December Newsletter

Thank you for your support this year and the hundreds of submissions, emails, phone calls, and Facebook messages – listening to you and responding to your queries and concerns is a key part of my role and one which is very important to me.

A last update before we farewell 2018.

Your views are important

There are two Auckland Council consultations open and relevant to our community that I encourage you to submit on. As always, I will be closely following the feedback from the Orakei Ward and supporting your views.

Palmers Garden Centre and Cafe

176-182 Shore Road in Remuera has been leased by Palmers Garden World Limited for the last 15 years. This lease was the result of an agreement between the Minister of Conservation and Auckland Council in 2005. The agreement says that the lease can be extended for a further 15 years, provided it is in the public's interest. Do you want it to stay? Please share your views.

Consultation is open until 12 December 2018.

Freedom Camping

Some of our visitors to Auckland over summer are ‘campers’ who use our parks and public spaces to overnight while they enjoy the city. Whilst we welcome people to explore the many beaches, parks and tourist spots in this way, we also need to ensure that their presence doesn’t prevent others from also enjoying these spots. The proposed bylaw out for consultation includes preventing freedom campers in such areas as the Michael Joseph Savage memorial and Selwyn Reserve in Mission Bay, while allowing self-contained campervans to park at Orakei Domain and Churchill Park. Consultation is open through to 18 February 2019 with the decision making scheduled for April.

Auckland Transport Consultation

There are also several Auckland Transport consultations open that will shape the way we travel from and around the Orakei area. Again, I encourage you to submit to ensure our communities views are represented.

Pedestrian Crossing Improvements

A number of pedestrian crossings, identified as higher risk in Auckland Transport crash data, are being investigated for safety updates.

·         8 Portland Road, Remuera. Proposed crossing. Submit here.

·         72 Shore Rd, Remuera. Proposed crossing. Submit here.

·         40 Kelvin Rd, Remuera. Proposed crossing. Submit here.

·         107 Kohimarama Rd, Kohimarama. Proposed crossing. Submit here.

·         237 Tamaki Drive, Kohimarama. Proposed crossing. Submit here.

·         217 Riddell Rd, Glendowie. Proposed crossing. Submit here.

Regional Public Transport Plan

The Regional Public Transport Plan is one of Auckland Transport’s strategic documents for 2018-2028. This plan outlines AT’s proposed public transport network improvements in the coming decade in order to accommodate significant infrastructure projects, such as the City Rail Link, the Eastern Busway, and light rail.

It also discusses the prioritisation of buses in some road corridors. Consultation is open until Friday 14 December. Those who are concerned re school bus routes will be particularly interested.

Upcoming – 30km/h zones

Auckland Transport are also consulting in February on their desire to reduce speed limits to 30km/h in the CBD and the town centres of Mission Bay and St Heliers. The ‘driver’ (pardon the pun) is the fact that a car hitting a pedestrian at 50km/h will be fatal 80% of the time, whereas a car hitting a pedestrian at 30km/h will be fatal 10% of the time.  Whilst I agree with efforts to make our streets safer, I am also very interested in your thoughts as to whether slowing traffic down is the best way to do this when vehicle congestion is such a problem, and we have approximately 33,000 plus cars and buses entering the city from the east. There is also the significant investment we have made on some of our streets separating pedestrians from cyclists, busses and cars. Should we then still slow everyone down when these improvements have been done to increase safety. At time of writing specific dates for consultation are not known so please keep an eye out on my Facebook page or website for further details.

Rubbish collections over the holiday period

Rubbish and recycling will be collected as normal on Monday 24 December and Monday 31 December.

No collection will take place on Christmas day – the regular Tuesday collection will instead take place on Wednesday 26 December. Similarly, no refuse collection will take place on Tuesday 1 January – it will instead take place on Wednesday 2 January.

From 26-28 December and 2-4 January, refuse and recycling collections will be a day later than usual. Friday collections will be picked up on Saturday.

Security tips for those going away

With many of us heading away for the summer months, I’ve checked in with Neighbourhood Support for some security tips.

·         Use timers on radios and lights

·         Cancel newspaper and mail deliveries – consider adding a ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker (available at Citizen’s Advice Bureaux)

·         Lock away garden tools and ladders that could be used by a would-be thief to gain access to your home

·         Do not leave a message that you are away and be careful what you post on social media

Water Quality

This summer is the second swimming season that we have had the enhanced Safeswim website which gives the public an up to date forecast of the water quality at any given beach. Auckland’s struggle with water quality is well documented. Combined stormwater and sewerage in older parts of Auckland, many of which are in the Orakei Ward, cause overflows into the harbour when it rains. We also have problems with dry weather sewerage overflows which are usually caused by blockages in the pipes due to things like fats, oils and wet wipes being tipped down the sink or flushed down the toilet. All of this conspires to reduce the quality of our water and create a health risk to swimmers. Last summer about 10% of readings taken at Orakei’s beaches along Tamaki Drive showed that the water failed to meet national water quality guidelines with a further 5% unsafe for children and the elderly.

Having been given a mandate by you to support the water targeted rate I have been working hard to confirm projects in our ward to address this problem. These include, suburban Orakei’s stormwater separation and outlet upgrades at Okahu Bay along with dredging of the Portland Road creek prior to the road raising. Further to this, we will be conducting detailed investigations of the networks in the Judges Bay, Mission Bay and St Heliers areas to identify and eliminate sources of contamination.

While this is taking place, please check Safeswim for water quality information before swimming.

Pool Safety

The leading cause of pre-school children drowning in pools are unsupervised access to pools through faulty gates and barriers, ladders left against the pool and gates propped open, and small portable pools remaining full of water without supervision.

As we move into summer I ask our community to please check their pools are safe. I was devastated to read that an average of three pre-schoolers die in home pool drownings in Auckland every year and hope we can all play our role in preventing this.

