectic few weeks with a mix of business as usual, big council decisions being made and random issues cropping up.  Since I last wrote to you we have had  a number of issues including a  major gas leak in the city centre, we have had Fashion Week, the council sold a portion of their airport shares, the council in principle agreed to a $2 billion cost sharing agreement in relation to funding Auckland’s storm recovery and resilience (more on that below) and  there was a joint announcement with central government about community safety hubs in the city centre

On top of all this, the mayor was away for two weeks so I was Acting Mayor. I recently spoke at an event for the Parnell Probus Club titled “Life around the Town Hall Table” and it gave me time to reflect on the pace, intensity, and magnitude of decisions that I am involved in on a daily basis. Never a dull moment! 😊

There are two really important council consultations that are currently open that I wanted to bring to your attention and give you the opportunity to have your say.  Both these consultations close on 24 September so if you haven’t already, please click the links below, read the documentation and have your say.

1.     Funding Auckland's Storm Recovery and Resilience

2.     Deciding whether to introduce Māori seats for 2025

First, let’s talk about storm recovery.  As you are aware at the beginning of the year Auckland had several devastating weather events including Cyclone Gabrielle. The sheer scale of the disruption and damage the weather caused has led us to where we are now.  The recovery phase.  The council and central government have been negotiating for the past few months about how recovery of Auckland should be funded. On 24 August, the council in principle agreed to a $2 billion cost sharing package to aid Auckland’s recovery as well as invest in resilience projects to prevent this level of destruction happening again.

The deal includes: $820 million to fund projects that will help build resilience against future flood events (we call this Making Space for Water). These initiatives include increased maintenance, stream rehabilitation, culvert and bridge upgrades, overland flow path management, and the roll out of “blue-green” networks in critical flood-risk areas (which are stormwater solutions that enhance parkland and open space).

$390 million towards the recovery costs of the transport network directly impacted by the storms.

Category 3 buyouts: $774 million to purchase an estimated 700 residential properties where there is an intolerable risk to life, and it is not feasible to mitigate this risk.

The cost share agreement secures $1.076 billion of Government funding for these projects. This includes 62% of the estimated capital cost of the Making Space for Water projects ($380 million), 79% of the transport recovery costs ($110 million Crown funding and an expected $199 million from the National Land Transport Fund via Waka Kotahi), and 50% of the cost of Category 3 buy-outs ($387 million).

As this is such a big decision, we wanted Aucklanders to have their say before any final decisions were made. There are several reasons for this. One, this is a cost sharing agreement and as part of that the council will have to find sum $900 million and that’s a considerable sum.  Two, whilst the government has agreed to provide considerable funding, the details about, for example how we define a category 3 home and how we value properties all still needs to be ironed out. Your views are crucial in trying to get this balance right. And, finally, this cost sharing agreement is broader than just buying out the approximate 700 category 3 homes. It involves not only repairing roads/ bridges that were damaged in the January/February floods but thinking about our cities long term resilience against weather events and what preventative measures need to be prioritised. Ultimately, we want to know what you think about the proposed package.

The second important consultation is asking you whether or not Auckland Council should have elected Māori seats.

As many of you will know, Parliament granted all councils the ability to establish Māori seats or wards similar to what central government have. This would mean people could join a Māori Roll and vote for a Māori elected representative or representatives at the local government elections just like they can vote for a councillor. Rather than decide that ourselves, Auckland Council decided to ask Aucklanders through public consultation what they thought before making a decision.

The slightly complicating factor is that unlike other councils in New Zealand, Auckland council has by legislation an Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB). Their role is to advance the interests of Māori in Auckland by helping Auckland council make decisions, perform functions, and exercise powers that improve outcomes for Māori and to promote cultural, economic, environmental, and social issues of significance to Māori. IMSB representatives   sit around the Town Hall table with up to two members with full voting rights on all council committees except the one the mayor chairs.

If we were to vote for Māori seats, they would be in addition to the appointed IMSB seats Māori have on our committees.

Remember consultation closes on both these topics on 24 September so please have your say.

Lastly, two local pieces of positive news:

1.     Our much-loved Parnell Baths are on schedule to be reopened at the beginning of November this year.  After the floods in January the whole cliff face by the Baths was classified as unstable requiring major works to make it safe. Stability works are currently being carried out and whilst I can’t give you a definitive date yet, I have had it confirmed the pools will open in early November.

2.      Users of the Auckland Netball Centre will be pleased to know that last week at the Planning, Environment and Parks Committee on 7 September, we agreed to $250,000 of funding for new indoor/outdoor replacement lights.

As always, I’m happy to assist in any way. Please contact me desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or 021971786

Newsletter - 3 August

Over the last month Auckland has been front and centre in the news for many reasons, good and not so good.  Let’s start with the not so good news. There is no doubt that the shooting that happened on Quay Street in July was horrific.  My deepest condolences remain with the families and friends of the men who died. Police and First Responders deserve every accolade as they were on site and contained the incident very quickly. A week after the event, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei held a karakia (attended by over 200 people) and blessed the site, enabling us to remember the men who lost their lives as well as clearing and resetting the space for normal use.

For more positive news, Auckland remains most definitely on the world stage co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. The sheer scale of this event is incredible for Auckland. It is estimated 2 billion people will watch the tournament from around the globe. Eden Park has had record breaking attendance at the six out of nine matches that have been played so far in Auckland.  We have seen the biggest crowds in New Zealand’s football history (that’s men AND women’s football). Nearly 43,000 for the USA V Portugal match and 42,137 for the opening Football Ferns match. Already this tournament has been an immense boost for our economy, our tourism, our restaurants, and businesses. FIFA fever has rippled throughout Auckland, but it’s not just hype and visitors, we have seen tangible improvements to our facilities. For example, the practice grounds that eight teams based in Auckland have used have had fantastic upgrades.  Our closest one is Michaels Avenue Reserve in Ellerslie which had training field investment from FIFA and some extra funding enabling us to bring forward work already planned to coincide with the tournament and host the Argentinean team.

