September Newsletter

Auckland Golf Courses are NOT for sale

There has been recent media suggesting the mayor is leading the sale of golf clubs based on Council land. Whilst the mayor and I have for a long time, been on opposite side of this debate, (he looking at options and me not wanting them sold - especially Remuera) I am pleased that we are all now in agreement that no sales are on the table and our next steps are to look at how other codes and activities can be incorporated into our 13 Council owned golf sites. Remuera have for a long time been looking at this anyway.  Some of you may remember that the Remuera Golf Club land was originally a’ swamp’. It has been the hard work of the club itself that has improved the site to the wonderful valuable resource it is today (and I’m not just talking money). They were the first club in NZ to be accredited by Golf Environment Organization for sustainability, they have beehives on site, use solar powered lawn mowers and have the highest membership in rounds played in Auckland. Their driving range has more public use than members use and subject to some commentary, any member of the public can play there. They also pay more to Council than any other golf club based on Council land.

To be honest this whole debate reminded me of when Colin Maiden Park was designated as housing in the draft Unitary Plan and the huge effort taken by myself and the former OLB to get that changed back to its original use for sport and recreation. Parks and open space are the lungs of any city, and with intensification we will need them even more.  

Group Procurement Savings

As your Councillor, I am always looking at ways to do things more efficiently and ways that deliver best value for money. I am pleased to announce we have achieved $288 million savings and benefits from Auckland Council's group source procurement programme since we started it 2016.  This includes Auckland Council parent and the CCO’s Auckland Transport and Watercare’s product and services procurement.

Earlier this month we received a report which noted savings of $69.9 million in 2016, $106 million in 2017 and $112.4 million this financial year. The report explained in detail the monetary benefits of the programme, including savings, cost avoidance, revenue and increased productivity. 

The report also highlighted the advantages of the sustainable procurement model, an innovative long-term strategy to cut business expenses. Early initiatives involve the purchase of a fleet of electric vehicles and increasing the use Skype for Business where possible to lower the councils carbon footprint and cut fleet expenditure.

Outstanding Valuation Objections

If you are one of the ratepayers who has objected to your new valuation and haven’t had your objection resolved, sadly you are not alone. Over 5,000 ratepayers are waiting for their objection to be processed and at time of writing there was still a huge backlog. Council has found itself in a situation not of its making, where the valuation contractor has not met its obligations to respond to objections in a timely manner. By law Council had to send out the rates notices based on the valuation as at 1 July and this has upset many, especially those who wanted their new valuations assessed lower.

I was alerted to this by a constituent and quickly found this to be a region wide problem and at my prompting, staff have contacted those affected with rates options for payments (including deferral ) until the revaluation backlog has been cleared.

Whilst our valuation contractor has had payment withheld as a result of their failure to meet their contractual obligations, this does not lessen the inconvenience and frustration that both myself and affected ratepayers have had to experience.

Ratings changes for church and properties

Prior to the amalgamation of Auckland Council, the different Councils interpreted the rules for rating of properties that have a religious purpose in slightly different ways. At the end of the last political term, the Auckland Council decided to review this issue. The review identified some church held property that was not used for worship or education and suggested that these should be levied rates. The review lacked political approval. For some churches the implementation of staff decisions have seen rates bills go from $400 pa to $28,000 pa.

The good news is that with my intervention, Council has halted these new charges with no penalties until a full report comes to Councillors on the impacts and assessments with remissions options.

Rates Remissions

Are you or someone you know a resident of a retirement village that is owned on a ‘License to Occupy’ basis? If so, a rule change means that you may now be eligible for a rates rebate from the Department of Internal Affairs instead of a remission from Council.

The maximum rebate from DIA is $630, depending on your income and any dependents you may have.

I strongly encourage anyone who may be eligible for this rebate to find out more on the Auckland Council website here.

Sport & Recreation Partnership Grant to Aktive Auckland Sport & Recreation for 2018/2019

A report recently came to the Environment & Community committee concerning the Sport & Recreation Partnership Grant. The report recommendations were to continue to provide $552,000 per annum to Aktive Auckland Sport and Recreation and Sport Auckland to deliver programmes and initiatives across Auckland over the next three years.

Their work aims to encourage Aucklanders to be more active and take part in regular exercise or activity. The funding will support investment in community organisations and programmes that promote sport and physical activity, especially groups working with young people or identified communities. This will also include the development of shared school and community facilities, initiatives to expand the volunteer base around sport and growing communities of activity. 

Glendowie Bowling Club (GBC) was identified as a beneficiary of their work in the Orakei ward as they work with other clubs and the Local Board to get more use out of their facilities and working towards the creation of a multi-use sports hub.

 Ayr Street ( Parnell)  Footpath Renewal

Auckland Transport have started work to repair the footpath on Ayr Street between Parnell Road and Shore Road.  This work is part of a wider programme of renewal works in the region.

The footpath is in very poor condition and will be re-constructed before asphalt road resurfacing work is begun, this work should protect the road pavement asset and is due to be completed mid-October. 