Boating Safety

If you are visiting one of our stunning  islands in the gulf please make sure you check, clean, and seal your gear so we can keep them pest free.

The Harbourmaster has lists of regulations and maps of restricted areas for anyone navigating Auckland’s waters this summer.

Please remember to take and wear lifejackets when boating this summer. A speed restriction of 5 knots applies within 200m of the shore or 50m of another boat or person in the water.

Blue Christmas Services

There are many in our community for whom Christmas can be a difficult time – particularly those experiencing grief or loss. Blue Christmas services are peaceful and reflective services run through many of our local churches to support those in need through this season. I lost my own father at Christmastime so know how ‘difficult’ this time of year can be. My thoughts go to those who find this time challenging.

Church rates

The legal interpretation of the way churches were rated was not the same prior to Auckland becoming the supercity. Following approaches from several members of the community concerned by the level of rates being levied on property that had previously been identified as non-rateable, I requested that this matter be brought before Councillors for decision making. Council staff had made new rates allocations for the 2018/2019 year without any political input; something I believed was inappropriate.

The Finance and Performance Committee on 20 November decided to hold the rating of religious properties at the 2017/2018 levy for the full 2018/2019 year. Those of whose rates decreased will keep that decrease, but those who received an increased bill will not pay that increase.  I would also especially thank those church representatives who came and spoke at the meeting to assist the mayor and councillors in understanding the issues.

Further proposed changes to the way religious properties are rated, will be consulted upon as part of the Annual Plan between February 17 and March 17 next year. It will be open and transparent and you will have a chance to have your say.

Thank you

Finally as I look back on 2018, it has been a long, and at times fraught year, but we have achieved some positive change for our region and the Orakei Ward.

Re our open space, we have bought a new park in Orakei, - one of 13 new parks for the region. We provided investment for local and sports parks, including Michaels Avenue Reserve and at Colin Maiden. A special highlight was the $750,000 to enable the renewal of the artificial turfs at College Rifles, a key venue for rugby in Orakei and a key part of our sports network. Over the next 10 years we have increased our investment in Parks and Community facilities to $3.7 billion for the region - an increase of 54% from the previous budget.

On top of this I have championed the value for money workstream which is all about getting independent assessors to peer review how we do things, check we are operating efficiently and getting the best value for the ratepayer dollar spent. To date this programme has realised $208m in benefits with more to come as improvements are identified and made. The 2018-2028 Long Term also includes efficiency savings of $61m over the first three years – equivalent to 5% of the Council’s (parent) direct expenditure.

I lobbied NZTA to get the Orakei Basin walkway balustrade lowered, supported locals to fast track the dredging of Martyn Wilson Field in Remuera and worked with Auckland Transport to get a drop off zone for Kings school at no cost to ratepayers,

For the first time in Auckland Councils history I have ensured the local Boards priority project is funded and have as I have promised to do, always voted as per the majority view on your feedback when asked.

In no way is this an exhaustive list….but a small balance against some of the not so positive stories Auckland Council gets.

Again, thank you for your support. I couldn’t do what I do without it.

I wish you all the very best seasons greetings and the happiest of summer holidays.

I’m taking a well deserved break myself and I look forward to seeing you all in 2019.

Desley

Housing and Remuera Golf Course

I was interviewed by Newshub Nation on the subject of Housing & The Remuera Golf Course. You can watch the interview here:

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/11/could-auckland-s-public-golf-courses-help-end-the-housing-crisis.html

Councillor attendance- What are my statistics?

You may have read this article in the Herald re Councillor attendance at workshops and council meetings

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12156847

Having been elected by the residents and ratepayers of Auckland, I think the very least one should do is turn up to meetings. If you don’t, you cannot in my opinion, do your job properly and successfully input into the decisions and decision making direction of this Council

There are a couple of points I’d like to clarify re my attendance and participation

First the number of committees I attend.

It’s not 5 as mentioned. One of the few delegations the mayor has is to set committees and determine who should sit on what. Unlike some councillors I have never refused to be part of a committee when asked.

The  various Council Committees I am on are as follows;

Governing Body ( all councillors)

Finance and Performance ( deputy chair- all councillors)

Environment and Community ( all councillors)

Planning ( all councillors)

Appointment and Performance and Value for Money

Domain Committee

Ngati Whatua Reserves Board

Hauraki Gulf Forum ( alternate)

Quality Advice Political Advisory Group ( chair)

Second – my attendance at workshops was noted as 97% ( 95% plus 2% on Council business)

The reason this isn’t higher is that in three cases, the workshop was scheduled to finish at a certain time, and didn’t it went over time. My councillor support person who manages my diary, had booked other meetings  for me following these and made commitments  for me to attend. If I had stayed on I would have been late or missed them.

I stand by my commitment I made to all the communities and residents of the Orakei ward when I said I would work hard on your behalf. I’m hoping both the  Herald article and my associated explanations help prove that.

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

Boundary Changes for 2019 elections

Legislation dictates that the ratio of people to elected member in a ward should not vary from the average across the whole of Auckland by more than 10 per cent. This is to ensure "fair and effective representation for individuals and communities". Auckland currently has 13 wards and a review of these showed our city ward (Waitemata and Gulf) was well in excess of that -43%! Population growth in the city centre has been unprecedented so, following public consultation Council made the decision to move the communities of Parnell, Newmarket, Grafton and Newton into the Orakei ward to lower the ratio for the city. In doing that Orakei was too big so the communities of Ellerslie and St Johns (east of St Johns Rd) have been moved into the Maungakiekie Ward.

Wards are represented by Councillors, but within Wards there can be more than one Local Board area. The changes are for the Wards (Councillors) and will NOT affect the local Board boundaries.

If you live in Ellerslie and are currently part of the Orakei Local Board area, this will not change.