We have also seen over 30,000 fans (local and international) visit the FIFA Fan Festival at The Cloud on Quay Street. It has been a popular place to watch the games, buy FIFA merchandise and just get into the exciting atmosphere of the tournament. Hosting FIFA representatives has been a big part of my deputy mayor role. It is pleasing to see that as visitors to Auckland, they have given positive feedback so far in regard to our city, hospitality and visitor attractions.

The Matariki Festival also broke attendance records. There were over 100 events in Auckland, held up by three signature events. Two of those based in the Ōrākei ward. Over 2000 people, the biggest crowd yet, attended the Umu Kohukohu Whetū (Dawn service) at Takaparawhau/ Bastion Point.  Nearly 4000 attended the family favourite, Manu Aute Kite Day at Bastion Point to fly their kites, or watch the giant kites fill the skies. In the city, 8000 people visited the Town Hall to take part in the Matariki Festival activities. Thank you to the organisers, volunteers and everyone that made the celebrations so special. I have to say seeing the artwork by school children from Stonefields, Ōrākei and Kohimarama primary schools displayed at Orakei Bay Village was a highlight for me.

Just last week I was in my gumboots out with the Ōrākei Local Board members and volunteers planting 1500 new ‘trees’ at Waiatarua reserve in Remuera. For over 10 years I’ve been planting here, and it is great to see how big the plants have grown from past years contributing to a better environment and planet.

Talking about the planet, you would have seen green food waste bins being delivered to your homes. The council are collecting foods scraps as part of reaching its aim for zero waste by 2040. Keeping our food scraps out of the rubbish is a great way we all can help. The council expects to collect nearly 40,000 tonnes of food scraps in the first year – equal to taking 10,000 medium-sized cars off the road! Also, the food scraps collection service is turning waste into renewable energy and liquid fertiliser.

What do you need to know?

•         Food scraps collection is weekly - remember to put your green food scraps bin out on the same day your red lid bin is collected.

•         All food including meat, bones, eggshells, citrus, coffee grounds can be added.

•         Inside the green food scraps bin is a smaller caddy that you can keep in your kitchen

•         More information can be found on the council website here.

Many people have said, I have an insinkerator or a compost bin so don’t need this bin. I voted to try and make this system optional but lost that vote with the majority of councillors voting for it to be compulsory, so that’s why it is.

Storm recovery

It has now been more than 6 months since the January floods and there are still nearly 2000 placarded properties across Auckland as a result of the January floods and Cyclone Gabrielle:

•              324 properties with a red placard 

•              1641 properties with a yellow placard

•              4 White properties with a white placard

Of the nearly 2000 properties, our two local Board areas still have a number unresolved. As of 20 July, in the Orakei Local Board area there were 7 red placarded properties, 33 yellow placarded properties and no white placarded properties.  For the Waitemata Local Board area there were 9 red placards, just over 110 yellow and no remaining white placards.

Recovery from the floods is taking time. The council is aware of urgency and the certainty people want, but need to balance this with ensuring we get the next steps right for Aucklanders. There are larger scale plans which the Mayor has outlined in his Making Space for Water Proposal and it’s expensive. Current estimations of costs for this programme could be as high as $1.65 billion over 6 years, bringing the potential costs associated with the flooding and cyclone events (including recovery, potential buyouts and further resilience) to as high as $4 billion- yes that’s B for billion.

Risk categorisation.

The council and central government are still in discussions to iron out the details of the potential buy out process of Risk Category 3 homes. What we do know is that some current homes will need to be removed from specific areas of land in Auckland due to the high risk of flooding.

However, at this stage it is important that the council participates in a robust negotiation process with the government. An important consideration is how the buyout and risk assessment process will be funded. The government initially indicated that details for buyouts and valuations should be completed by June 2023, obviously that date is well passed but discussions continue.

What I would like to emphasise, is that if your property is confirmed to be in Risk Category 3 following a detailed risk assessment, you will be contacted about the property buyout programme. This means that you will get to decide whether to accept any buyout offer that may be made. 

Recent Committee decision digest

All council reports and minutes can be viewed on the council website:  infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

Governing Body also receives performance reports from the Chief Executive and Chief financial officer monthly. Here are the key decisions from our recent public meetings.

Open council consultations -Have your say

It is important that you contribute to consultations and have you say. It is a way that we can hear your views and use your feedback to make sure it reflects what you want. I have highlighted a few below; however, all consultations are listed on the council website.

Local Board Plans (Closes 14 Aug)

https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/hub-page/local-board-plans-2023

Storm Recovery and Resilience (Closes 31 Aug)

https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/storm-recovery

Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan (Closes 31 Aug)

https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/cdem-group-plan

On top of my full Council meeting schedule, I have attended events, given speeches and been out and about checking in on the local community. Earlier this week I welcomed a new Japanese Consul General to Auckland (based in Glendowie). 

Like the last newsletter, I thought it would be a great idea to end on acknowledging some wins.

·        As you know one of my favourite places in Auckland is the Domain and I am so proud to be included in this part of its history.  Check out the new Winter Garden plaque when you visit. It is the attention to detail that makes this renovation incredible, down to the original design and font of the plaque matching the one on the terrace from 1928.

·         The Eastern line has temporarily reopened (only on the days of the nine FIFA Women’s World Cup games) helping transport fans to where they need to be.

·         Judges bay works – Watercare redirected the interim sewage pipe under the road and removed the temporary speed bump on Gladstone Road.

