CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

Working within our budget

There have been a number of recent stories in the Herald on Council’s budget blowouts, the high cost staff travel (and the transparency around that) along with concerns re staff numbers and salaries. The Council Chief Executive (CE) is the only employee of the Governing Body (Mayor and Councillors) so it is through him that we need to address change. I am publicly on record in the NZ Herald ‘Auckland Council Chief Executive Stephen Town Defends High Salaries’, 13 October as saying “I believe that actuals versus the budget should be a key performance indicator (KPI) for the chief executive to meet”.  

I am pleased to advise that is now a reality and effective immediately.

As a Councillor I have two levers to address these issues. First through the Chief Executive himself and secondly through the budget and the objectives that are given to the Chief Executive.

As a member of the Appointments and Performance Committee which was set up (amongst other things) to first monitor, define and then recommend to the GB the CE’s performance and KPI’s, I promoted more definitive KPI’s for our CE. These were supported, and Council’s Governing Body approved the latest Chief Executive Performance measures at our meeting on 23 November, replacing the objectives set in December 2015.

The refreshed objectives spell out the expectation that through the Chief Executive, Council parent will no longer see an annual report where budget is overspent, unless it has been politically approved.  In fact, the objectives specifically request that the CE keeps to the budget allocation for staff salaries, holds staff numbers stable, delivers on the Value for Money (section 17A) actions, reduces core operating costs per capita and finds $600,000 in savings for the travel budget over the next two years. This is a far greater level of financial detail for the CE to work with, than the 2015 objectives which focused on the budget as a whole.

Should the CE feel that operationally we need to deviate from any budget for whatever reason, he needs to come to the Governing Body for approval to do so.

Further transparency and disclosure around travel and related expenses etc… will be addressed in the New Year.

A well-run council is critical for the region (and indeed NZ) to succeed. As a Councillor, it is important for me to both hold the organisation to account when necessary, and to make decisions that will help the organisation improve for the future. I believe these new KPIs will hold the organization to a higher level of accountability and am pleased the Chief Executive, and the wider organisation, seem to be up for the challenge.

The state of our Parks

There has been much media and community concern re the state of our parks. Whilst this is a local board issue, in so much it is within their delegation, because there were serious region wide concerns this came to Councillors attention. Ventia, one of council’s major contractors and the contractor for the Orakei Ward, was issued with a performance notice to improve the state of mowing and gardening due to poor deliverables.

A letter was issued on Friday, 23 November 2017, confirming that Ventia had not met the conditions of their contract and they issued a public apology. Weekly audits of contractor performance are being providing all elected members to give us oversight of performance as Ventia work to meet their objectives. The first audit result from the first week of November showed that in Orakei only 65% of items were maintained to the required standard, but in the most recent audit this increased to 87%. Despite this improvement, I believe management have let ratepayers down in allowing such poor performance to occur in the first place.

Thank you for your patience, while Council sorts out their management of the contracting. If you see any parks or community facilities you feel do not meet an acceptable standard (including overflowing rubbish bins) please contact our call centre (09) 301 0101 which is operational 24 hours each and every day.

Orakei Local Board’s Local Initiative in the Long Term Plan

Each term of council has an opportunity to make a Long Term Plan (budget) for Council. For the 2018 Plan, all local boards were asked to identify their top project to seek funding from the mayor and councillors. The Orakei Local Board has identified the Orakei Spine Shared Path Connection which is a north/south connection to the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared path as their priority project. This project is one that increases the utility of the shared path by people on both sides of Purewa Valley and will help relieve traffic pressure particularly around St Johns Road by providing an alternate route to the schools in the area.

The draft long term plan is developing rapidly and the Mayors proposal (released on 30 November) whilst not confirming this project specifically, is open to including it. The shared path from Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive has been a popular initiative in previous feedback and my sense is that the Local Board has done a good job developing this proposal. The next stage is for Councillors and the Mayor to hear your views through the Long Term Plan consultation period in March next year before we make decisions. Consultation is an effective way to influence your decision makers, particularly those who do not know our area well so please make your voices heard when we ask February/March next year. ( I’ll remind you!)