All affected residents should have been contacted by Auckland Transport in late August and they should receive an update as the work progresses.  The works should not prevent residential vehicle access except when vehicle crossings are being excavated and prepped for concrete.  However, others will have to follow the detour route during the work hours of Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, Weekends 8am to 5pm.   Pedestrian access on Ayr Street between Shore Rd and Parnell Rd will continue as normal during the project. Thank you for your patience while this work is carried out!

Road Safety Initiatives

I am welcoming the response from Auckland Transport and other agencies following my advocacy regarding road safety improvements for the Orakei Ward.  Recent statistics have our ward well down the list in terms of road safety. In fact, we are ranked at a disappointing 17 out of the 21 local Board areas for rates of death and serious injury on our roads. This rate has increased by 4% in the last five years and this is a trend that we need to reverse. So, I am pleased to advise that this financial year we will be investing in a number of new initiatives in the Orakei Ward to address road safety including 14 pedestrian safety projects planned for completion in the next two years.

Three of these projects are focused on improving safety outside schools.  The schools targeted are St Kentigern Boys School on Shore Road, Kohimarama School on Kohimarama Road and Glendowie Primary School on Riddell Road.

Police Update: stolen vehicles and rise in burglaries

Did you know that if you've spotted a suspicious or abandoned vehicle in your neighbourhood, it's possible to check whether it’s been listed as stolen?

The NZ Police now have a handy tool on their website. It's as simple as either entering a registration number, VIN, engine or chassis number into the New Zealand Polices Stolen Vehicles Database. Click here to find out if a vehicle was listed as stolen.

Note that when you report a vehicle as stolen to Police its details will be published on this and on other publicly available registers. If you want to provide information anonymously about a vehicle in your neighbourhood, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or If the vehicle appears to be abandoned then please advise Police of its location by contacting your local police station.

I understand there has been a rise in burglaries with thieves specifically targeting high rise apartments and properties in Remuera, Mission Bay and Orakei.  The burglars are scaling high rise buildings and accessing properties through unlocked balcony doors or windows. 

Police are advising residents to ensure that all windows and doors are locked when leaving the property to prevent further attacks.  If you have seen any suspicious activity or you would like to report a burglary at your property, please contact your local police station.

August Newsletter

Boundary changes

Auckland’s rapid growth, particularly in the CBD has caused Council to reassess the now uneven numbers of people each Councillor represents. We need to spread some of that city growth representation to immediate neighbouring Wards to keep Councillor/constituent numbers as even as possible. This naturally has a flow on affect. After internal deliberations the proposal out for consultation seeks feedback for the Auckland Councillor for Orakei to absorb parts of Newmarket and Parnell ( to minimise the Councillor/constituent ratio in Waitemata Ward)  and relinquish parts of Ellerslie and St Johns to the Councillor for Maungakiekie-Tamaki.

Public consultation on the proposal allowing you to have your say on the proposal is from 8 August to 11 September by visiting www.akhaveyoursay.nz. If the proposal is accepted the changes will apply for the upcoming 2019 elections. This is a process that is driven by legislation and whilst I personally would be sorry to lose constituents from Ellerslie and St Johns, if the proposal goes ahead, it is a process that I must remain sanguine about: this is about ensuring that our democracy keeps pace with the changing shape of Auckland. As ever, I strongly encourage everyone to make a submission and let your views be known.

PLEASE NOTE-  the Orakei Local Board representation and boundaries will not be affected through this process.

Further drives to reduce council’s costs

Being cost effective is something Auckland Council should be championing as opposed to reacting to budget blow outs. I was pleased recently to move a resolution to review our Group Financial services. We have a large group expenditure planned over the next ten years with $4.2 billion in operating expenditure and $1.3 billion in capital expenditure in organisational support services including Finance. Amongst other things, the review will cover financial transactions, tax and revenue management, financial planning and budgeting and capital planning. The reviews scope will cover the overall management of Councils financial services from the development of policies and strategies to the commissioning of funding, the cost and resource use, and the effectiveness of these services within Auckland Council and its Council Controlled Organisations. The review will be supported by an external independent reference panel with expertise in public finance, public policy and management and local government operations. We must be able to prove to our ratepayers we have robust  financial systems  in place to deliver value for money. This needs to be approved by the Governing Body on 23 August and then it will begin.

Orakei Basin Shared Path Boardwalk
 

After months of advocacy on your behalf, I am extremely pleased to advise I now have agreement from both NZTA and Auckland Transport that the current fence design running alongside the Orakei Basin will be changed. Public consultation on the design for the remaining two stages of the pathway will go out for feedback in September this year. This will include the opportunity for residents to have input into the shared path design for the final two stages. When that design is confirmed, it will be applied to the Ōrākei Basin section. As Rachel Hunter famously said “ it won’t happen overnight but it will happen”. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you who have contacted me over this issue. It’s been an interesting journey and a learning curve for both agencies involved. Everyone agrees that communication needs to be better in the future, and I have had confirmation on that too. 
 