If you live in Parnell, Newmarket, Grafton or Newton you will still be part of the Waitemata local board area.

For more details of the changes and a link to the agenda item you can visit the council website here.

The Local Government Commission are expected to give final approval to these changes in early 2019.
 

Clonbern Carpark

Sadly, even though there has been large signage added to the entrance of the Clonbern Carpark alerting drivers of large vehicles to keep off the upper deck, this doesn’t appear to have worked.

This carpark is integral to the Remuera Town Centre but due to its durability issues, the structural capacity is being compromised. While currently the carpark is safe, unless weight is reduced there is a serious and very high chance that the upper level will close. Re-development is dependent on factors outside of Council control but we do know how important it is for Remuera to have this carpark so over the next 2 weeks a security guard will be on site handing out information to reinforce the signage. Please help us spread the word as to close the carpark would take 70 much needed parking spaces away from the 199 total spaces available at the carpark, making parking even more difficult for Remuera.
 

King's School now has a pick up/drop off zone
 

One project I have particularly championed was for King's School in Remuera to have some sort of pick up/drop off zone. I am pleased to advise this is now in operation and is well loved by the King's School parents, staff and wider community. I facilitated discussions between the two landowners (Auckland Transport and King's School) and following a year’s ‘debate’ the project was completed over the September school holidays and paid for by the school. Portland Rd continues to have two lanes operating both ways and rather than holding up that traffic the drop off zone provides a much safer option for the boys and their parents and does not affect commuter traffic.
 

Fireworks – should they continue to be sold for private use or should we only have public displays?
 

With Guy Fawkes Day just this week, it draws attention to a section of the new by law out for consultation which asks your views as to whether fireworks should be allowed to be sold for private use or not. As always when we ask your views, my vote will reflect the feedback from our ward, so please have your say on the Auckland Council website here.

The bylaw review seeks feedback on changes to the Public Safety and Nuisance bylaw and aims to consolidate and simplify rules that have been previously set by council (or legacy councils) by making them enforceable under legislation from central government instead of via bylaw. This will also cover issues such as window washers at traffic lights, mind altering substances, graffiti, street names and property numbering.

Orakei Basin section of the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive shared path
 

This project seems to have one issue after another. Consultation is out for re-design feedback on this section and the next section from Meadowbank up through the Purewa Valley to St Heliers Bay Rd.

Nowhere in the consultation document does it say that NZTA and AT have FINALLY agreed that the rail can be lowered from 1.4m to 1.2m alongside the Basin nor does it show a picture of a fully wooden option. The current 1.4m high metal railings will be repurposed for use on a different walkway project. Click here to see the options and here to have your say. Happy to chat this through with you further if you’d like, but please be aware consultation closes on November 9 ( this Friday!)
 

Remuera Golf Club and the Mayor

I am pleased to advise that things are looking up re the Mayor and Remuera Golf Course.

I requested Mayor Goff meet with the Club so he could fully understand their long held objective to increase public use. The meeting was last week and ended positively. I believe the Mayor now has a better understanding of the site and  how it integrates with other surrounding facilities. The Mayor was open to all options including lease extensions, purchase of the land by the Club, and their development of facilities for community use. It is now back in the hands of Remuera Golf Club to develop some specific options, work with Council officials and present back in 2019. It’s a positive attitude change by the Mayor and one which I know many in our community will welcome (the meeting was also the day before the Herald contacted me as to my opinion of Mayor Goff so was well timed!)

Portland Road flooding prevention

Another of my strong advocacy based initiatives has been to lock in a work stream to reduce  flooding on the Shore Rd end of Portland Rd and the flooding of Portland Reserve from the ‘creek’ during heavy rain events. Staff advise they are progressing with the design of the two major elements to this project; raising the road and environmental works to improve the functioning of the wetlands in Waitaramoa Reserve and Portland Reserve. As the design progresses, Council will be in touch to inform residents in the immediate area of the works of what is planned, seeking feedback. I have also requested they hold a community meeting to answer any questions from the community.  ( I’ll probably ask the Remuera Residents Association to  facilitate if they are willing) At this point I’m asking you all to ‘watch this space’ but rest assured, work is happening. We are finally getting closer to resolving this longstanding issue of flooding which has been a major hazard for residents of the area and those driving along Portland Rd, especially at night.

Update on sewage overflow in Meadowbank

On Wednesday this week local residents brought to my attention raw sewage overflowing from a stormwater pipe in Meadowbank

I visited the site and sadly found this to be true with wet wipes, tampons and excrement obvious and disgorging into the Purewa Creek. Within 30 mins of my call, Watercare was on site to fix the problem

By way of background, the wastewater network in this area was predominately constructed in the 1950’s, by Housing New Zealand. It is a purpose-built separate wastewater network and currently has sufficient capacity for dry weather flows.

Watercare’s latest system performance assessment of the Purewa wastewater network indicates that small sections of the wastewater network will require upgrading to provide capacity for growth based on the land use changes and upzoning provided in the Operative Auckland Unitary Plan.

I will be pushing hard for those upgrades to happen

The are two engineered overflow points within the Purewa wastewater network that allows wastewater to spill during heavy rainfall or when blockage occurs in the network. These are network relief points and are designed like this to reduce the risk of overflows occurring on private properties

The wastewater overflow that I observed at the creek was a result of a blockage in the network due to fats and wet wipes/rags. The fat congeals and the non-flushable wet wipes bind with the fats and creates the blockage. The attached photo and video shows one of the wet wipes/rag, which do not break down and remain in one piece.

Watercare will shortly be sending out a customer newsletter to our Purwea customers, which will provide information on how to help reduce local overflows. Anything you can do to assist in that education and awareness will be greatly appreciated.

Watercare have also installed monitors at each of the engineered overflow locations. These monitor the performance of the network and we will send an alarm when a dry weather overflow occurs, which will allow Council to respond rapidly.