Raising the standard of reporting

I know it seems obvious, but reports provided to elected members from which they make their decisions, need to be of top quality. I’ve been appointed chair of the Quality Advice Political Advisory Group to improve the current standard.

Respected research organisation NZIER, takes a sample of reports each year from a range of public sector agencies and prepares ratings of how good they are in providing advice and options to elected representatives. In this year’s assessment Auckland Council’s score was 7.11 which is an average rating of ‘adequate’. This is a similar result to 2016 which is disappointing as the goal is improvement. I believe as the largest council in NZ, Auckland Council should achieve the highest rating of all Councils in the country. I also believe your elected members should receive reports that are more than ‘adequate’. Following this year’s results, I was invited to present to senior management and share my perspective on Council reports, the first time a current elected member has done so I’m told. A new report template will be adopted in the new year and this is intended to help strengthen the reporting produced by Council staff for elected members.

Opening of Melanesian Mission

The Melanesian Mission on Selwyn Reserve is a landmark heritage building that gives Mission Bay its name. I was privileged to attend the re-opening of the Mission after the restoration work undertaken by Heritage New Zealand was completed last month.

The Mission has been used over the years as a mission house (of course), naval training facility, industrial school, flying school during WWI, museum and restaurant. The restoration work included seismic strengthening which will ensure that this icon is with us for decades to come.

Photo Credit: Marcel Tromp

Opening of Heritage trail

The Orakei Local Board opened the Stonefields Heritage Trail on 21st November. As I was OLB chair when the project started, the Board kindly invited me to speak at the opening. Again, I congratulate the current Orakei Local Board on delivering the completion of this project and know many are already  enjoying the trail and the fantastic pou installations that have been donated by Ngāti Paoa, Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki and Ngāti Te Ata.

Pictured here from left to right; Councillor Desley Simpson, MP for Maungakiekie, Denise Lee and all the Orakei Local Board members

Auckland Domain Committee Update

At our Nov 30 meeting of the Domain Committee, we heard from the Auckland Holocaust Memorial Trust who have a proposal for a Holocaust and genocide memorial, potentially based around the Fairy Pond at the Winter Gardens. The committee agreed to instruct staff to work with the Trust on finding an appropriate location for the memorial which would be funded by the Trust through their own fundraising.

Another key item was to strengthen the parking enforcement by delegating Auckland Transport the authority to enforce the prohibition on parking on the grass and kerbs. Previously this has been outside of their authority.

We also approved the liquor ban for future Lantern Festivals and gave approval for ANZAC Dawn and Civic commemorations to take place for the next five years.

Rubbish Collections

Please note that there will be changes to our kerbside rubbish collections over the Christmas /New Year period and Auckland Anniversary weekend (January 29th). Most kerbside rubbish collections will take place one day later than usual. You can check your collection day by entering your address the council website.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

an enjoyable yet challenging year but I am looking forward to a holiday. There will be no January newsletter but I will be starting my monthly newsletters up in February 2018.

Until then, I wish those who celebrate it, a very happy, safe and relaxing Christmas. To those who don’t best wishes and to all, a safe, relaxing summer holiday break.

Thank you for your support,

Desley

November Newsletter

Smokefree Auckland

Up until November, our smokefree policy prohibited smoking at council run facilities including; all parks and reserves, Playgrounds, Sportsfields and Skate parks, Council service centres, Local board offices, Libraries, Stadiums, Swimming pools, Community facilities and Halls, Museums and the Zoo, Leisure, recreation and arts centres, train stations and platforms, bus stations, bus shelters and ferry terminals.
Councillors voted to increase our smokefree policy, starting November 2017 to include:

• Plazas, civic squares, shared spaces, urban centres
• The areas around sports clubs on council land
• Al fresco dining areas
• Beaches

Mark Goldstein, local owner of the Mission Bay Cafe, applauded our decision, saying it would do more good than harm. (See Auckland Now story)
An added benefit to the adoption of this policy is that signage to support this is funded regionally and is no longer something left to Local Boards to juggle amongst their many competing priorities for their limited discretionary funding.

