Open space- It’s SO IMPORTANT
With Auckland intensifying every day, we need to balance this by ensuring our open space is both maintained and acquired to balance that intensification
This month I seconded a resolution for Council to acquire 13 new parks and open space covering a land area of approximately 29.19 hectares. All of these acquisitions respond to growth in greenfield areas. We have now added eight new neighborhood parks in four local board areas, a suburban park, extra land to help form a 10-hectare sports complex and some open space for a new civic space in a town centre.
This makes this council term total 67 new parks ( 251.4 hectares) in the last three financial years.
Heritage—it is important too
Again, the balance between new development and our built heritage is also important
The unitary plan contains objectives, policies and rules to protect significant historic heritage. Over the past 2 years, more sites have been identified for inclusion. Four of the five new recent sites are in the Orakei Ward. Two are especially well known in Remuera – The Remuera Post Office building on the corner of Remuera Rd and Victoria Avenue and the Remuera Primary School Gates in Dromorne Rd, Remuera.
What’s happening to the St Heliers Pony Club Site/land?
Post the decision made to remove the St Heliers Pony Club and Riding with the Disabled from the Kepa Rd site in Orakei, (I did NOT vote for that,) progress has been made on decisions for the sites future use. The land is owned by Ngati Whatua but is co-governed by the Ngati Whatua Reserves Board . Initial work will begin with the relocation of a nursery on site for growing plants that will restore this particular piece of land and benefit the wider community. There will be public access with the original buildings currently being refitted to act as a site office while nursery is under construction and long term, a visitor centre
For more information, please go to;
Freedom Camping By –Law
At the risk of writing volumes about what has gone wrong with the process and work to date on this, I will just focus on where we are now. Having spent time with a key constituent and the mayoral office, I am relieved where this by-law has finally landed. Following that meeting, the Mayor, came up with a solution, which in essence, was as discussed and pretty much the best outcome for Auckland. It was a combination of starting again and taking the best bits from the hearings process. He made the unusual move of writing a report and a series of recommendations against officer advice and that of the Hearings Panel. Sensibly, he suggested having all residential Reserves as prohibited as an excellent starting point. The Reserves Act already protects these reserves and unless the community wishes differently, they will remain as such. He also proposed a prohibition of all freedom camping in vehicles parked directly outside residential homes unless the resident has granted permission. Prohibited freedom camping sites would also include those outside commercial, educational and healthcare facilities, playgrounds and swimming pools.
We need and should provide adequate sites for freedom camping, but we also need to preserve and protect our reserves and public access to amenities. Finding the right balance between the two is the challenging part.
I must pay special tribute to an Orakei Ward local who worked with me and the mayor’s office on a solution, preventing the opening up of our reserves to freedom camping and the opening up of our streets outside schools and playgrounds to freedom camping too. You know who you are and without doubt, your influence helped us get where we got to today – thank you.
Closure of Remuera Post Office.
From Wednesday October 9, Postal and Bill Pay services will no longer be available at the Remuera Post office but will move across to Paper Plus at 389 Remuera Rd. Kiwbank services will be available in Newmarket- 312 Broadway, Newmarket or at Meadowbank, 35 St Johns Rd-Transaction only services. At this stage post office, private boxes will remain as too the public post boxes outside the old site (noting the ones further down Victoria Ave have been removed). This is a NZ Post decision not an Auckland Council decision. What surprises me most however, is the closure date of October 9. Three days before the postal local government elections close at noon on Saturday October 12.
Please remember to vote
To ensure your vote is received on time, I suggest you post your completed voting papers NO LATER than MONDAY October 7, or hand deliver to a special ballot box at the St Heliers or Remuera Library before midday on October 12, 2019.