I write this as my first term as your Ōrākei ward councillor draws to a close. As I look back over the almost three years, it’s been both a privilege and a challenge to serve you around the Town Hall table.
I’ll start with the good news. This term we started a new value- for -money programme which has now realised $270 million of efficiencies (if you read my election flyer I’ve said $260m, but post-printing it’s increased). I know many of you think Auckland Council wastes money and I’m not denying that, but we have set up a programme that goes further than the legislative requirements set by the former government, and are tangibly delivering efficiencies.
On top of that, we have increased our savings targets from that of last term’s council. In fact, our Long-Term Plan funding has a savings increase of $41m more than the last council, for the same period. All against a background of record investment, catching up on historical under-investment in infrastructure, debt constraints and financial pressure from population growth.
Keeping our green space while intensification occurs is also important. This term we have bought/developed 67 new parks (one in our Ōrākei ward), invested strongly in improving water quality and delivered many environmental initiatives.
Keeping the control in the council-controlled organisations (CCOs) has been a challenge. I was the only councillor to put up 10 resolutions to keep Auckland Transport more accountable to the people they serve, including requiring them to report on congestion, which currently costs residents and business approximately $1 billion each year in lost productivity. I have moved a resolution to review how we can make CCOs work better with their political ‘masters’ – that will be a key piece of work and it’s developing now.
Locally, for the first time we have approved funding towards the Ōrākei Local Board’s priority project, local links to the shared path through the Pourewa Valley. We have had regional investment into our ward for pest plant and animal eradication — we are now pretty much possum free. We have new sportsfields at College Rifles, Shore Rd Reserve and Colin Maiden Park which gives us a huge overall increase in playable times.
As a councillor, I have also been able to approve increased local transport funding so the local board can deliver projects to make it safer and easier to get around, funded improvements to Tamaki Dr, increased the water quality of our beaches and waterways, and have approved building a new recycling centre for our central area, to name but a few examples.
But there is still a lot of ‘not so good news’ when it comes to Auckland Council, and a lot of it is core council business which needs to be done better. I’m sure like me, you are well aware of it.
Nothing can be done without the support of others and key to this is our mayor. There is much debate about our mayoral candidates — some say we don’t have much of a choice and the front-runners are as bad as each other.
I’ve obviously only experienced working with one of them. Mayor Goff has always listened to my point of view. He’s supported me on delivering the value-for-money programme, increasing savings targets, improving Auckland Transport’s behaviour (he seconded all my resolutions and called them out when they didn’t front at the huge St Heliers public meeting). He also helped me keep 200 public carparks at the Clonbern Rd carpark site — 10 per cent more than what’s there now — for any future development.
After allowing me to sit down with his staff to explain the negative impacts of the freedom camping process and report, he supported me and made the unusual move of writing his own paper against staff recommendations, backing our community and achieving the best outcome for our ward, and for Auckland.
After five ‘meet the candidates’ events for councillors and local board candidates, and two mayoral debates in our ward, it will be up to you to decide on one mayor, one ward councillor and seven grassroots local board members.
Please exercise your democratic right and vote. Auckland’s future is in your hands.