Auckland Plan- 30 year vision for Auckland

The Auckland Plan is a set of aspirations and targets for Auckland over the next 30 years. It isn’t a financial plan, but it is a key to setting the direction for the Council organisation to assess its priorities and ultimately does help to determine where it places its efforts and funding. The Auckland Plan was first adopted in 2012 and at present we are in the process of refreshing this document. There will be public consultation on this in tandem with the Long Term Plan in February – March.

In the meantime, while the draft document is being prepared I have been working to ensure that Council reflects the views of Aucklanders via all of their elected representatives by giving our local boards robust input into the development of the document. Local Boards will now receive a formal response as to how their resolutions will be included in the draft. For a plan that can at times seem extremely high level, it is important to keep it grounded with local views – something I think is vital for effective regional governance.

Revaluations

Each year, the council’s budget sets out the amount of rates needed to keep Auckland running. Once the budget is set, we need to work out how much each ratepayer should pay. Your rates bill is determined by a number of factors. The main factor is the total amount of money required to run and invest in the city, and how much income Council can receive from other revenue sources. The other major factors are the Capital Value of the property (CV) and the amount set as the Uniform Annual General Charge (UAGC). Capital Value is calculated every three years through the revaluation process. A change in your property’s value does not necessarily  mean that your rates will increase or decrease by the amount of this change – instead, your property’s new value will help determine the share of rates you pay. The higher UAGC set in this year’s budget means that the rates bill is less dependent on the Capital Value of a property. An increase in the UAGC is good for anyone paying rates on a property valued at more than the regional median (i.e. most of the Orakei Ward).

Staff Travel Update/Costs.

Over the past months there have been multiple media stories critical of Council performance, these have included articles about staff costs going over budget and highlighting the amount spent on overseas travel by staff. As you all will know, I am dead against wasteful spending and have called for explanations of the facts from the Chief Executive. He has responded and I am now in a position to dispel some myths about them.

First of all, staff travel. Council has an internal policy which serves to minimise the use of travel and imposes strict rules on when business class travel is deemed appropriate. If there are alternatives to physical travel (e.g. Skype) this is the option that staff must take. If they must travel, then economy is the only option, unless the travel is long haul and there is no option to recuperate before the meeting/event. I was supplied with a list of the travel and am satisfied that on a case by case basis most are justifiable expenses. In the interests of transparency (which I have pushed for) , staff travel costs will be published on the council website for all to see.  I have also pushed for reasons for that travel to be included as part of travel transparency too.

The mayor has recently returned from a trip to Europe funded in part by Michael Bloomberg. More information about this trip can be found here.

Staff costs have been over budget for the council group consistently for the last three years. This is inexcusable from my perspective. I believe actuals versus budget should be a key performance indicator for our chief executive (see coverage in the NZ Herald).
 

Tamaki Drive and Ngapipi Road Intersection Safety Improvement update

Auckland Transport’s work goes on and the new embankments are taking shape. The road layout will stay in its current configuration until Christmas, and this includes the 30kph speed limit. I travel  through this intersection every day  and know it has slowed travel times , so thank you all for your patience.

For more information about the multiple transport projects taking place in the Tamaki Drive area, (Intersection improvements, Tamaki Drive Cycle Route, Ngapipi Bridge widening and the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path) please see the Auckland Transport website for Tamaki Drive improvements here. You can also sign up for regular email updates from Auckland Transport here.
 

New parking machines coming to Remuera

Over the next few months, Auckland Transport will be upgrading all of Aucklands 810 pay-and-display parking machines to include ‘pay-by-plate’ technology. (One has to wonder about AT’s priorities putting this at the top of their list !?)

The pay-by-plate technology enables customers to enter their registration plate into the machine without the need for a display ticket, making it a faster, more seamless customer experience.

 The newly upgraded machines will also include paywave technology to further improve the customer experience. The Text-a-Park payment option will not always be available as part of the new machines as AT Park phone app is considered to be a superior alternative for customers who want to use their phone.
These machines will replace existing Parking meters in Remuera starting in December.

Regional sports grants.

Regional Sports Grant applications are open until 8 December 2017.
 
Applications are being sought from organisations that are:
•             have a region-wide mandate;
•             regional federations or groupings of local or sub-regional sports code organisations;
•             regional sport and recreation providers or advocacy groups; or
•             iwi and other Māori organisations active in the sport and recreation sector.
 