Work still in progress:

·         Tamaki Drive walkway- Auckland Transport are still on schedule for the pathway, seating, fencing to be completed by the end of August (may even be earlier)

·         Intersection of Remuera Road and Upland Road traffic lights – After receiving several complaints that pedestrians hit their heads on the very low traffic lights there, I contacted Auckland Transport to find a solution. Have a look by Four Square and you will see what I mean. Auckland Transport will address this issue by relocating the pole to a new position, allowing them to install a standard height pole.

·         Judges Bay road - there is a generator powering pumping around the damaged section of sewage pipe, however Watercare are planning to replace this with an electric pump. A Vector power supply has been installed and is now waiting on meter and power box installation. Once this has taken place the power supply can be connected, the generator removed and hopefully the noise disruption one and all.

Finally, I’m keen for your feedback on this newsletter. This time I’ve included a lot more information. Let me know if you feel it’s too much or not enough. There is so much to report on. Remember I update you almost daily on my Facebook page, so I am trying to get the balance right.

I saw a daffodil out on my local walk recently so hopefully this cold wet weather will pass soon. Thanks for keeping in touch and as you know I’m always available on desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt

Desley

Newsletter – 19 June

Apologies that I haven’t written to you since I became Deputy Mayor of Auckland. The last 8 months have felt like 8 years as so much has happened.

Let’ s do a recap. Last October were the council elections, which resulted in a new Mayor for Auckland Wayne Brown. Mayor Brown received 181,810 votes, to date the most votes any Auckland Council Mayor has received. I’d like to thank the people of the Orakei Ward for resoundingly voting me back as the Orakei Ward councillor.  Following the elections and time needed for any recounts we then had a formal swearing in ceremony at the Auckland Town Hall in November. It was at that event I had the privilege of being formally made Deputy Mayor.

One of the first things the Mayor needed to do was put forward a budget for the 2023/2024 year. This draft budget was made public in December along with the Mayor’s decisions for the types of committees he wanted for the term and those councillors he wanted to chair them.

January traditionally has no formal meetings, so I took time to take a well-deserved break and arrived back in New Zealand on 26 January the day before the 27 January flooding event. Since then, Auckland has been faced with a cyclone, landslides, further severe weather events and a budget being passed!

So let me start with the budget. This year has been an unusual year as no one knew whether any version of mayor’s proposal would pass. After 29 workshops with staff and over 80 hours to discuss the details of the budget it did not surprise me that it took two days to debate the budget, in which we also considered alternative approaches. On 9 June the Governing Body (20 councillors + the Mayor) voted in favour of an amended Mayor’s proposal for the Annual Budget 2023/2024 by 14 votes to 6. The final budget was a compromise for everyone, myself included.

What does the finalised budget mean for Auckland?

One of my biggest concerns with this budget was the impact on ratepayers (business and residential) and those who use our services at a time when Aucklanders face high cost of living, increases to public transport, and increases in mortgage rates to name but a few.

However, we also had an operating deficit of $325 million (plus $40 million of storm costs) so the challenges were great for Council too.

When balancing the budget, we have only four tools in the toolbox, rates, debt, cuts, and asset sales. We spent a lot of time poring over the feedback we received from Aucklanders, but it was fair to say it was not a clear picture – there were those who wanted higher rates or use of debt, and to reduce the level of cuts. But others preferred to see us make those cuts and hold our use of rates and debt. In many ways the budget rested in the debate whether to sell all the airport shares and those who wanted to sell only some or none.

In summary, we ended up with the following:

•          Average residential rates rise of 7.7 per cent (additional $253 a year for the average residential Auckland ratepayer.

•          Partial sale of shares in Auckland International Airport (AIAL) to pay down around $865 million of debt, with a net funding benefit of $115 million over the next eight years. 

•          $83 million of operating spending reductions (down from $125million in the budget consultation).  I.e., Fewer cuts and keeping the likes of funding for the Citizens Advice Bureau, arts and culture and only a $2million cut ( as opposed to the original $16m cut) to the regional local board budget

•          $105 million of debt (up from $75million in the budget consultation). 

•          $40 million for storm recovery activity.

•          We still maintain $2.8 billion of capital investment in transport, parks, and community facilities, Watercare assets, local developments, urban regeneration and cultural development, and environmental management.

It has been an exhaustive and arduous process, but I believe we have reached a balanced position which is credible, prudent, sustainable, and implementable.

Everyone had to compromise to come to a consensus. In some ways you could say, the final budget was a triumph for democracy.

Flood recovery.

To give you an idea of scale of the weather events we have had this year, an entire years’ worth of rain drenched Auckland in less than 5 months.

The Ōrākei ward was seriously affected too. It took the life of a local resident Dave Lennard in Remuera. Tāmaki Drive and the beach areas experienced flooding and high waves. Parnell and Remuera were seriously affected by land slips.

Immediately after the events, properties in Auckland were red, yellow or white stickered. These stickers indicated immediate risk, red being the highest risk- non habitable. 7000 building assessments were undertaken;  679 red stickers, 2359 yellow and 4326 white stickers were placed on properties by the end of March. Over $2 million of Emergency Fund payments were made and $1.3 million in Rates Relief.

We recruited a specialist manager (Mat Tucker) to lead our recovery. Mat had worked in Christchurch post the earthquakes.  His role is not only to lead the recovery of Auckland from the storms in January and February but to come up with solutions that mitigate risks. He is looking to collaborate and engage with communities and look at what we can do differently or better.

That new piece of work has been called Making Space for Water and is planned to be delivered over the next 6 years. It includes:

·        Storm water solutions like stream widening

·        Identifying high risk properties

·        Investment in planning and modelling tools to enhance council decision making - gaining flooding intelligence

·        Community led flood resilience – advice for property owners in high risk area

·        Increased maintenance.