Watercare also intend to modify the two engineered overflow points to lessen the frequency of overflows during wet weather. They aim to have this completed within a few weeks.

I understand that there could be up to 60 properties that have historical consented stormwater (roofs and paved areas) connections to the wastewater network. Healthy Waters ( Councils regional water quality department) will be carrying out field investigations of the drainage connection status of these properties during December 2018, and based on the outcome they will look to construct new stormwater infrastructure to allow the 60 properties to connect to the new stormwater pipes.

Supporting Remuera Golf Club with their long standing objective to increase public use

My comments have been reported by Stuff.co.nz here:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/108031376/Golfers-councillor-take-aim-at-Auckland-Mayor-Phil-Goff-over-cycleways-idea

October Newsletter

Eastern Bays Songbird Trap Hand outs

I’m sure you join with me in wanting an Orakei community and an Auckland that is vibrant with birdlife, free of pests with healthy biodiverse ecosystems.

The good folk at the Eastern Bays Songbird Project have a mission for local residents to be involved in controlling rodents, possums and hedgehogs and  are distributing free rat traps between 10am and 2pm at the following dates and locations.

• 27th October - Grammar TEC Ruby Club, Orakei

• 3rd November - the car park outside 6 Nihill Crescent, Mission Bay

• 10th November - 46 Long Drive, St Heliers

• 17th November - Maskell Street Shops, St Heliers

• 1st December - Kupe Street Shops, Orakei

I’ve got mine and encourage you to have one too. If you are worried about disposing of what is caught, don’t panic- the good folk associated with the organization will do that for you.

See www.songbird.org.nz

New school bus for Sacred Heart College

Following the launch of the new central bus routes in July, there have been many schools unhappy with changes. Glendowie College and Sacred Heart were two of them.  Sacred Heart and Glendowie College have, as a result of changes, been sharing a bus which was causing a variety of problems for the schools- including overcrowded buses and difficult timings for students.


 I’m happy to announce that following a joint meeting I had with deputy principals from both schools, Auckland Transport has added a new school bus to serve Sacred Heart College seeing a bus for both schools operating as before.

A specific bus service for both schools is a logical outcome and I commend Auckland Transport for responding to the school's concerns.

A buzz at Remuera Golf Course

There is a definite buzz at Remuera Golf Club and not all of it has to do with what’s happening on the course. On a recent visit I was surprised to discover the club is home to several beehives which are cared for by a local community group, which collects the honey and sells it.

It’s just one of the many ways the club is connecting with its community and demonstrating its commitment to the being more sustainable.

In 2016 the club was GEO certified for its commitment to sustainable practices which include the hives and returning parts of the course to a more natural state to improve habitats to attract birdlife. It also introduced systems to reduce water use, use electric mowers, organic fertilizers and installed recycling bins around the course.

On the Golf Course’s future as open space, I remain committed to ensuring Remuera Golf Course land is not sold for housing but is able to develop its long held intention to have more public access for sport and recreation on site.

Annual Report

Auckland Council’s Annual report for the July 2017 to June 2018 year was released in late September. Whilst nowhere near perfect I can reliably say that over the past year period Council has shown improvement in controlling more of its costs, reducing reliance on rates as a funding source and improving organizational efficiency all while delivering a record capital investment programme to support Auckland’s rapid growth.

Due to the way the planning and reporting cycles work for Council this is the only report in the 3 year political cycle that will be received by the same group of councilors that approved the budget that it reports against. Some highlights for me were:

·         Rates rise held to 2.5% for the 2017/18 financial year with the UAGC also increasing by 2.5%

·         Overall operating surplus of $122m

·         $1.7 billion in additional capital assets for Auckland (against only $253m in added debt)

·         Launch of Green Bonds

·         Realisation of the first benefits and savings from the Value for Money programme in procurement ($112.4m) and water and wastewater ($79m).

·         Maintenance of Auckland Council’s high AA credit rating

·         Staff costs for the council parent below budget by $26m

·         Staff as a ratio to Auckland’s population decreased

·         96.5% punctuality for public transport services

·         Adding 13 new parks to our network ( one for Orakei Ward )  and 10 Council parks recognized internationally through Green Flag awards.

·         Improved engagement with Asian communities

Lowlights included:

·         Needing to increase provisioning for weathertightness claims by $82m

·         Expenses coming in $77m higher than budget

·         Unsatisfactory performance in timely processing of regulatory consents

So yes some good news but still a long way to go……………

CCO performance

The performance of our CCO’s is just as important ( some say more) than Council’s core operations. Last week we received the annual report on our CCO’s performance. One which particularly concerns me is the performance of  Panuku. Panuku Development Auckland is a merger of two former CCO’s Waterfront Auckland and Auckland Properties Ltd.  Last year Panuku’s capital spend was a huge $31.6m behind budget, with only 27% of its capex budget being spent. Sadly this follows a disturbing trend over the last 3 years with 33% of their capital programme being delivered in 2017 and 46% in 2016. With the America’s Cup planning well in place, they will have a whole lot more projects on top of those delays they currently have. I will be taking a very careful look at the performance of Panuku and challenging them to improve their delivery, monitoring and performance in the next financial year as currently they give a very poor performance impression to ratepayers.

Quality of Advice to elected members

Having sound, good quality advice available to elected members before they make decisions is integral for good decision making.  Every year, New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) critiques Council reports and rates them against a set of standards. As chair of the Quality Advice Political Advisory Group, I have had an objective to improve the quality of reports. I’m very pleased to be able to share the headlines results of the most recent NZIER assessment.  Council has achieved its highest score to date; lifting to an average score of 7.38 .From my perspective its still not good enough, but for the first time we have not received any ‘poor’ ratings.  And 84% of the reports were assessed as adequate or above. That’s a very good result. The following rating system is used:  5=poor; 6= borderline; 7=adequate; 8=good; 9+=excellent.