Bastion Point Pou

There has been significant media attention given to the concept of a 30m high pou or sculpture on Bastion Point. This is a concept only and one that would be led by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei if it was something that they wished to progress. 
I would like to confirm to everyone that there is no funding agreement between Council and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei for such a structure. Because this exists only a concept and the desire for it from the Trust Board is uncertain, much of the debate on this is, while interesting, is somewhat premature.

Ngapipi/Tamaki Drive Intersection
 

The Ngapipi /Tamaki Drive intersection was opened on July 9. I’m always happy to see a piece of infrastructure be completed under budget and this was (over a million dollars under budget). It was also completed ahead of time and kudos to those who delivered both. The project though was about improving the safety of the intersection and is not about improving traffic flows. Whilst I support that, I’ve also been concerned about the effects that the intersection may have on traffic movements.

Fortunately, (with only a few exceptions) the feedback I’ve received, is that the intersection is working well. Obviously its only in its first few weeks of operation, but generally cyclists, pedestrians and motorists are impressed with it. Even so, there will always be scope to improve and I will be meeting with Auckland Transport staff later in the month once they have optimized the light phases and will report back on any further fine tuning. If you have any suggestions please feel free to contact me Desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz before August 15th.
 

Auckland Domain

The Auckland Domain is loved by many and I’m proud to say, is one of only six parks to be recognized in the prestigious International Large Urban Parks Awards for 2018. Fact is, it is the only New Zealand park to feature. This is a very well deserved recognition of a world class park that is beloved by Aucklanders and visitors alike. The judges awarded a Bronze award to the Domain “for its well protected and managed parklands, its supply of recreation opportunities and preservation and interpretation of indigenous culture in cooperation with community.”

Within the Domain is the Wintergarden Nursery. This is the longest functioning nursery in NZ and will go from a multitude of small sheds and glasshouses (several dating back to the 19th Century) to two large high tech greenhouses far more suitable to grow the 20,000 plants needed. However, all the history will not be lost. Three of the original Victorian glasshouses which have been noted to have historical significance will be kept and used.
 

Tamaki Link
 

The new bright blue (yes, I chose the colour) Tāmaki Link bus which travels from Britomart along Tāmaki Drive to the St Heliers Bay shops and then via St Heliers Bay to the Glen Innes Train Station   is proving popular from the feedback I’m receiving. However there are still some concerns on the new central bus routes by some, especially the school routes. Please remember to email to your concerns of you have them to atbusreview@at.govt.nz  as the routes and timetables will be reviewed 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post their July 8 start.

Sandbagging
 

Mid- July saw another king tide which like many before it, threatened to swamp low lying areas of the Eastern Bays. After strong advocacy, I was very grateful for the quick action of Council staff to deploy sand bags on the boat ramp at Kohimarama on Sunday 15 July to pilot the success of sandbagging at that location. As it happened, the tide didn’t reach the sandbags on this occasion. So the pilot will have to wait for another time. Auckland Council is aware of the continuing need to look at the issues at this site and the council family taskforce are currently discussing options to address coastal inundation.
 

No Retirement Village on Parson Paddock, St Johns…yet.
 

Sommerset Holdings Ltd applied to Auckland Council for a resource consent to build a 344 unit retirement village up to 7 storeys on what’s locally known as Parson Paddock in St Johns.
The height limit for that site is 3 storeys. The application was refused by planning commissioners who said in their decision “ that while the site would be suitable for a retirement village, the proposed development would result in adverse effects which did not sufficiently balance the benefits”
 

Orakei Point Development
 

32 residential dwellings have been given the green light by planners on the old Kings Plant Barn site by Orakei Train Station. My understanding is that his development complies with the Unitary Plan rules for that location.
 

Hotel projects
 

Seen a lot of cranes in the city? At least 26 hotel projects are planned or under construction in Auckland. They include NZ’s first Hotel Indigo which is proposed as a $250m 41-level 225-room hotel project in addition to 24 luxury private residences on an under utilised strategic mixed-used site in Albert Street, comprising of a dual fronted historic facade and adjacent to St Patrick's Cathedral.
 

Plastic Bag free Day in St Heliers
 

I had the pleasure of attending Plastic Bag free Day in St Heliers and judged the children’s sustainable art competitions. We need more initiatives like Plastic Bag Free St Heliers and my congratulations to all contributors, winners and also to the organisers.
 

Remuera’s Bastille Day
 

Thanks to all supporters, sponsors and organisers of Remuera's Bastille Day. A huge crowd filled the Remuera Town Centre, streets with French themed window displays, music and entertainment for a very successful day..
 

Citizens Advice Bureau
 

I joined with my colleagues on the Environment and Community Committee to approve an additional $200,000 in funding for Citizens Advice Bureau across Auckland. This is an invaluable service which behind the scenes does a huge amount of work to help our communities to know their rights and resolve disputes. This funding will be distributed to the 32 CABs around Auckland and to help the Bureau plan for the future. We are fortunate to have a Citizens Advice Bureau located in our ward which receives approximately 9000 enquiries per year. Currently this is located at 4 Victoria Ave, Remuera.