To add another level of complexity, in May, central government came up with three new risk categories for assessment of affected properties post cyclone and flooding. We are currently transitioning the red, yellow and white stickered properties to the new categories and including all potential properties that may fall within this framework. Just because your house may have been “stickered” after the floods does not necessarily mean it will fall into a risk category.   Indicative estimates are that around 400 homes in Auckland should not be rebuilt.  This is out of 700 nationwide – so almost 60 per cent. To categorise at-risk properties with certainty, a site-by-site assessment and hazard identification is required. For Auckland, this exercise may take six months or more given the scale, challenges of accessing private property and industry capacity.  To accelerate this process, Auckland Council has begun contacting those property owners that are more likely to be a Category 2 or Category 3 and asking them to provide us with more information so that risk assessments can be completed.

I want to end with a list of achievements. 2023 has been testing so far, but there have been few “wins” that should be appreciated. So in no particular order:

·        Getting school buses sorted on the Panmure to Selwyn College route. It was brought to my attention that this school bus was either not turning up, overcrowded, or arriving late resulting in school children being late for school. I worked with Auckland Transport to find a workable solution and I have heard that this improvement has been well received.

·        The Portland Road environmental works in Remuera– the area is now open for the public to explore – it is an incredible local walk of native plants and walkways. We removed over 6000m3 of silt from the stream to improve water flow. This allows water to flow unobstructed when tidal gates are open. We then 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. We are so lucky to have a natural wetland in an urban city.

·        Futureproofing the Domain Wintergarden glasshouses.  Recent structural strengthening and restoration of the two buildings has ensured this important part of the city’s architectural heritage will be around for many decades to come. This heritage building is an outstanding example of twentieth century design and recently won the Auckland Architecture Award for Enduring Architecture.

Work still in progress:

·        Tāmaki Drive works – the new walkway along Tamaki Drive is due to be opened in August this year.

·        Ngāpipi pedestrian bridge – Better walking and cycling facilities on Ngāpipi Bridge are a key part of the wider programme of improvements in the Ōrākei area, including the works on Tāmaki Drive and Kepa Road. Auckland Transport are widening the bridge which will expand the area available for people on foot and cyclists as well as allowing the existing 4 traffic lanes to remain the same. It will provide the connection between the Tāmaki Drive Cycle Route and the Ngāpipi intersection, which connects to the Glen Innes - Tāmaki Drive Shared Path.

·        Ongoing Kepa road works. Kepa road retaining wall is a resilience project. It is designed to manage the risk of a significant slip that undermines the road, which would result in the complete loss of traffic access for several months. Kepa Road is a district arterial road carrying over 23,000 vehicles per day and is also a bus route. Part of the road, beside Ōrākei Basin, is in a slip zone. Between April -November 2023, Auckland Transport are undertaking works to stabilise and prevent possible damage caused by landslides on the road by building a palisade retaining wall and reconstructing the footpath.

The first 8 months of my term as Deputy mayor has whizzed by. However, I am committed to ensuring that I also represent my local ward and stand for things that you value the most. I have attended resident association meetings, handed out awards to local children for community work and scholarships; spoken at local ANZAC events; watched local productions at Selwyn Community Arts Theatre and supported residents and local business.

As always, I remain available to you should you have any questions or concerns.

Chair of Finance- end of term address Sept 15, 2022

Today I chaired our last Finance and Performance Committee meeting for the term, and what a challenging term it has been.

In my final words I noted that over the past three years, we have put in over 268 hours of workshops and 118 hours of meetings, making key decisions on all things finance.

We have had to respond to the challenges associated with an international pandemic and the consequences of subsequent lockdowns, one of the most significant droughts in Auckland’s history, the urgent need for climate action, rampant inflation, and increased interest rates . We have also had to adjust to working on our own from home, making decisions on online platforms for months at a time.

Throughout, we have continued to focus on financial prudence and providing value for money to Aucklanders, the people we represent.

Having said that though, I first acknowledged Team Auckland ( that’s local board members and councillors)

I genuinely thank you for joining us through many hours of discussion at workshops and coming willingly to the table to help us navigate significant challenges. I speak for all my colleagues when I express our collective gratitude to you all for your contributions over the past three years – it has been invaluable.

We all know council isn’t perfect, however I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some of our achievements:

·         We’ve produced not three, but four budgets to adjust to the financial pressures that came our way and still managed to stimulate economic recovery.

·         Our decision making has always reflected the majority of feedback we’ve received from Aucklanders through consultation.

·         We’ve delivered capital investment programmes of more than $6 billion.

·         Council has made savings of $2.4 billion to date, achieving operational savings and efficiency achievements in excess of $260 million).

·         We’ve achieved group procurement savings of just under $150 million.

·         We’ve raised $2 billion in green bonds – the first organisation in New Zealand to raise money this way.

·         We’ve saved in excess of $12m in IT services and acknowledge the role Mark Denvir had in this – thank you and RIP Mark.

·         Our value for money achievements have totalled in excess of $528 million this term.

·         We’ve been able to widely use debt to fund growth, while keeping our debt-debt-to-revenue ratio well within the group’s 290 per cent policy limit.  Noting our debt is currently 16% of our assets and now well below pre covid levels of 270.

·         As for our rates, we have never had the highest average general percentage increase of any council in NZ – Currently we are 4th (after Tauranga, Wellington and Dunedin).

·         We’ve maintained investor confidence as reflected in our credit ratings with S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investor Services of AA and Aa2 respectively, both with a “stable” outlook.

I am sure there’s plenty more I could mention like record delivery of infrastructure programmes across Auckland in response to the growth of our city’s population, or our focus on climate action and environmental protection. There’s a lot to reflect on, and a lot to be proud of as you know.

Finally, I want to wish you all the best for the weeks ahead and hope we see each other again soon.

