Today marks 64 days in lockdown for Auckland, and on Monday the Prime Minister told us we had at least another two weeks at Level 3 to go. I know this is getting increasingly tough for everyone, so please continue to check in with friends and family to make sure everyone is doing okay. If you or someone you know is struggling, remember you can call or text 1737 at any time for support from a trained counsellor. On a positive note, I am immensely proud of the positive ways in which our Orakei Ward community have been working together to create joke stations, fairy cities (no housing crisis for fairies!), chalk messages, flower frames, spoon and fork villages and window displays bringing a smile to many. Thank you.
Last weekend’s Super Saturday was a great success, with 40,946 Aucklanders getting either their first or second dose. That means 89% of Aucklanders have now had their first dose, and 71% are fully vaccinated. I put up the weekly Orakei Ward suburb statistics on my Facebook page and will update these tomorrow. So far, we have among the highest vaccination rates in Auckland. This is a great effort, but we need to keep going. Please talk to people about why you got the vaccine and share reliable information. No bookings are needed at vaccination centres, and many of our local GPs and pharmacies are also doing vaccinations. The more people we get fully vaccinated, the safer we’ll all be and the sooner we can get out of lockdown. I am proud to say I have been fully vaccinated for some time and all your Orakei Local Board members are fully vaccinated too.
These lockdowns affect people and businesses, socially, emotionally, and financially in many different ways. They affect Council and our finances too. Yesterday I wrote an opinion piece for the Herald, Auckland Council balancing books in an unpredictable pandemic. In case you are not a premium subscriber, you can read it on my website. Happy to answer any questions around this if you would like.
As you’re probably aware, our playgrounds, skateparks and basketball courts have all reopened across the region, and it’s been great to see people make the most of our great facilities. Just a reminder however to keep your distance and wear a mask to keep everyone safe. Some playgrounds (fortunately none locally) have been listed as locations of interest this past week, so it pays to stay cautious.
With ‘picnicking’ being very popular especially with the weather as good as it has been, more public toilets have also opened. The full list is available here. If you were in Mission Bay over the weekend, you may have noticed that there were some issues with the public toilets in Selwyn Domain and they had to be closed. Nappies, disposable facemasks, sticks and sand are not to be flushed as they cause blockages. With Selwyn Reserve being so popular to ‘picnic on’, having to close toilets due to blockages is a serious issue and results in causing a whole new set of problems when people cannot access toilets when they need them. We understand the important need for toilet access and will be providing port-a-loos if these new toilets need to close again if they are blocked.
I’ve also had some queries regarding the community tennis courts at Selwyn College. The school is taking a cautious approach and the courts are not officially open for use. They will reopen when school returns (let’s hope that’s very soon!).
In non-COVID news, I’m still hearing from a lot of people about their concerns regarding the proposed Three Waters reform. Having submitted our feedback on the proposal last month, we are currently waiting for feedback to be collated and for Cabinet to make decisions later this month as to next steps. I will keep you updated as more detail becomes available, but again you are welcome to read my take on the proposed reforms here.
Lastly, something fun to do. The Songbird Project Bird Monitoring Campaign is taking place from 16 to 31 October. They are asking people to do a 5-minute bird count on any day in this period, as close as possible to 9am. This will help them to know if they are succeeding in their mission to bring back the birds and will help with planning and funding going forward. Visit the Songbird Project website for more information, and to download your bird ID guide, instruction sheet and recording form. Enjoy getting outside with your bubble, make the most of the sunshine, and contribute to a great cause.
Finally, it’s more important than ever that we stay cautious, support our local businesses, and if you haven’t already, please get vaccinated!
As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Desley