Council has a small team working to support the improvement of report writing and in July, Cathy Scott, Associate NZIER, reviewed our quality advice programme with the aim of identifying successes, gaps and areas for future focus. I’m pleased to report that NZIER was impressed with the programme calling it ‘one of the best they’ve seen’.  They commended the programme’s strong governance and leadership including the role of the Political Advisory Group. Now we will work through the results in detail so we can learn from them, as our goal is to achieve an even higher score next year.

We don’t have our benchmarking results as yet.  However, to put our 2018  score in context, the highest score received by any Council in NZ  last year was 7.19.

September Newsletter

Auckland Golf Courses are NOT for sale

There has been recent media suggesting the mayor is leading the sale of golf clubs based on Council land. Whilst the mayor and I have for a long time, been on opposite side of this debate, (he looking at options and me not wanting them sold - especially Remuera) I am pleased that we are all now in agreement that no sales are on the table and our next steps are to look at how other codes and activities can be incorporated into our 13 Council owned golf sites. Remuera have for a long time been looking at this anyway.  Some of you may remember that the Remuera Golf Club land was originally a’ swamp’. It has been the hard work of the club itself that has improved the site to the wonderful valuable resource it is today (and I’m not just talking money). They were the first club in NZ to be accredited by Golf Environment Organization for sustainability, they have beehives on site, use solar powered lawn mowers and have the highest membership in rounds played in Auckland. Their driving range has more public use than members use and subject to some commentary, any member of the public can play there. They also pay more to Council than any other golf club based on Council land.

To be honest this whole debate reminded me of when Colin Maiden Park was designated as housing in the draft Unitary Plan and the huge effort taken by myself and the former OLB to get that changed back to its original use for sport and recreation. Parks and open space are the lungs of any city, and with intensification we will need them even more.  

Group Procurement Savings

As your Councillor, I am always looking at ways to do things more efficiently and ways that deliver best value for money. I am pleased to announce we have achieved $288 million savings and benefits from Auckland Council's group source procurement programme since we started it 2016.  This includes Auckland Council parent and the CCO’s Auckland Transport and Watercare’s product and services procurement.

Earlier this month we received a report which noted savings of $69.9 million in 2016, $106 million in 2017 and $112.4 million this financial year. The report explained in detail the monetary benefits of the programme, including savings, cost avoidance, revenue and increased productivity. 

The report also highlighted the advantages of the sustainable procurement model, an innovative long-term strategy to cut business expenses. Early initiatives involve the purchase of a fleet of electric vehicles and increasing the use Skype for Business where possible to lower the councils carbon footprint and cut fleet expenditure.

Outstanding Valuation Objections

If you are one of the ratepayers who has objected to your new valuation and haven’t had your objection resolved, sadly you are not alone. Over 5,000 ratepayers are waiting for their objection to be processed and at time of writing there was still a huge backlog. Council has found itself in a situation not of its making, where the valuation contractor has not met its obligations to respond to objections in a timely manner. By law Council had to send out the rates notices based on the valuation as at 1 July and this has upset many, especially those who wanted their new valuations assessed lower.

I was alerted to this by a constituent and quickly found this to be a region wide problem and at my prompting, staff have contacted those affected with rates options for payments (including deferral ) until the revaluation backlog has been cleared.

Whilst our valuation contractor has had payment withheld as a result of their failure to meet their contractual obligations, this does not lessen the inconvenience and frustration that both myself and affected ratepayers have had to experience.

Ratings changes for church and properties

Prior to the amalgamation of Auckland Council, the different Councils interpreted the rules for rating of properties that have a religious purpose in slightly different ways. At the end of the last political term, the Auckland Council decided to review this issue. The review identified some church held property that was not used for worship or education and suggested that these should be levied rates. The review lacked political approval. For some churches the implementation of staff decisions have seen rates bills go from $400 pa to $28,000 pa.

The good news is that with my intervention, Council has halted these new charges with no penalties until a full report comes to Councillors on the impacts and assessments with remissions options.

Rates Remissions

Are you or someone you know a resident of a retirement village that is owned on a ‘License to Occupy’ basis? If so, a rule change means that you may now be eligible for a rates rebate from the Department of Internal Affairs instead of a remission from Council.

The maximum rebate from DIA is $630, depending on your income and any dependents you may have.

I strongly encourage anyone who may be eligible for this rebate to find out more on the Auckland Council website here.

Sport & Recreation Partnership Grant to Aktive Auckland Sport & Recreation for 2018/2019

A report recently came to the Environment & Community committee concerning the Sport & Recreation Partnership Grant. The report recommendations were to continue to provide $552,000 per annum to Aktive Auckland Sport and Recreation and Sport Auckland to deliver programmes and initiatives across Auckland over the next three years.

Their work aims to encourage Aucklanders to be more active and take part in regular exercise or activity. The funding will support investment in community organisations and programmes that promote sport and physical activity, especially groups working with young people or identified communities. This will also include the development of shared school and community facilities, initiatives to expand the volunteer base around sport and growing communities of activity. 

Glendowie Bowling Club (GBC) was identified as a beneficiary of their work in the Orakei ward as they work with other clubs and the Local Board to get more use out of their facilities and working towards the creation of a multi-use sports hub.

 Ayr Street ( Parnell)  Footpath Renewal

Auckland Transport have started work to repair the footpath on Ayr Street between Parnell Road and Shore Road.  This work is part of a wider programme of renewal works in the region.

The footpath is in very poor condition and will be re-constructed before asphalt road resurfacing work is begun, this work should protect the road pavement asset and is due to be completed mid-October. 