In the spirit of this week’s Maori Language week - Te Wiki O Te Reo Māori, I will sign-off with an apt whakataukī (proverb).

Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora a mua - those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead.

Desley

Planning Committee 4 August

General Comments about the National Policy Statement on Urban Development and Medium Density Residential Standards.

• Well, here we are. Nearly two years of NPS UD work and 9 months after the RMA amendment introducing the Medium Density Residential Standards. Work that central government has imposed on the people of Auckland. Work frankly I do not think was needed and at great expense which also wasn’t needed .

• I strongly believe that we need to build a lot more houses our failure to do that over the last 30 years has created enormous problems. In my opinion,the housing crisis is driven by interest rates, borrowing restrictions, housing material availability, housing material inflation and labour shortages. All of which are outside of council control. Yes we could consent faster but that’s not the issue we are dealing with today

• I fundamentally disagree with the governments approach and direction for Auckland, Respectfully I believe they should concentrate on delivering their core business without interfering in ours

• However, they have set this direction and imposed intensification including the those in established suburbs such as those within the Orakei Ward and other areas that are already struggling with capacity constraints.

• And that’s not nimbyism. The AUP already allows for managed and sensible growth that is in keeping with the area. This NPSUD /MDRS ‘one size’ does not fit all. Auckland is of a scale that is different and should have been treated differently.

• The current AUP delivers enough housing to satisfy Auckland’s residential and business growth for the next 30 years.

• I have fought to minimise the impact of this bad piece of government legislation. Sadly for me, I haven’t won every fight but we are probably in a  slightly better position from where we started, and I acknowledge staff who have reacted to feedback from Auckland

Special character areas.

• The intention of the NPSUD is to release as much development potential as possible and the government expects council to remove significant areas of Special Character.

• But, Special Character Areas are an important part of a well-functioning urban environment and are valued by Aucklanders

• And boy did we hear from our community, Aucklander’s overwhelming supported the retention most or all our special character areas.

• In response, with others,  I fought hard to keep as much of the special character areas as we could.

• My first resolution was to keep all our special character areas- that was lost that is, not supported by the majority around the table . Then  I wanted to keep the 4s, again I lost my resolution to support that . But  we did secure further work from staff reviewing submissions and responding to more supporting information.

• We see the results of that work today, and it is good to see that more properties are now included in those special character areas alongside better spatial cohesion.

• And I see this as a win with supportable evidence. We could have lost a  lot more but with help from a passionate community , we have saved more properties for future generations. I  do want to specifically thank the Character Coalition and my OLB who have been leaders in this space

• So whilst I don’t specifically like where we have landed,I do believe special character areas are in better shape than when we went out with our preliminary view. So I want to give confidence to Aucklanders that we have listened and we have made real changes.

• From my two local board areas Orakei and Waitemata- In Orakei 26 properties were deleted  and 136 added and In Waitemata 73 deleted and 195 added -

• It’s important to note , it's not the end of the road for Special character areas. The public will still have an opportunity to have their say when this opens for public consultation.

Walkable catchments

• I still felt 1200 is quite significant considering we have an aging population in Auckland. And we asked staff to continue to refine those distances in response to the public feedback.

• Staff have responded and in some areas such as Parnell staff have reconsidered and have revised in the distance in some parts down to 800m. Again, we have responded to our community concerns.

Electricity Resolution

• We all received a letter from Vector highlighting their concerns about the potential risks of buildings of higher heights being enabled closer to Vector assets.

• I want to thank staff who have listened to those concerns and assisted me in amending the original resolutions

• What this amendment does is give staff more time to work with Vector in assessing those concerns and provide clarification on the council’s regulatory responsibilities

Final comments

• So In conclusion, In voting for these resolutions I do so not because I agree with this legislation nor do I particularly  like where this has landed, but

• To all Aucklanders, my challenge to you, please use the submissions process to continue the fight. The way Auckland looks and feels in the future is too important to say nothing

Newsletter - 1 July 2022 (Budget update)

On Wednesday, the mayor and councillors agreed to our Annual Budget for the 2022/23 financial year. Our budgets this political term have all been challenging, and sadly this one is no different. Our finance staff have repeatedly talked about ‘financial head winds’ but what we are facing now is more like a financial cyclone. This budget will allow us to put our sandbags in place and move to higher ground, and make sure we are as resilient as possible, for there are still many unknowns. Some of the pressures we are facing will be temporary, but some may stick around for a while yet. The ongoing budget gap Auckland Council faces could be between $90 million and $150 million, depending on how this financial storm develops. That is a big gap, and a lot of unknowns.

The draft Mayoral Proposal went out for consultation in March and has now been refined as a result of updated financial projections and the feedback we received from Aucklanders.
I wanted to share my thoughts on where we’ve landed. This is a long update, so maybe save it for when you have a moment to read through to the end.

First, the Climate Action Targeted Rate. I don’t believe this should be based on the capital value of your home, nor do I personally believe the sequencing and prioritization of projects association with that spend are the best they could be. However, we asked Aucklanders what they thought, noted how it was to be funded, and the feedback was pretty clear. It had support across the region, both through our consultation process and the independent Kantar poll. It had support from the majority of our local boards, including the Waitemata and Orakei local boards. I was glad to see some flexibility around budget allocation and the option for reprioritization as required. I absolutely support the careful monitoring of this rate spend, as we do with all our targeted rates, and I will be talking to every mayoral hopeful as to their thoughts on this going forward.

I was supportive of the grant to Coastguard. We are a region bordered by water and the work they do is critical for the safety of our communities here in Orakei and around the region.