CRL (City Rail Link)
 

I wasn’t a Councillor when the CRL was approved, but do know that people using our trains are well ahead of projections. Council has voted on expanding the CRL capacity for longer trains. Doing this while the CRL is still under construction will avoid closing the whole underground system for 2 years less than ten years after it opens and  as always, doing it right first time will be more cost effective in the long run. If you are young enough to remember, the Auckland Harbour Bridge had this very problem. It opened with a reduced lane (4) capacity and then ten years later was retrofitted with 2x extra lanes each side which cost more than the original bridge itself. Let’s hope we deliver the ‘do it once do it properly’ concept with this project.

July Newsletter

Catch the bus? Please check out the new bus numbers, routes and timetables

July 8 sees the launch of the new bus network for the central suburbs and city. This is a piece of work a long time in the making – consultation took place in 2015! The key benefits of the new network come from the emphasis on core routes along Tamaki Drive and Remuera Road that will run at least every 15 minutes into the central city and back. The Tamaki Drive route is called the Tamaki Link and will be instantly recognizable in blue livery (my one claim to fame is I chose the colour of the bus). Parking is often a problem in town but locals will now be able to catch a bus to and from eateries and events in the CBD (and within the bays) with the 15 mins service running both ways until midnight. New bus routes for our area will also see a bus going to the Auckland museum for the first time and to the Waterfront theatre. But not all route changes will please everybody. If you find yourself in that position (or if you love the new network) feedback can be emailed through to busreview@at.govt.nz. Auckland Transport will be reviewing the new network 3 months, 6 months and 12 months from July 8 and your feedback will be key to that review process.

For more information see: https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/new-public-transport-network/new-network-for-the-central-suburbs/

Martyn Wilson Field

Last September I was approached by a number of residents who live near to Martyn Wilson Field in Remuera. Their complaint was that the stormwater pond created in 2011/12 produced an awful rotting/sewerage smell, particularly over the summer months. I asked for this to be investigated by Council’s Environmental Health and Healthy Waters team. They established that the smell was due to anoxic sediment and initially took an interim measure of keeping a higher level of water than normal in the pond to reduce the amount that the sediments were being exposed. That didn’t work as well as they anticipated. Staff then concluded that the long-term solution to the smell  was actually to dredge the pond to remove this sediment. Fortunately, after much pestering and after some difficulty in finding a contractor with the capacity and ability to do this work, I am pleased to advise that dredging is finally underway. Council will now keep this monitored in future and look to de-silt the pond at least every three years to prevent these issues from reoccurring.

Auckland Netball Centre funding for community use
 

Auckland Netball is based in St Johns, and as an amenity, is used not just for netball but for a number of other sports. Facilities to support our community participating in sport is integral for well-being. It is also important to support indoor opportunities and well as outdoor, particularly as regionally we are well under for indoor sports options. Last year the Environment and Community Committee granted one year of funding for the Auckland Netball Centre in St Johns on the assumption that we would have in place a Sports Facility Investment Plan to guide longer term investment for the future. However, this work was not prepared (agh!)  The recommendation this year from staff was to roll over Auckland Netballs funding for an additional year. This wasn’t ideal for Auckland Netball who were looking for more certainty for their funding. With the agreement of the mayor and all councillors at our 12 June meeting, I was pleased to second an amended motion that gave two years of confirmed funding to Auckland Netball at $150,000 per annum. This funding secures community access to the Auckland Netball Centre which hosts upwards of 435,000 visits per year.
 

Orakei Basin Boardwalk alongside the railway line

I must say I am very unhappy with the look and design of the Orakei Basin walkway along the railway line.   Whilst I appreciate the apology from AT for absolutely no communication on this stage of the project this Council term and their change of design done without any notice to the Orakei local board, our Community or myself, the sad reality is we are now left with a section of the shared path which struggles to aesthetically match the natural environment of the Orakei Basin and other walkways which feed into it. When travelled at anything other than a slow walk this section now appears to have the optical illusion of travelling through a grey tunnel. The adopted requirements agreed to by NZTA and Auckland Transport associated with officially allowing cyclists and calling this a’ shared path’ means they need to raise the handrail. To those who are ‘vertically challenged‘ (short like me) will now have very  limited view of our wonderful Orakei Basin as we walk this section as the new 1.4m railing is over 4 ½ feet ( I’m only 5.2”).

Auckland Transports CEO has given me absolute assurance that he will look at options to mitigate the current design flaws. He has also given me assurances that full consultation will occur on design for all other sections of this shared path and that regular updates will be provided moving forward. However I have complained to the mayoral office that Auckland Transport and NZTA appear to be using one set of design rules and yet Panuku who managed the development of a new shared path at Westhaven use another ( and far less restrictive)

Why is it OK to walk and cycle along the same section of Tamaki Drive with no railing at all, yet not ok here? Madness!

