Earlier this week, the Government declared a nationwide state of national emergency under section 66 of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002. You were probably made aware of this through a very loud alarm sound coming from your mobile phone! As a result, Council has responded in line with this and the move to level four (lockdown).
I’m really hoping this newsletter finds you all well at home, finding joy in the small things you can do around the house, keeping you and your community safe.
Due to these uncertain times, I plan to communicate with you more often to help you understand some of the new ‘rules’ that have been imposed on us to keep Auckland safe and reduce the impacts of Covid-19 in NZ.
During the next four weeks, we have been asked to stay inside and only venture out for exercise in our local area or to go to the supermarket or pharmacy if needed (unless you’re classed as an essential worker who needs to travel to work).
That means you can go outside for a walk or to exercise. When you do, ensure you keep a two-metre distance from those who are not in lockdown with you in your home (your bubble). We have also been told your ‘walks’ should not be marathon runs either. Keep close to home and keep local. You can definitely take your children outside to your local park but using playground equipment is prohibited. It is important that you avoid touching any shared surfaces. Police are monitoring some of our parks, such as Selwyn Reserve at Mission Bay and council staff are working their way around our playground areas to ensure movable equipment such as flying foxes are locked up. This will help stop the spread of the virus.
They key message is stay home, stay safe.
Please wash your hands often and if you have children, teach them to sing through ‘Happy Birthday’ twice before they stop or ask them to pretend their hands are two octopuses play fighting and count to 20.
Auckland Transport and the Harbourmaster have also strongly urged that we stay off the water. This is not so much to prevent the spread of Covid-19, but to ensure your health and safety. They will not have the resources to assist you if you get into difficulty. Remember, lockdown is not a holiday and public boat ramps should not be used during this time. For more information on this, see the AT website here: https://at.govt.nz/about-us/news-events/covid-19-alert-level-4-harbourmaster-urges-aucklanders-to-stay-off-the-water.
On a lighter note, I am aware many of our local communities are encouraging people to put a toy teddy bear in their window if you have one. This is to help entertain kids when they are walking by participating in a local ‘Bear Hunt’, counting as many bears as they can find. I think this initiative is wonderful and I’ve made sure a teddy is now up at my place. 😊
But what about Council services?
As of 24 March 2020, Auckland’s kerbside rubbish and recycling are considered essential services so will continue as usual (one of the few things in life right now that is staying the same). We will also continue to provide any service that supports the health and wellbeing of our residents. This includes the maintenance of our stormwater networks, cremation and burial services, animal welfare and management, essential governance (that’s me!), some regulatory and compliance activities, resource and building consenting for essential infrastructure, and biosecurity.
Our CCO’s will also continue to provide essential services relating to waste-water, drinking water and the delivery of core public transport for our essential service workers.
The supply chains and support required to run these services, such as our contact centre, will also continue to operate. I hope this alleviates any concerns you might have in terms of accessing key services provided by Auckland Council. If anything changes, I will be sure to keep you updated through this newsletter.
In terms of updates on things local, I continue to highlight the urgency of rectifying the health of Hobson Bay, Newmarket, Hapua and Portland Road Streams (some of which have current health warnings). I have been assured that despite the current crisis, they are continuing to monitor this daily and react accordingly. What is most important to me, is to secure funding not just for the immediate remedial work, but for the larger piece of work to address improvements long term. I am waiting for confirmation from Watercare and relevant staff of that, and will keep you updated.
Finally, a huge congratulations to communities such as those in Stonefields and Glendowie who have letter dropped within their neighbourhoods asking if anyone needs support during the lockdown and how to access that locally. If any of you at any point need some support, please do reach out. We do have many options for assistance, especially for those living on their own.
I know the next weeks will be tough. But to put things in perspective for those of us feeling a bit stir crazy already, Anne Frank and seven other people hid in a 470sq foot attic for 761 days quietly trying to stay undiscovered to stay alive. It’s not that hard to do our part to keep everyone safe and stay home for a few weeks.
Desley