As for the government’s Better Off Funding grant of $127 million, this grant does not in any way alter my view that the government’s direction on Three Waters is not good for Auckland. We know Aucklanders do not agree with the Three Waters Reform proposal, because they told us in no uncertain terms. Council’s recommendations on Three Waters are on record as being against, and the mayor has consistently and publicly been opposed to the reforms. But if the government is handing out a grant with no strings attached and we never have to pay it back, I’ll take it, especially in this challenging financial environment. I also want to state that this grant (which we applied for) is NOT payment for our $10 BILLION worth of water assets. They are being taken as a result of central government legislation.

The savings and efficiencies Auckland Council has achieved this political term have been the largest of any term to date. They currently total almost $230 million. However, my personal belief is there are always more savings and efficiencies to be found. To that end, as chair of the Value for Money Committee, I will lead the work to look at further savings opportunities across the group and further scoping of strategic opportunities for cost reductions. The Value for Money work programme is critical and to date this term has delivered $447.7 million worth of efficiencies.

On debt… whilst eye wateringly large, Auckland Council’s debt is just under 18% of its assets. I’m sure many wouldn’t mind their mortgage being 18%! This is supported in part by an average general rate increase of 3.5%. I think it’s important to note that this council term we have consistently ensured that our rates take from Aucklanders remains less than 40% of our income, and this budget keeps to that figure, coming in at 37%. Our debt to revenue will be well below our limit of 290% and the projections in our 10-year budget, and our credit rating agencies Standard & Poors and Moody’s have supported us with AA and A2 ratings, respectively.

I am challenged to support some of the deferral of capital expenditure over the next three years but know we have to make some decisions now to support ongoing prudence, and also know that the final timing of projects will be reviewed by the next council.

So, looking at the whole package, the new CATR alongside the other targeted rates, waste charges, the whole lot, we remain focused on what this means for Aucklanders, especially noting this budget includes the delayed revaluations. Across all of Auckland, the total increases on average are at just under $200 for the residential ratepayer. We know that the impacts of rates increases are not uniform across the region. There are some areas that will feel this harder than others and I have looked to my colleagues, especially those in the south and west, for guidance as per their thoughts on affordability. In every single local board area, there will be a number of residential ratepayers whose rates go down next year by over $1,000.

That said, we are all in very challenging financial both as a region and as a country. The combined rates rises proposed by the mayor are in line with many other metropolitan councils across the country who are settling on rates increases of 5-6%. I note that Wellington is proposing 8.9% and Tauranga 13.7% But again, we know it’s tough out there for everyone. I’ll be watching carefully to see if there are any increases in ratepayers struggling to pay their rates on time as we start quarter one of the new year next month. Again, this will be something all prospective mayors need to keep an eye on too.

So, is this budget prudent? Whilst this budget was proposed by the mayor and supported by our finance team, it also was independently assessed by our Audit and Risk committee which has three members who are professionals and independent of Council. The committee has advised the Governing Body that an appropriate approach is being taken to manage the key financial risks associated with the Annual Budget 2022/23. We know that this financial storm we find ourselves in is presenting significant risks to our financial position, but our Finance team, our rating agencies and our Audit and Risk Committee all agree that we are meeting those challenges with a strong commitment to sustainable and prudent financial management.

I want to highlight some of the regional investment this budget will enable in our Orakei Ward, (noting the Orakei Local Board will have other projects, too), as we are very lucky to be getting significant investment in our area. In terms of transport, we can look forward to a new southern link (the Gowing Drive connection) to the fantastic new section 2 of the shared path which goes from St Heliers Bay Rd through to the Orakei Basin. Along with this we will see continued works on the last final link to Tamaki Drive (section 4). This budget also completes the Mission Bay works supported by the Mission Bay/Kohimarama Residents Association and the Orakei Local Board. The Tamaki Drive footpath will be upgraded between Solent St and Ngapipi Rd and include upgrades to the railing along Tamaki Drive. Having been delayed for a few years, we will finally see the raising of lower Portland Road, which has been prone to flooding well before I was even born!

In the environment and water quality space, the Portland Road Reserve project is certainly worth noting. I recently did a site visit and they are making some great progress. By using the silt to create land features within the reserve, instead of loading it all onto trucks to go to landfill, the environmental impact of the project has been significantly reduced, and we’ve saved $1 million in transport and dumping fees. You can also expect to see investment at Waiatarua Wetland, Tahuna Torea, and Pourewa Valley. There are ongoing water quality improvements in Hobson Bay and the team are currently focused on Newmarket’s Khyber separation project. It’s worth noting that much of our water quality issues arise from old non-separated pipes. That investment is critical and for too long has been left out of budgets and workstreams. Wave barrier gates are in the works for Kohimarama, as well as seawall improvements at Cliff Road in St Heliers. There is ongoing Kauri Dieback prevention work taking place at Dingle Dell.

In terms of our community facilities, there are new sports fields and upgrades being completed at Shore Road Reserve in Remuera, two sand-carpeted fields and lighting for five fields at Colin Maiden Park in St Johns. The wintergardens at the Domain in Parnell are currently getting a significant upgrade, and our two heritage libraries, St Heliers and Remuera, are getting seismic upgrades.

So what will all this cost us? Knowing we have both $2 million homes and $20 plus million homes in our ward, on average, the Orakei Ward residential rates rise will be $198 (inclusive of everything). Interestingly, over 670 residential ratepayers will have their rates go down by more than $1000. In fact over 11,000 residential ratepayers will see a decrease in their rates with another 7,000 plus seeing an increase between $0 and $200. So, approximately 60% of our residential ratepayers have a decrease or an increase of less than $200. Business rates for the Orakei Ward go down by an average of 3.47%, or $561, which I’m sure will be welcome relief for our local business owners.

In conclusion, like most Council budgets, it’s not perfect, but my vote was based on your feedback (always has been) and I’m more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

Newsletter - 20th June

Last week, the Value for Money Committee (which I chair) reported some really positive results by way of savings and efficiencies.