All affected residents should have been contacted by Auckland Transport in late August and they should receive an update as the work progresses.  The works should not prevent residential vehicle access except when vehicle crossings are being excavated and prepped for concrete.  However, others will have to follow the detour route during the work hours of Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, Weekends 8am to 5pm.   Pedestrian access on Ayr Street between Shore Rd and Parnell Rd will continue as normal during the project. Thank you for your patience while this work is carried out!

Road Safety Initiatives

I am welcoming the response from Auckland Transport and other agencies following my advocacy regarding road safety improvements for the Orakei Ward.  Recent statistics have our ward well down the list in terms of road safety. In fact, we are ranked at a disappointing 17 out of the 21 local Board areas for rates of death and serious injury on our roads. This rate has increased by 4% in the last five years and this is a trend that we need to reverse. So, I am pleased to advise that this financial year we will be investing in a number of new initiatives in the Orakei Ward to address road safety including 14 pedestrian safety projects planned for completion in the next two years.

Three of these projects are focused on improving safety outside schools.  The schools targeted are St Kentigern Boys School on Shore Road, Kohimarama School on Kohimarama Road and Glendowie Primary School on Riddell Road.

Police Update: stolen vehicles and rise in burglaries

Did you know that if you've spotted a suspicious or abandoned vehicle in your neighbourhood, it's possible to check whether it’s been listed as stolen?

The NZ Police now have a handy tool on their website. It's as simple as either entering a registration number, VIN, engine or chassis number into the New Zealand Polices Stolen Vehicles Database. Click here to find out if a vehicle was listed as stolen.

Note that when you report a vehicle as stolen to Police its details will be published on this and on other publicly available registers. If you want to provide information anonymously about a vehicle in your neighbourhood, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or If the vehicle appears to be abandoned then please advise Police of its location by contacting your local police station.

I understand there has been a rise in burglaries with thieves specifically targeting high rise apartments and properties in Remuera, Mission Bay and Orakei.  The burglars are scaling high rise buildings and accessing properties through unlocked balcony doors or windows. 

Police are advising residents to ensure that all windows and doors are locked when leaving the property to prevent further attacks.  If you have seen any suspicious activity or you would like to report a burglary at your property, please contact your local police station.

August Newsletter

Boundary changes

Auckland’s rapid growth, particularly in the CBD has caused Council to reassess the now uneven numbers of people each Councillor represents. We need to spread some of that city growth representation to immediate neighbouring Wards to keep Councillor/constituent numbers as even as possible. This naturally has a flow on affect. After internal deliberations the proposal out for consultation seeks feedback for the Auckland Councillor for Orakei to absorb parts of Newmarket and Parnell ( to minimise the Councillor/constituent ratio in Waitemata Ward)  and relinquish parts of Ellerslie and St Johns to the Councillor for Maungakiekie-Tamaki.

Public consultation on the proposal allowing you to have your say on the proposal is from 8 August to 11 September by visiting www.akhaveyoursay.nz. If the proposal is accepted the changes will apply for the upcoming 2019 elections. This is a process that is driven by legislation and whilst I personally would be sorry to lose constituents from Ellerslie and St Johns, if the proposal goes ahead, it is a process that I must remain sanguine about: this is about ensuring that our democracy keeps pace with the changing shape of Auckland. As ever, I strongly encourage everyone to make a submission and let your views be known.

PLEASE NOTE-  the Orakei Local Board representation and boundaries will not be affected through this process.

Further drives to reduce council’s costs

Being cost effective is something Auckland Council should be championing as opposed to reacting to budget blow outs. I was pleased recently to move a resolution to review our Group Financial services. We have a large group expenditure planned over the next ten years with $4.2 billion in operating expenditure and $1.3 billion in capital expenditure in organisational support services including Finance. Amongst other things, the review will cover financial transactions, tax and revenue management, financial planning and budgeting and capital planning. The reviews scope will cover the overall management of Councils financial services from the development of policies and strategies to the commissioning of funding, the cost and resource use, and the effectiveness of these services within Auckland Council and its Council Controlled Organisations. The review will be supported by an external independent reference panel with expertise in public finance, public policy and management and local government operations. We must be able to prove to our ratepayers we have robust  financial systems  in place to deliver value for money. This needs to be approved by the Governing Body on 23 August and then it will begin.

Orakei Basin Shared Path Boardwalk
 

After months of advocacy on your behalf, I am extremely pleased to advise I now have agreement from both NZTA and Auckland Transport that the current fence design running alongside the Orakei Basin will be changed. Public consultation on the design for the remaining two stages of the pathway will go out for feedback in September this year. This will include the opportunity for residents to have input into the shared path design for the final two stages. When that design is confirmed, it will be applied to the Ōrākei Basin section. As Rachel Hunter famously said “ it won’t happen overnight but it will happen”. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you who have contacted me over this issue. It’s been an interesting journey and a learning curve for both agencies involved. Everyone agrees that communication needs to be better in the future, and I have had confirmation on that too. 
 

Bastion Point Pou

There has been significant media attention given to the concept of a 30m high pou or sculpture on Bastion Point. This is a concept only and one that would be led by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei if it was something that they wished to progress. 
I would like to confirm to everyone that there is no funding agreement between Council and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei for such a structure. Because this exists only a concept and the desire for it from the Trust Board is uncertain, much of the debate on this is, while interesting, is somewhat premature.

Ngapipi/Tamaki Drive Intersection
 

The Ngapipi /Tamaki Drive intersection was opened on July 9. I’m always happy to see a piece of infrastructure be completed under budget and this was (over a million dollars under budget). It was also completed ahead of time and kudos to those who delivered both. The project though was about improving the safety of the intersection and is not about improving traffic flows. Whilst I support that, I’ve also been concerned about the effects that the intersection may have on traffic movements.