At time of writing I’m on my last slither of hope for change. Directly talking to NZTA…..wish me luck!
 

Ellerslie Stained Glass grant
 

Council has a regional fund to support heritage projects in Auckland. I was pleased to move a resolution to support Christ Church in Ellerslie to receiving $20,000 in grant funding through this fund as a contribution towards the restoration of their stained glass windows. The total cost of the stained glass restoration project is $652,050.

These windows have been assessed by art historians to be of national significance and are irreplaceable. Christ Church itself is scheduled in the Unitary Plan as a Category A historic heritage place.
 

We can deliver considerable better value for money in procurement
 

I am a firm believer that Council has the responsibility to look for ways to deliver its services in a way that is the best possible value for money for Aucklanders and have been fortunate enough to work with the mayor on this. Council aims to be efficient at what we do but without doubt we can do better regarding procurement practices as a recent 17A review showed. We are taking big amounts of money in this field, spending 8.1million annually to procure 2.9billion of goods and services across the group. But there is double up and duplication that can be eliminated with better planning. Through the review process we have identified changes that can be made which will save ratepayers $197 million in incremental hard savings over the next 10 years. For a sense of scale, this is the same amount of money that Auckland Transport has budgeted for upgrading intersections on high risk urban roads through its “Urban Road Safety Programme” over the same period. Needless to say, I am a strong supporter of the value for money programme. Very happily I moved the resolution to approve the procurement recommendations which will deliver these savings and efficiencies.
 

Why are guavas and figs classified as plant pests?
 

As part of my role as your ward Councillor I am often asked to speak to various community groups and clubs. Last month I was fortunate enough to speak to the Remuera Garden Club. At the close of the meeting I received some tricky questions about why the proposed Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) listed Guavas and Figs as pest plants. Privet (which many complain about) is a well-known pest and the question was also asked as to why it is allowed to ‘flourish’ so prolifically. Privet is absolutely a pest in both the current and proposed plans. Council removes Chinese and Tree privet on council land as budget allows. Typically, they will target areas of high ecological value. Whilst removal of privet on private property is recommended, there is no requirement for this.

Four species of Fig (Creeping, Morton Bay, Port Jackson and Strangling) and one species of guava are newly identified as pest species in the proposed RPMP. Like privet, this means it would become an offense to sell, distribute or propagate these plants but again, no requirement to remove existing plants. The rationale to list these species as pests is that they are likely to be distributed by birds into remote native habitats and have a history of being invasive overseas. By restricting their future availability, council hopes to mitigate any future impacts of these species spreading.
 

Got a problem with Council?
 

As always, if you have an issue or concern that is Council related please do not hesitate in contacting me.

You may also like to follow m on Facebook as I post updates every day- Desley Simpson


 

Auckland Council 10 year budget. How I voted and why.

Dear Readers,

The Mayor's proposal for the Long Term Plan was put to Councillors for decision making on Thursday 31 May. This was a crucial meeting in Auckland Council’s budgetary cycle as it sets the content for the Long Term Plan prior to its adoption at the end of June. I promised to keep you all in the loop with the LTP decision making and to follow the advice and views of the residents that I represent.

General Rates

This Long Term Plan has continued to hold the general rates increase to 2.5% for the next 2 years and then increase to 3.5% thereafter. This is in itself a key win for ratepayers as compared to previous general rates rises that Auckland Council has had, this rates rise is as low as it has ever been and compares well with rises in some other parts of the country. The UAGC is also set to rise by the same percentages, again this is financially beneficial for our ward, as the higher the UAGC the lower the general rates take is based on capital value. Orakei residents endorsed this approach and I gave my vote accordingly.
 

Targeted Rates: Water Quality and Natural Environment

Councillors considered the mayoral proposal as to whether to deliver additional targeted rates that are ringfenced to fund specific work programmes for improving water quality in our harbours and improve our natural environment through expanded pest management and protection of Kauri trees. Prior to the consultation I advocated for both targeted rates to be considered as a flat rate per property rather than differentiated based on capital value, or at least be part of the consultation material giving Aucklanders a choice. That however wasn’t supported by the mayor or the majority of Councillors. Adding new rates is not typically something that I would instinctively or personally support, especially when they are based on the capital value of property. But my promise at election time (and one which I have never broken), is that when we ask Aucklanders what they think, my vote would reflect the majority of feedback from the residents and ratepayers of our Orakei Ward.    Feedback received from our ward showed strong support for both targeted rates from Orakei and so I supported them with my vote.

The good news is that we can expect much cleaner harbours with an accelerated programme of works to support particularly to prevent the high numbers of wastewater overflows that pollute the harbour when it rains. We will also see much greater support for Auckland Council’s environmental programmes including resourcing for our efforts to stop the spread of Kauri Dieback, and better control of invasive pest and plant species. I will update on specifics as they relate to projects in our ward in another newsletter.