Section 17a of the Local Government Act requires all local authorities to periodically review the cost-effectiveness of their services. A value for money review encourages efficiency gains and is also an opportunity to reassess and improve the delivery of services to our communities and residents. Through our Value for Money Committee work programme, we have well and truly exceeded the expectations of that review and delivered some tangible results for Aucklanders.

Saving money each year isn’t new. Since amalgamation, Auckland Council has accomplished cumulative operating savings of $2.4 billion!

That said, the Value for Money Committee is a new committee that was established for the first time at the start of this political term, back in 2019. Its objective is simply to look for money saving opportunities and to consider the cost effectiveness of the governance, funding and delivery of Council. In this term, the committee has achieved over $447 million of financial benefits, including operating savings and efficiency achievements of $259.7 million, and group procurement savings of $96 million. Our asset recycling programme has achieved $92 million and also ensures that Council is efficiently using its capital and prioritizing funds to achieve our planned activities and projects. It’s all about ensuring we are spending responsibly.

Following on from last year where we exceeded our record high target of $120 million of savings (coming in at $126 million), we look to exceed our target again. As of 31 May, Auckland Council had achieved 100.8% of the $90 million savings target that had been set as part of our Recovery Budget, with a month still left in the financial year. Over half of that is enduring savings which means we have made a good start towards next year’s savings target.

Achieving savings and efficiencies was already well underway when the pandemic emerged in early 2020, but being faced with a crisis has certainly sharpened our thinking and focus in this space, as it has done for many other organisations throughout New Zealand and around the world. Our annual budget for the 2022/2023 year, which we will formally adopt shortly, has identified an ongoing budget gap of between $90 million and $150 million, so we know that we have some way to go, and more savings and efficiencies to find.

I look forward to sharing the projects planned for our ward as part of our Annual Budget 2022/23 with you once its been formally adopted on 29 June.

Budget speech for 2022/23

Our budgets this term have all been challenging, and sadly this one is no different. In our finance meetings and workshops over the past couple of years our Finance team have repeatedly talked to us about ‘financial head winds’ but we know what we’re facing now is a more like a financial cyclone. This budget is us putting our sandbags in place, moving to higher ground, and making sure we are as resilient as possible for there are still many unknowns. We know that some of the pressures we’re facing are temporary, but some may stick around for a while yet. The ongoing budget gap we face could be between $90 million and $150 million, depending on how the storm develops. That’s a big gap and a lot of unknown!

Following the draft mayoral proposal which went out for consultation in March, the mayor has now refined his original proposal based on feedback and updated financial projections. 

My thoughts on that are as follows:

First - the Climate Action Targeted rate. I don’t believe this should be based on the capital value of your home, nor do I personally believe the sequencing and prioritisation ofprojects associated with that spend are the best they could be. But we asked Aucklanders what they thought, noted the projects in that documentation, and the feedback was pretty clear. It had support. It had support across the region throughout  our consultation process, it had support from the majority oflocal boards including the two in my ward, and it had support from the independent Kantar poll. I absolutely support the careful monitoring of this rate spend, as we do with all our targeted rates, and I will be talking to every mayoral hopeful as to their thoughts on this going forward.

I am supportive of the grant to Coastguard. We are a region bordered by water and the work they do is critical for the safety of our communities. 

As for the government’s Better off Funding grant of $127 million - this grant does not in any way alter my view that the government’s direction on Three Waters is not good for Auckland. We know   Aucklanders do not agree with the Three Waters proposal, because they told us. Council’s recommendations on Three Waters are on record as being against, and the mayor has consistently and publicly been opposed to the reforms. But if the government is handing out a grant with no strings attached and we never have to pay it back, I’ll take it, especially in this challenging financial environment.

I think we should all be confident that the savings and efficiencies we have achieved this term have been the largest of any Auckland Council term to date. They currently total almost $230 million.  However, my personal belief is there are more to find. So to that end, I fully support looking at further savings opportunities across the group and further scoping of strategic opportunities for cost reductions as part of the Value for Money committee I chair, with Cr Mulholland as my deputy chair. The Value for Money work programme is critical

On debt… whilst eye wateringly large, it is only 18% of our assets… (I’m sure many wouldn’t mind their mortgage being 18%). This is supported in part by an average general rate of 3.5%. I note that this council term we have consistently ensured that our rates take from Aucklanders remains less than 40% of our income and this budget keeps to that figure coming in at 37%. Our debt to revenue will be well below our limit of 290% and the projections in our Recovery Budget, and our credit rating agencies Standard & Poors and Moodyshave supported us with AA and A2 ratings, respectively.

I’m challenged to support some of the deferral of capital expenditure over the next three years but know we have to make some decisions now to support ongoing prudence and also know that the final timing of projects will be reviewed by the next council. 

So, looking at the whole package, the new CATR, the other targeted rates, increases to rubbish – the whole lot - we remain focussed on what this means for Aucklanders, especially noting this budget includes the delayed revaluations. Across all of Auckland the total increases on average are at just under $200 for the residential ratepayer. We know that the impacts of rates increases are not uniform across the region. There are some areas that will feel this harder than others and I have looked to my colleagues, especially those in the south and west, for guidance as per their thoughts on affordability. I know that the average increase for the residential ratepayers in the Orakei Ward is $210. I also know that in every single local board area there will be a number of residential ratepayers whose rates go down next year by over $1,000 - OLB has about 540 of those . That said, we are all in very challenging financial times both as a region and as a country. The combined rates rises proposed by the mayor are in line with many other metropolitan councils across the country who are settling on rates increases of 5-6%. I note that Wellington is proposing 8.9% and Tauranga 13.7% But again, we know it’s tough out there for everyone. I’ll be watching carefully to see if there are any increases in ratepayers struggling to pay their rates on time as we start quarter one of the new year next month. Again, this will be something all prospective mayors need to keep an eye on too.  

