As we approach the end of 2024, I find myself saying once again what a whirlwind year it has been! The Ōrākei ward has benefited from several council decisions covering investment in our water infrastructure, to the seismic strengthening works of the Remuera library. Tāmaki Drive is looking amazing with the completion of a trio of projects around Ngāpipi bridge and our parks and green spaces have been spruced up.
Communication remains a top priority, and I've maintained active engagement across all platforms to keep you informed about council issues, explaining the what, how, and why of our decisions. Some logical, some comical - who could forget the amusing incident of the light pole in the middle of Ngāpipi bridge expansion! 😄
For real-time updates, please follow my Facebook page, where I post regularly alongside my monthly (and sometimes twice-monthly) newsletters.
2024 in Review
This year has been marked by several challenges, including continuous storm recovery work, public transport reliability issues, safety concerns, and those ever-present road cones. Through it all, you have proven to be a fantastic ward, and I'm grateful for your ongoing engagement and support.
It’s definitely not all bad news though, and so I thought I’d end the year with a few highlights and positive ‘wins’ for our Ōrākei Ward.
Local achievements
Water Infrastructure
· The upgrade of the Remuera Road/ Stoneyroyd Gardens waterpipe (after 4 breaks in one year). I made it clear to Watercare that temporary patch up jobs were not good enough and a permanent solution needed to be found. As a result of that advocacy, and the poor condition of the pipes, these works were reprioritised, and upgrade works have now commenced.
· The Parnell sinkhole, collapse of a part of the Ōrākei Main sewer line and the broken sewer under the Parnell Rose Gardens in Judges Bay. Watercare are currently undertaking not only repair works but have again responded positively to my advocacy and are now futureproofing the water main infrastructure in Parnell and Remuera.
· The restoration of the water quality targeted rate (WQTR) means our crucial eastern isthmus water quality improvement work is confirmed, with the most important work to coincide with Watercare’s Newmarket Gully project. In the Ten-year budget, 31% of the total WQTR spend is going on the Eastern Isthmus work.
· In addition, in the past year investigations have been completed into water quality of streams going into Pourewa Creek, and significant investigations into public and private drainage for St Heliers, Mission Bay, Kohi and Hobson Bay. This is important as we need to identify all the different problem areas so we can accurately target the investment.
Transport
· Rail – the big local issue (apart from line closures and associated speed reductions) has been the noise (screeching of the trains). I have met with KiwiRail multiple times to ask them to prioritise and fix this problem and finally they agreed. First, they have installed noise monitoring equipment on the eastern and western sides and on the track itself. These are continually monitoring and recording noise data. Lubrication machines will be installed over the Christmas shut down period and will be in operation when the full timetable returns on 3 February 2025 . The lubrication machines will then be able to be tracked against the data held before their installation to monitor that noise reduction. Fingers crossed they work!
· Bus overcrowding on the Selwyn Colleges/ St Thomas school route was an issue and I received concerns and complaints from caregivers and parents of children using this route that escalated to safety concerns. I advocated for AT to find a positive solution and they did- an additional bus on the route. This was a huge win for the students as additional buses are very hard to secure!
· Little things make the big difference so when accidents happen like – painting broken yellow lines on the road by the Madills Farm playground – I am happy to provide a little common sense and get the problem quickly rectified
· The 650 bus has now become 65 – That means it is officially a “frequent” route meaning that locals who use the route that travels through St Johns can expect a bus every 15 minutes.
· Walking/cycling, thanks to central government and AT, funding has been secured for the final stage of the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive shared path. This is the section linking Whakatakataka Reserve (just south of the Ngāpipi Boad sheds) through to the Purewa Bridge at the bottom of Ōrākei Road. It is almost through procurement stage with construction starting early 2025. Can’t wait for this to be finished 😊.
Storm recovery
· This has been a major challenge for Council through the year as we have worked with government to remove properties that pose an ‘intolerable risk to life’- some of which have been local.
· Council has implemented AI tools to enhance the council’s flood management, so we can prepare and even prevent issues the next time we face a rain event of the scale we had in 2023. 4 hotspot cameras have been installed in the Ōrākei ward to look for issues in real time as they emerge.
Community and sports
· Organisations in the ward have received regional sports grants including Auckland Netball centre in St Johns and the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Sport, Recreation, and Hauora Centre.
· Auckland Domain. As Chair of the Auckland Domain Committee, I have the pleasure of looking after Auckland’s oldest park. It has careful rules in legislation that make sure we balance a limited number of events and has an express purpose of providing a place for public recreation and enjoyment for all Aucklanders. We’ve achieved many smaller improvements this year, such as completing a one -way trial for the Titoki St carpark, refurbishing the Rose Garden, and the heritage restoration and repainting of the grand 11year old Band Rotunda. It was lovely to receive a ‘Garden of National Significance’ award from the NZ Garden Trust for the rare and spectacular plants in our Wintergardens. Next year we can look forward to the philanthropically funded playground, a trial regenerative garden, and rebuilding of the bush tracks – all which we have laid the groundwork for through our meetings this year.