The funding pool is up to $508,000 and I am looking forward to seeing what opportunities the sporting community have that council can support. If you know anyone who may be part of an organisation who could apply for this please let them know of the opportunity.
 
More information is on the Council website here.

Conversations with Councillor Coming to St Heliers Library

 Following a successful Conversation with your Councillor session at Remuera Library in October, I will be running a similar session at the St Heliers Library from 2:00pm on Friday 17 November. Please come and see me to discuss any Auckland Council related issue, idea or feedback.
 

More responsibility to local Boards

Council has recently agreed on some updates to the delegations and responsibilities between that of local Boards and Councillors through the Governance Framework Review. Through this review Local Boards have taken extra responsibilities and powers including:

• more local board input into regional policy decisions
• increased engagement with Auckland Transport and a stronger governance role around town centre upgrades and other local streetscape projects
• that the council considers a significant increase to the local transport capital fund through the Long-term Plan (10-year budget) process
• greater decision-making rights over budgets for local services being delivered in local board areas
• that a three-year pilot project of enhanced local board decision-making in Waiheke is implemented from 1 October 2017.

Auckland recognised as a UNESCO Creative City

Auckland has officially been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a music city within the network of Creative Cities. Auckland’s application was endorsed by Council in March. Achieving this status has helped other cities such as Adelaide attract investment and has been linked to an increase in tourism. I’m looking forward to seeing what benefits there are for Auckland’s music industry.
 
Read more here.

Safeswim

Auckland Council’s upgraded safeswim website is now live. This site gives current and forecast water quality information at our beaches, replacing the older system of regular testing and retrospective reporting. Having up to date information is crucial to let Aucklanders make informed choices and this is a positive step towards being transparent about our water quality. Safeswim is a joint initiative between Auckland Council, Watercare, Surf Lifesaving Northern Region and the Auckland Regional Public Health Service. Trial of a real time signage was launched last Saturday at Mission bay

Read more about it here and visit the site at www.safeswim.org.nz
 

Council staff cuts coming

Are we delivering value for money?

An independent review finds millions of dollars in savings in just 4 areas.

From Stuff.co.nz Auckland mayor Phil Goff promises cuts to the council's 234 communications staff and more savings to come.

Auckland Council chief executive Stephen Town defends high salaries

http://nzh.tw/11932614

I believe that actuals versus the budget should be a key performance indicator(KPI) for the chief executive to meet

What’s the benefit to ratepayers?

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Fiji, France, Germany, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, USA, Vietnam .....I don’t think it’s unfair to have a greater level of transparency around why  the travel is necessary and the benefit to ratepayers gained from the trip.

Read the article here.

Staff budget blowouts need to stop and they need to stop now

 I spoke with Zac Fleming from Radio New Zealand to say that the council's $42m salary and wages blowout is unacceptable. 

Click here to listen to the interview.

Remuera Cross Street Banner saved by Desley Simpson.

The Remuera Business Association Newsletter Reads: 

"A huge thank you to Desley Simpson for stepping in (once again!) to save our cross street banner rig from being disestablished by Auckland Transport.  Installed in 2014 with a rigorous engineer's report, our rig is one of only a few that can still be used.  It has been a fantastic way to promote Remuera events to thousands of motorists over the years... one of the few benefits of being on a four lane transport corridor!  Thanks again to Desley Simpson for stepping in to save our cross street rig."

September Newsletter

1.       Tamaki Drive

Following the successful public meeting on 8 June hosted by the St Heliers/Glendowie Residents Association, I have lobbied hard for Auckland Transport to provide mitigation against flooding on the section of Tamaki Drive between Lilliput Minigolf and the Ngapipi Bridge.

I am pleased to advise I was successful and Auckland Transport will make 3 improvements to mitigate the effects of king tides and storms as part of the Tamaki Drive cycleway improvements.

·         Tamaki Drive will be raised by up to half a metre.

·         installation of storm water valves, to reduce the inflow of sea water through the culvert pipes onto the road

·         A curve will be added to the seawall to assist in deflecting waves from breaking onto footpath and road.