So, is this budget prudent? Whilst this budget was proposed by the mayor and supported by our finance team, it also was independently assessed by our Audit and Risk committee which has three members who are professionals and independent of Council. The committee has advised the Governing Body that an appropriate approach is being taken to manage the key financial risks associated with the Annual Budget 2022/23, provided that the Governing Body is able to reach agreement on a budget that addresses the financial pressures in a sustainable and financially prudent manner – that is, the budget package before us here today. We know that this financial storm we find ourselves in is presenting significant risks to our financial position, but our Finance team, our rating agencies and our Audit and Risk Committee all agree that we are meeting those challenges with a strong commitment to sustainable and prudent financial management.

Finally, to our local boards, IMSB and CCO’s, once again, thank you for being part of the journey, and for your willingness to engage with us on the issues and to be part of the solution. We have a shared governance framework and ithas definitely played out in our budget planning. So, Team Auckland, again, thank you. To my deputy, Cr Henderson,thank you for your support, it’s been a rough year. In concluding my comments today, I wish to thank our Finance staff. Peter, you and your team have had a huge workload over the past few months, and I know I speak on behalf of all around this table when I say we are eternally grateful for your professionalism. Whilst we will land the 22/23 annual budget soon, your work continues, planning for the unknowns ahead, keeping us financially stable and maintaining our high credit ratings. It is a challenge I have every confidence you and your team will help us navigate.

ANZAC Day Speech

E nga mana, e nga reo, e rau rangatira ma [All peoples, all speakers, all chiefly people]

Tenei te mihi nui ki a koutou [My sincere thanks to you all]

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa. [Greetings to you all]

Greetings to all of our veterans, our active duty military, their families and friends, and to all community members who have come to pay respects.

We gather here today at the Newmarket War Memorial, in front of some 200 names inscribed in stone, names of those from this wonderful community who paid the ultimate sacrifice. We gather to remember them and all those who have served in war.

While COVID-19 has again seen many Anzac Day services disrupted, I am grateful that our community in Newmarket can gather here in person today and honour tradition. Thank you to Mark Knoff-Thomas and his team at the NBA for making today possible.

This year, the distressing events in Ukraine are at the forefront of our attention, with daily reports of death and suffering reminding us of the horror and tragedy of war. It is now as important as ever to use Anzac day  not just to reflect on the sacrifices of all those who have served New Zealand but to all those suffering the impact of war throughout the world.

To help us acknowledge Anzac day we have a few traditions. The parade is celebrated, a moment of silence is observed, the last post is read, ANZAC biscuits are baked and eaten, and of course we have the red poppy. Worn on kiwi lapels, up and down the nation, the red poppy salutes the sacrifices made, so that we might live in a free country.

2022 marks 100 years of the RSA's Poppy Appeal. This centennial gives us an opportunity to reflect on the red poppy’s history as an international symbol of war remembrance. The red or ‘Flanders’ poppy was one of the first flowers to grow in the mud and soil of the Western Front. This same poppy still flowers in Turkey in early spring - as it did in April 1915 when the ANZACs fatefully landed at Gallipoli. In the awful landscape of blood and destruction, the red poppy became a symbol of regeneration and growth.

In 1921, New Zealand took what was originally a French idea to wear poppies for remembrance. The idea of selling artificial poppies to raise funds for veterans’ organisations was conceived by a French woman, Madame E. Guerin. Through her organisation, widows and orphans in France manufactured artificial poppies to be sold for the benefit of veterans and children in poverty.

In September that year, the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association placed an order for over 360,000 silk poppies with Madame Guerin’s French Children’s League. Due to shipping delays, (a concept familiar to us in 2022), the poppies arrived too late for Armistice Day 1921, so the NZRSA decided to hold their appeal on the day before Anzac Day in 1922.

1922 was also the first year Anzac Day was recognised as a public holiday. Today, 100 years later, I am moved when I think of the spirit of that year’s commemorations. So great had been the loss of life, so devastating had been the destruction, it is no wonder people hoped the Great War they had just endured would be the last - “The war to end all wars”. But it was not to be. Two decades after the First World War ended, the world was plunged into a second global conflict.  Anzac Day was transformed into a commemoration of all the overseas wars in which New Zealanders had taken part. The day became both inter-generational and inter-cultural, emulating the ideal of New Zealand as a united community.

Throughout Anzac Day’s history, the poppy - small, light and artificial - has remained constant as a symbol of the very heavy, very real toll of war. I have an abiding love for nature, and it is poignant to me how the meaning of this one little flower has taken root across the world.  We are compelled by the story of shells and shrapnel stirring up the earth, exposing poppy seeds to the light they need to bloom. It is a story that has survived for over a century because it was created to be worn by the living, close to our hearts.

We wear this emblem, this poppy,  to honour our commonality between nations and remind us of our collective heritage.

We wear this emblem, this poppy, to honour Service men and women who protect, preserve and carry our role as the guardian of the Pacific.

We wear this emblem, this poppy to honour the dead, and help the living come to terms with their loss.

While today we commemorate a day of sorrow, the poppy is our essential reminder that, in the face of destruction, there is always hope and beauty.

And with this symbol of hope on our chests, we proudly pay tribute to the values of the original Anzacs – loyalty, selflessness, courage – and the ways in which later generations have measured our own achievements against theirs.

We think today with the poppy on our chest of our fellow Nzrs  experiencing fear and heartache for their families and friends affected by current conflicts around the world 

Today, as every year, we particularly remember what happened at Gallipoli, but also pay tribute to  all those who have served, and pledge our commitment, no matter how hard to strive for a world in which we, our children and all people live free from the threat of violence, suffering and war.

Lest we forget.