Disestablishment of Auckland Council Investments Limited (ACIL)
 

I also voted against the disestablishment of Auckland Council Investment Limited. ACIL hold the Council’s investment in Ports of Auckland and shares in Auckland International Airport. The argument for this was that we could save approximately $500,000 per year by removing this entity and absorbing their functions into Auckland Council. This was an issue that not many people submitted on from across the region (probably because it wasn’t detailed in the summary consultation material), however the message from Orakei submitters was still clear. You said that POAL is operating well at present and removing the arms length relationship via ACIL opens the Ports to political interference - in other words: don’t fix what isn’t broken. While I voted against, in the end the Mayor had the votes to pass this part of the budget. I am somewhat reassured though, that Auckland Council will now operate under an MOU that will set the parameters for Auckland Council’s governance of POAL to protect the Ports status as a commercially driven entity.

Regional Fuel Tax

Similarly, I followed the advice of Orakei residents in opposing the Regional Fuel Tax. This was a tricky one as Council asked the question of Aucklanders twice: once in March and more recently in May. The March consultation was a little hypothetical, in so much that people didn’t know what projects would be funded by the extra tax, but showed a clear majority of Orakei residents in support of the proposal. The more recent consultation in May showed the opposite trend with a majority in opposition to the regional fuel tax. May consultation also followed central government’s announcement of their extra incremental excise taxation which made the original 11.5c per litre for the next ten years, closer to 23-25c per litre including GST for those at the pump. The May consultation results formed my vote as it was also consulted on at a time when we were able to give a much better idea of what the proposal would entail in terms of projects and also in the wider context of the wider fuel price both wholesale and retail.

However, my colleagues supported the mayor in voting it through. While it is always disappointing to be on the losing side of a debate, the Regional Fuel Tax will deliver significant gains for Auckland. It is expected to raise $1.5b in revenue for Auckland over 10 years but crucially this enables much more in capital expenditure over the same period, up to a total of $4.3b.

Local Benefits
 

I am pleased to advise, that I have made significant progress to assist the Orakei Ward in this budget. For the very first time since Auckland Council was formed, the Orakei Local Board has had its main advocacy project funded in the Long Term Plan. Not only is the the Gowing Drive Shared path linkage to the Tamaki Drive to Glen Innes shared path in the long term plan, it is scheduled for the first years so that it can be delivered at the same time as the main path is constructed. As a former local board chair, I know first hand how hard it is for a local board to get funding for their advocacy items. You can have the best reasons in the world but it is a decision for the Councillors and the Mayor as to whether you are successful or not. I am pleased to advise my lobbying around the Town Hall table was successful and thank the Mayor and my Councillor colleagues for their support . Public feedback on the project has been strongly in favour and I know, that once this link is built it will be of great benefit for the residents, school children and other users.

Other wins for Orakei include an increase in funding for local transport projects (approximately $450k  extra per year), extra funding for Colin Maiden Park, Michaels Ave Reserve, Madills Farm and Shore Rd Reserve sports parks, extra funding for the Meadowbank community centre, and  new funding for investigating how to improve the resilience of Tamaki Drive against flooding.

Wrap up

Overall, this budget whilst not perfect does address significant under investment particularly under the ground. It adds additional $100 million to our Sport and Recreation Facilities Investment Fund, $40 Million for proactive monitoring and response to infrastructure damage as a result of climatic events, including non-coastal slips and extra funding for the Auckland Art Gallery to name but a few.

The LTP budget also has savings targets of $60million in the first three years alone as well as a targeted value for money programme. It also has specific benefits for our Ward and includes a $26b capital build investment to deliver infrastructure and projects to help mitigate long term under investment.

I am proud to represent the views of those who live in the ten suburbs which make up the Orakei Ward around the Town Hall table. Be assured, I have paid close attention to the results of the consultation and used this as the foundation for my decision making. Thank you to each and everyone of you who have taken the time to respond when asked. I want you to know that when you participate in consultation where I will be the decision maker, your views will count, so please make sure that you take every opportunity to participate in submission processes so that I can represent your perspective.
 

We are not selling Remuera Golf Course

Some of you have contacted me regarding concerns over the article that appeared on Stuff.co.nz on Wednesday regarding the sale of Remuera Golf Club land and linking it to the statements made by Phil Goff as a candidate about the sale of golf courses.
The facts of the situation are that Auckland Council is not selling Remuera Golf Course land, it is selling its own land. The land is not currently leased by Remuera Golf Club and hasn’t been for some time. The 2.8ha strip of land was put up for sale to help mitigate the approximately $60m unbudgeted cost of buying Colin Maiden Park in 2013. Our community was extremely keen to keep this wonderful 20ha park as open space for sport and recreation. The decision to sell this land predates this term of council (i.e. Phil Goff’s Mayoralty and mine as the Councillor for the Orakei ward).
The Orakei Local Board (2013, when I was chair) reluctantly agreed not to object to the sale to get the purchase of Colin Maiden over the line. Frankly I’m a little surprised that it has taken this long to action.
Stuff has made amendments to their article to make it clear that the land is not in fact part of the golf course.