Fortunately, (with only a few exceptions) the feedback I’ve received, is that the intersection is working well. Obviously its only in its first few weeks of operation, but generally cyclists, pedestrians and motorists are impressed with it. Even so, there will always be scope to improve and I will be meeting with Auckland Transport staff later in the month once they have optimized the light phases and will report back on any further fine tuning. If you have any suggestions please feel free to contact me Desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz before August 15th.
 

Auckland Domain

The Auckland Domain is loved by many and I’m proud to say, is one of only six parks to be recognized in the prestigious International Large Urban Parks Awards for 2018. Fact is, it is the only New Zealand park to feature. This is a very well deserved recognition of a world class park that is beloved by Aucklanders and visitors alike. The judges awarded a Bronze award to the Domain “for its well protected and managed parklands, its supply of recreation opportunities and preservation and interpretation of indigenous culture in cooperation with community.”

Within the Domain is the Wintergarden Nursery. This is the longest functioning nursery in NZ and will go from a multitude of small sheds and glasshouses (several dating back to the 19th Century) to two large high tech greenhouses far more suitable to grow the 20,000 plants needed. However, all the history will not be lost. Three of the original Victorian glasshouses which have been noted to have historical significance will be kept and used.
 

Tamaki Link
 

The new bright blue (yes, I chose the colour) Tāmaki Link bus which travels from Britomart along Tāmaki Drive to the St Heliers Bay shops and then via St Heliers Bay to the Glen Innes Train Station   is proving popular from the feedback I’m receiving. However there are still some concerns on the new central bus routes by some, especially the school routes. Please remember to email to your concerns of you have them to atbusreview@at.govt.nz  as the routes and timetables will be reviewed 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post their July 8 start.

Sandbagging
 

Mid- July saw another king tide which like many before it, threatened to swamp low lying areas of the Eastern Bays. After strong advocacy, I was very grateful for the quick action of Council staff to deploy sand bags on the boat ramp at Kohimarama on Sunday 15 July to pilot the success of sandbagging at that location. As it happened, the tide didn’t reach the sandbags on this occasion. So the pilot will have to wait for another time. Auckland Council is aware of the continuing need to look at the issues at this site and the council family taskforce are currently discussing options to address coastal inundation.
 

No Retirement Village on Parson Paddock, St Johns…yet.
 

Sommerset Holdings Ltd applied to Auckland Council for a resource consent to build a 344 unit retirement village up to 7 storeys on what’s locally known as Parson Paddock in St Johns.
The height limit for that site is 3 storeys. The application was refused by planning commissioners who said in their decision “ that while the site would be suitable for a retirement village, the proposed development would result in adverse effects which did not sufficiently balance the benefits”
 

Orakei Point Development
 

32 residential dwellings have been given the green light by planners on the old Kings Plant Barn site by Orakei Train Station. My understanding is that his development complies with the Unitary Plan rules for that location.
 

Hotel projects
 

Seen a lot of cranes in the city? At least 26 hotel projects are planned or under construction in Auckland. They include NZ’s first Hotel Indigo which is proposed as a $250m 41-level 225-room hotel project in addition to 24 luxury private residences on an under utilised strategic mixed-used site in Albert Street, comprising of a dual fronted historic facade and adjacent to St Patrick's Cathedral.
 

Plastic Bag free Day in St Heliers
 

I had the pleasure of attending Plastic Bag free Day in St Heliers and judged the children’s sustainable art competitions. We need more initiatives like Plastic Bag Free St Heliers and my congratulations to all contributors, winners and also to the organisers.
 

Remuera’s Bastille Day
 

Thanks to all supporters, sponsors and organisers of Remuera's Bastille Day. A huge crowd filled the Remuera Town Centre, streets with French themed window displays, music and entertainment for a very successful day..
 

Citizens Advice Bureau
 

I joined with my colleagues on the Environment and Community Committee to approve an additional $200,000 in funding for Citizens Advice Bureau across Auckland. This is an invaluable service which behind the scenes does a huge amount of work to help our communities to know their rights and resolve disputes. This funding will be distributed to the 32 CABs around Auckland and to help the Bureau plan for the future. We are fortunate to have a Citizens Advice Bureau located in our ward which receives approximately 9000 enquiries per year. Currently this is located at 4 Victoria Ave, Remuera.

CRL (City Rail Link)
 

I wasn’t a Councillor when the CRL was approved, but do know that people using our trains are well ahead of projections. Council has voted on expanding the CRL capacity for longer trains. Doing this while the CRL is still under construction will avoid closing the whole underground system for 2 years less than ten years after it opens and  as always, doing it right first time will be more cost effective in the long run. If you are young enough to remember, the Auckland Harbour Bridge had this very problem. It opened with a reduced lane (4) capacity and then ten years later was retrofitted with 2x extra lanes each side which cost more than the original bridge itself. Let’s hope we deliver the ‘do it once do it properly’ concept with this project.

July Newsletter

Catch the bus? Please check out the new bus numbers, routes and timetables

July 8 sees the launch of the new bus network for the central suburbs and city. This is a piece of work a long time in the making – consultation took place in 2015! The key benefits of the new network come from the emphasis on core routes along Tamaki Drive and Remuera Road that will run at least every 15 minutes into the central city and back. The Tamaki Drive route is called the Tamaki Link and will be instantly recognizable in blue livery (my one claim to fame is I chose the colour of the bus). Parking is often a problem in town but locals will now be able to catch a bus to and from eateries and events in the CBD (and within the bays) with the 15 mins service running both ways until midnight. New bus routes for our area will also see a bus going to the Auckland museum for the first time and to the Waterfront theatre. But not all route changes will please everybody. If you find yourself in that position (or if you love the new network) feedback can be emailed through to busreview@at.govt.nz. Auckland Transport will be reviewing the new network 3 months, 6 months and 12 months from July 8 and your feedback will be key to that review process.