All three improvements will be started in this financial year and will be funded from this year’s budget.

Image: Diagram showing the areas that currently flood that will benefit from these measures.

Image: Flooding caused by king tide (Source: Fairfax Media)

2.      Rail patronage at an all-time high

When the supercity first came into existence, Auckland had approximately 8.5 million train trips per year. Investment in rail over the past 6 years has included the electrification of the rail network and upgrade of the rolling stock and the use of the HOP ticketing system. We now have more than doubled the amount of train passengers and hit 20 million trips per annum last month, 5 years ahead of the predictions made in 2009.

 In Orakei, there is no doubt the Hobson Bay walkway link from Shore Rd to Orakei Train station (completed last term) has assisted those particularly from Remuera, access the train station. Figures show a 22% increase of passenger numbers at Orakei from 2013/14 to 2015/16.

The growth in patronage puts pressure on the capacity of the rail service which currently has a capacity of 21.9 million trips. Recently the governing body approved the purchase of 17 new trains to meet this additional demand. Whilst this was a positive from a public transport perspective, the timing of that ask was very concerning.

The $200 million ask came just 3 weeks after we had signed off our annual budget increasing our expenditure for transport by $179 million from$587million to $766 million. I am on public record as having called Auckland Transport to account at the July Finance and Performance Meeting re the lack of transparency and timing of this very expensive financial request.  I have however accepted the apology from the Auckland Transport chair and his commitment from Auckland Transport that we will be fully apprised of similar scenarios in the future ahead of time. But I will be watching…..

Image: Train at Orakei Station

3.       New Public Art for Newmarket

Our streetscapes are often enhanced by public art. Auckland is fortunate to have people who are willing to gift art to Auckland for the enjoyment of others. A recent example of this is a commissioned work by the Newmarket Arts Trust for a sculpture to Auckland Councils public art collection for location Teed St, Newmarket. The sculpture has been named Heliograph and references the different layers of Newmarket’s history by acknowledging the Maori history, role of Chinese families in the development of Newmarket and the early industry of the area.

In my regional role (noting that Newmarket is not part of the Orakei Ward) I was please to move the recommendation to accept the offer by the Newmarket Trust of the public artwork which was supported unanimously by the mayor and other councilors.

Image: Heliograph concept proposal

1.       Easter Sunday Trading

Auckland Council decided not to make any changes to the way Easter Sunday trading operates within the Auckland region. This is a topic that I was very keen to hear the views of the Orakei Ward on and before the vote made particular effort to contact all resident and business associations in the area. Based on your feedback, I was the lone voice on Council that supported the development of a policy that would give businesses and employees the freedom to choose to work on Easter Sunday. (The right for employees to observe Easter Sunday if they wish is protected by legislation). My particular focus against the status quo was the fact that Parnell business district has an exemption to trade on Easter Sunday that was won in 1989. The CBD and Newmarket asked for their areas to be included in that exemption and that discussion wasn’t even entertained. I didn’t see that as fair.

I always appreciate the feedback I receive from my constituents so a big thank you to all who made a submission or let me know what your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from as many people as possible about future decisions that the council consults on.

5.       Environmental Grants

There are just a few days left to get in applications for the Regional Environment and Natural Heritage grants programme. I know that within the Orakei ward there are many people who care deeply about the natural environment and I’m sure there are some great initiatives that would be worthy recipients of some council support. Applications close Sept 10 and more information can be found here.

6.       Update on Value for Money Reviews

Last month I let you know about my role in overseeing reviews taking place to ensure Council is delivering its services in a way that gives best value to residents and ratepayers.

Council departments have been able to show some good results over the past 4 years in domestic waste ($165m in savings and a significant reduction in waste to landfill) and the three water services (fresh, storm and wastewater)have also demonstrated cost savings of $700m. The key though, is providing optimal value and there will be ways that we can do that better. Final reports on the first three areas of review are due on my desk by 19 September and this will include improvement opportunities for council to do better in the future.

Tamaiki Drive Flood Reduction Efforts reported in NZHerald

The New Zealand Herald has reported on Auckland Council's plan to raise sections of Tamaki Drive. The article can be found here.