Constituent Clinic!

If you are unable to make this time, don’t worry I’m always available to have a chat on 021971786.If I don’t answer ( which means I’m probably in a Council meeting)  please try James Stephens 021801175 and he will let you know when I’m available.
 

College Rifles to get upgraded turf

I was extremely pleased to be able to support College Rifles to obtain a Council grant of $750,000 for the renewal of the two artificial fields which are expected to cost approximately $2 million. The capacity of our sports field network is a key issue for Auckland as we grow and need to provide facilities for people to enjoy their sport and keep physically fit. These fields provide a significant proportion of the winter sports capacity in Central East Auckland with 74 hours out of the total of 291 hours of rugby and training in the area (25%). Without this investment we stood to lose these fields from the network and finding an alternative would not be cheap! This $750,000 investment represents great value for money for ratepayers and a significant win for our sporting community.

I’d like to thank Keith Ratcliffe of College Rifles Rugby Union Football Club for his hard work in advocating for this.

Facilities maintenance. 

Last year I joined in many in the community in sharing my disappointment with the level of service being delivered by some of Auckland Council’s new facilities maintenance contractors. At the time we were seeing long unkempt grass in our parks and reserves, overflowing bins and other items that were not up to the standard we expect.

Having publicly stated my disappointment at that time, I think it only right to now publicly recognize the improvements that the contractors have made over the past few months to rectify their practices.
Project 17 was ambitious but it was designed to make our parks look better not worse.  I was keen to see it implemented so that Aucklanders could reap the benefits of a system that delivered better value for money and didn’t see work being carried out just because it was diaried.

Since the debacle last spring I think it is fair to say that the contractors have greatly improved in the Orakei Ward. As your Councillor, I am given a weekly report into the performance of the maintenance contractors. Over the past few months the reporting has shown good trends overall and most pleasingly there are indications that where an item is ‘failed’ it is quickly rectified. Thanks  must also  go to the OLB who have monitored this well.

Looking after the region’s public spaces is hard work which requires a considerable amount of coordination, communication and attention to detail across the diverse set of tasks to be attended to.

I’d like to thank everyone for bearing with us and remember, if you do see our public areas looking substandard, please don’t hesitate to let Council know about it on (09) 301 0101.
 

Regional Fuel Tax

Remember only a few days left to send through your views on the Regional fuel Tax. Consultation closes Monday May 14 at 5pm www.akhaveyoursay.nz
 
Kind regards
Desley
Cr. Desley Simpson
 

May Newsletter

Consultation

I strongly believe (and have said on multiple occasions), that if you ask for peoples opinion you should listen to that feedback and vote accordingly. The month of March saw Council seeking feedback on a range of plans including our ten-year budget, the Auckland Plan, and Waste and Pest management plans. I thank everyone who took the time and effort to participate in that process and send in their views.

Written feedback on the 5 main budget questions from the ten suburbs making up the Orakei Ward showed;

1. Most were willing to pay an additional rate to accelerate our Water Quality initiatives to reduce waste water overflows into our harbours
2. Most were willing to pay an additional rate to fund initiatives to help preserve and enhance our natural environment.
3. Most were supportive of a general rate rise of 2.5% for the first two years of the LTP and 3.5% thereafter.
4. Most were supportive of making changes to the Accommodation Providers Targeted Rate to include online accommodation providers.

On the implementation of a regional fuel tax, again, most respondents were supportive. Interestingly central government waited for Auckland Councils consultation on this matter to close before they announced their extra tax increases of between $0.09 and $0.12 per litre. This meant that the combined increase would not be 10c plus GST but pretty much double that to 23c - 25c including GST. I personally found the timing from central government very disappointing. They knew of the Mayors intention to look at extra charges for fuel for some time. The ultimate end user at the petrol pump looks to be now given two increases with details of the legislation still to be finalised. Those in opposition voiced their concerns to me that Auckland Transport was not efficient at spending the money it currently has, and until it could prove that it was, more money shouldn’t be forthcoming. Other concerns noted the negative impact of  increased cost on those who were financially challenged and prospective impacts on industry who rely on goods to be delivered by trucks such as grocery and local services such as plumbers, electricians etc…

Do you still support the Fuel Tax?

Council is now currently going back to Auckland residents and ratepayers to re ask if they still support a fuel tax understanding more about it including the financial implications , along with the projects that would be funded by the tax which weren’t known during that original consultation either.
 
The regional fuel tax ( RFT) is promoted to  fund 14 priority areas for transport investment, ranging from specific big ticket roading projects such as the Mill Road upgrade (Papakura) and Penlink (Whangaparaoa) to “buckets” of spending such as road safety, public transport, active transport and network improvements.
 
Auckland Transport are saying, funding from the proposed RFT would also go towards the Orakei Local Board’s initiative to add a vital north south connection to the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path across the Pourewa Valley.
 