For more information see: https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/new-public-transport-network/new-network-for-the-central-suburbs/

Martyn Wilson Field

Last September I was approached by a number of residents who live near to Martyn Wilson Field in Remuera. Their complaint was that the stormwater pond created in 2011/12 produced an awful rotting/sewerage smell, particularly over the summer months. I asked for this to be investigated by Council’s Environmental Health and Healthy Waters team. They established that the smell was due to anoxic sediment and initially took an interim measure of keeping a higher level of water than normal in the pond to reduce the amount that the sediments were being exposed. That didn’t work as well as they anticipated. Staff then concluded that the long-term solution to the smell  was actually to dredge the pond to remove this sediment. Fortunately, after much pestering and after some difficulty in finding a contractor with the capacity and ability to do this work, I am pleased to advise that dredging is finally underway. Council will now keep this monitored in future and look to de-silt the pond at least every three years to prevent these issues from reoccurring.

Auckland Netball Centre funding for community use
 

Auckland Netball is based in St Johns, and as an amenity, is used not just for netball but for a number of other sports. Facilities to support our community participating in sport is integral for well-being. It is also important to support indoor opportunities and well as outdoor, particularly as regionally we are well under for indoor sports options. Last year the Environment and Community Committee granted one year of funding for the Auckland Netball Centre in St Johns on the assumption that we would have in place a Sports Facility Investment Plan to guide longer term investment for the future. However, this work was not prepared (agh!)  The recommendation this year from staff was to roll over Auckland Netballs funding for an additional year. This wasn’t ideal for Auckland Netball who were looking for more certainty for their funding. With the agreement of the mayor and all councillors at our 12 June meeting, I was pleased to second an amended motion that gave two years of confirmed funding to Auckland Netball at $150,000 per annum. This funding secures community access to the Auckland Netball Centre which hosts upwards of 435,000 visits per year.
 

Orakei Basin Boardwalk alongside the railway line

I must say I am very unhappy with the look and design of the Orakei Basin walkway along the railway line.   Whilst I appreciate the apology from AT for absolutely no communication on this stage of the project this Council term and their change of design done without any notice to the Orakei local board, our Community or myself, the sad reality is we are now left with a section of the shared path which struggles to aesthetically match the natural environment of the Orakei Basin and other walkways which feed into it. When travelled at anything other than a slow walk this section now appears to have the optical illusion of travelling through a grey tunnel. The adopted requirements agreed to by NZTA and Auckland Transport associated with officially allowing cyclists and calling this a’ shared path’ means they need to raise the handrail. To those who are ‘vertically challenged‘ (short like me) will now have very  limited view of our wonderful Orakei Basin as we walk this section as the new 1.4m railing is over 4 ½ feet ( I’m only 5.2”).

Auckland Transports CEO has given me absolute assurance that he will look at options to mitigate the current design flaws. He has also given me assurances that full consultation will occur on design for all other sections of this shared path and that regular updates will be provided moving forward. However I have complained to the mayoral office that Auckland Transport and NZTA appear to be using one set of design rules and yet Panuku who managed the development of a new shared path at Westhaven use another ( and far less restrictive)

Why is it OK to walk and cycle along the same section of Tamaki Drive with no railing at all, yet not ok here? Madness!

At time of writing I’m on my last slither of hope for change. Directly talking to NZTA…..wish me luck!
 

Ellerslie Stained Glass grant
 

Council has a regional fund to support heritage projects in Auckland. I was pleased to move a resolution to support Christ Church in Ellerslie to receiving $20,000 in grant funding through this fund as a contribution towards the restoration of their stained glass windows. The total cost of the stained glass restoration project is $652,050.

These windows have been assessed by art historians to be of national significance and are irreplaceable. Christ Church itself is scheduled in the Unitary Plan as a Category A historic heritage place.
 

We can deliver considerable better value for money in procurement
 

I am a firm believer that Council has the responsibility to look for ways to deliver its services in a way that is the best possible value for money for Aucklanders and have been fortunate enough to work with the mayor on this. Council aims to be efficient at what we do but without doubt we can do better regarding procurement practices as a recent 17A review showed. We are taking big amounts of money in this field, spending 8.1million annually to procure 2.9billion of goods and services across the group. But there is double up and duplication that can be eliminated with better planning. Through the review process we have identified changes that can be made which will save ratepayers $197 million in incremental hard savings over the next 10 years. For a sense of scale, this is the same amount of money that Auckland Transport has budgeted for upgrading intersections on high risk urban roads through its “Urban Road Safety Programme” over the same period. Needless to say, I am a strong supporter of the value for money programme. Very happily I moved the resolution to approve the procurement recommendations which will deliver these savings and efficiencies.
 

Why are guavas and figs classified as plant pests?
 

As part of my role as your ward Councillor I am often asked to speak to various community groups and clubs. Last month I was fortunate enough to speak to the Remuera Garden Club. At the close of the meeting I received some tricky questions about why the proposed Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) listed Guavas and Figs as pest plants. Privet (which many complain about) is a well-known pest and the question was also asked as to why it is allowed to ‘flourish’ so prolifically. Privet is absolutely a pest in both the current and proposed plans. Council removes Chinese and Tree privet on council land as budget allows. Typically, they will target areas of high ecological value. Whilst removal of privet on private property is recommended, there is no requirement for this.

Four species of Fig (Creeping, Morton Bay, Port Jackson and Strangling) and one species of guava are newly identified as pest species in the proposed RPMP. Like privet, this means it would become an offense to sell, distribute or propagate these plants but again, no requirement to remove existing plants. The rationale to list these species as pests is that they are likely to be distributed by birds into remote native habitats and have a history of being invasive overseas. By restricting their future availability, council hopes to mitigate any future impacts of these species spreading.
 

Got a problem with Council?
 

As always, if you have an issue or concern that is Council related please do not hesitate in contacting me.

You may also like to follow m on Facebook as I post updates every day- Desley Simpson