Regional Engagement
Being Deputy Mayor gives me an opportunity to speak to a huge number of Aucklanders, visitors and international guests as well as spending quality time with those who contribute to our city. I get to meet organisations, businesses, cultural, community and sporting groups. People who like me, are passionate about our great city.
In the last year I’ve attended almost 100 events, of which over half were speaking engagements– from keynote speeches on topics like green infrastructure to welcoming international guests who were participating in our major events and conferences. I’ve participated in numerous opening ceremonies for sports clubs, international exhibitions, community centres and playgrounds. It continues to be a privilege to welcome guests to Auckland and showcase what we have to offer.
Some Notable Regional Achievements include:
Leading a process through our arts and culture working group to get our museums and galleries to work more collaboratively together. Many of them operate under separate legislation or governance, and in the past have not worked together as well as they could. We’ve built trust between them and in the coming years we should see innovations like a combined pass to visit our cultural organisations such as the Museum, MOTAT, Art Gallery and Maritime Museum – just like you would see in a city overseas.
· Savings and efficiencies are actively being pursued by Council. I chair the committee monitoring our savings. For 2024/2025, we have already achieved $31.9 million (48 per cent) of our $66 million goal. For 2024/2025, the $66 million savings target builds on top of ongoing savings of $90 million per year which has already been achieved and locked into the council’s budget.
· Supporting our climate goals. I was fortunate enough to drive Auckland’s very first electric double-decker bus (in a confined route within the depot) and having a zero garden waste to landfill goal which will be reached in 2025 for Domain
· Launched the city's contactless payment system alongside Minister Simeon Brown and Auckland Transport (making us the FIRST city in NZ to achieve this!)
· Visited ALL 21 Local Boards in the region as part of our Long -term Plan engagement, including the harder to get to places like Aotea Great Barrier, Waiheke and Rodney, Franklin and Waitakere Ranges, no corner was left unturned. I have been told this hasn’t happened before. I listened to what the different areas had to say and shared this feedback to ensure the Council’s Long-term Plan known as our Ten Year Budget, took into consideration key elements that were raised. Passed in late June, this included the setting up of the Auckland Future Fund into which the Auckland airport shares were put. They’ve recently been sold for more than we expected. I was a strong supporter of this concept, so I am pleased to see it is off to a great start.
· My advocacy has continued strongly for storm recovery efforts and supporting residents in difficult situations – whether because of road reserve failures impacting their access, rates relief or individual issues where I could facilitate quicker resolution.
· Behind the scenes I spent a lot of time demanding better answers from Eke Panuku about the Wynyard Quarter Bridge which had to be refurbished this year. Last week it reopened but it was disappointing it got to the point it had to be shut for so long, impacting the businesses and residents in the area. I know that some have enjoyed the red ferries that were a temporary replacement, but I know we’ll welcome the ease of the bridge being back in action!
· Participated in unique experiences from crawling through lava caves in Mt Eden and visiting film sets in Otahuhu, to exploring rooftops of the Auckland Museum and Art Gallery, and splodging around the mangroves on the south side of the Manukau with the aptly named Mudlarks all to understand how we can work better and more importantly deliver better outcomes for Aucklanders.
Looking Ahead to 2025
The coming year promises to be significant with:
Council elected member elections in October.
CCO reform delivery – what will the outcomes and KPI’s look like now we are bringing many of the elements these CCO’s have being doing ‘independently’ back into Council?
Preparations for the City Rail Link opening in 2026
Finally a few reminders:
Closure of rail network for 4 weeks
· The ENTIRE Auckland rail network will be closed from December 27, 2024 to January 28, 2025 (the day after Auckland Anniversary weekend) as part of the Rail Network Rebuild project in preparation for the City Rail Link
· There will be rail replacement buses supporting the rail closures so check AT’s journey planner for details around that.
Works on State Highway 16 and Stanley Street
· From 17 January (after the ASB Classic) to March 2025, NZTA will be undertaking several maintenance and safety improvement projects on State Highway 16 in Parnell
· Please give yourself a little extra time to from point A to point B.
Weekend Works Schedule (9PM Friday to 5AM Monday, 24/7):
Jan 17-20: Saatchi & Saatchi building to 95 The Strand
Jan 24-28: 95 The Strand to 71 The Strand
Jan 31-Feb 3: 71 The Strand to Shipwright Lane
Feb 7-9: St Georges Bay Rd to Gladstone Rd
These dates are weather dependent - dates may change if needed.
St Georges Bay Road will be open in both directions during weekends 1 to 3. On Weekend 4, St Georges Bay Rd will be closed in both directions at Kenwyn St.
With promising summer weather ahead, I encourage everyone to get out and explore our fabulous city. If you are not going away, Auckland has some great events planned such as SailGP, the ASB Classic and the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement throughout 2024.
I sincerely wish you all a wonderful safe and happy holiday season
Desley