The RFT as proposed, will raise $1.5b from Aucklanders over the next 10 years and that revenue will enable $4.27b of capital investment over the same period.
 
More information including the consultation documents can be found at www.akhaveyoursay.nz. Transport is one of the major issues that Council deals with so please don’t miss this opportunity to have your say.
 

Mayor Goff is back at work following his heart attack

April saw Mayor Goff being hospitalised following a heart attack.  I’m sure you all joined with me in wishing him a speedy recovery from what he has said ‘could have killed him’. I’m pleased to say that he has recovered well and is back on deck to lead Auckland through the challenging budgeting and planning processes in front of Council over the next few months.

Vector update
 

Last month Auckland weathered a huge storm which saw 140km/h winds damaging property, removing outdoor furniture and leaving many homes without power and hot water for days. At the time I was concerned about the slow response rate from Vector (who have the responsibility for the lines and ensuring Aucklanders have electricity delivered.)  They have responded by saying that the scale of what they were dealing with was massive – at one point around 180,000 customers were without power and/or hot water as they dealt with hundreds of outages and points of damage on their network. Vector told me they accept and understand the frustrations many of you had with communicating with Vector during that time – and for that, Vector says they are sorry. The company is reviewing its processes and the ways in which they communicate with customers and has already begun work on a new and improved Vector Outage App that will be able to function better during a major outage event like the April storm.

Funding Auckland’s Amenities

Local Government and therefore Auckland Council is a creature of legislation – the powers, responsibilities and duties that Council have are all delegated to authorities by central government. A count of relevant legislation identified 187 acts that impact upon what Council does and sometimes details how it must carry out its duties. This might not be the first time you’ve heard this from me and that is because it is so central to many of the issues that I face as a Councillor.
 
Auckland’s Amenity funding is an example of this. The Museum and MOTAT are funded through rates with the amounts being set by legislation. We also have a similar system for financing the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Authority (ARAFA) which is the mechanism by which Council provides operational funding towards the Auckland Festival Trust, Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra, Auckland Theatre Company, Coastguard, Surf Lifesaving, Rescue Helicopter, Stardome and others. Approval of the funding asks were recently agreed by the Finance and Performance Committee; $31.5m for the Museum, $13.9 for MOTAT and $14.6m for ARAFA.
 
In principle this is all well and good – these are great regional assets and worthy of our support, however I always have my eye on the books and see a potential risk for our financial planning. Historically, the ARAFA board has been very good at keeping funding asks well within their limits. This has been a good thing for the ratepayers of Auckland, however, given that the legislation provides limited ability to push back on any funding request, I see the risk of exposure for Council should the board ask for the maximum. The maximum that they could ask for currently is $33m (2% of rates revenue from the previous year).
 
I’ve advocated for staff to investigate options to better manage this potential funding exposure and I’m pleased to say that my colleagues around the council table agreed with me that this is a risk that we need to address. Staff will report back to the Finance and Performance Committee in August to suggest what changes to the legislation might give Auckland Council certainty about the funding requirements for ARAFA for the future without putting any of our amenities in jeopardy.
 
Last October, Council commissioned a review of the city’s Cultural Heritage Sector (including the museums, gallery and observatory). The purpose of the review is to examine the challenges faced by the sector and make any recommendations on how the governance of the sector could be improved. I am looking to this review as a way of ensuring that ratepayers money is well spent in this area and that Aucklanders can continue to receive value for money from these well-loved institutions. This review is due to be reported back to committee towards the end of this year. I’ll keep you posted
 

E bus launch

 

Auckland Transport launched a trial of two e-busses in April. The trial is to establish how these buses perform in the Auckland environment and what maintenance and total cost of ownership would look like for an electric bus fleet. While overseas information is available, there is no substitute for finding out the realities first hand. The two buses are more expensive than a normal bus, but there are savings to be had in fuel costs along with associated benefits of quiet, clean vehicles without CO2 emissions. The buses will be running various different routes across Auckland and their performance will be assessed  regularly over the coming months.
 

Threats to our trees
 

Auckland is currently facing up to three tree diseases which threaten many of our iconic trees. Most of the diseases are not new to Auckland, however they have been prominent in the headlines recently and Council has a role in combating them.

Kauri Dieback is perhaps the most well reported of the diseases, this is caused by a fungus-like organism which is spread through infected soil. With the Waitakere ranges heavily affected already and new cases discovered more recently in Birkenhead, Council has taken steps to close some tracks in the Waitakere Ranges to minimize the likelihood of human movement spreading the infection. At present the Hunuas are unaffected, so if you are walking there please make sure your boots are clean before you head in and that you stick to the path.

Dutch Elm disease has also been with us for decades (first identified in Auckland in 1989). This is a disease spread by a beetle. Council’s strategy for responding to it is to eradicate the disease by removing any tree infected so that it can no longer be a source of infection. Sadly this has meant that over the last few months we have lost a stand of trees on Mt Hobson/Ohinerau and other notable trees around the CBD. Overall though, the work that Auckland has done on this has been effective in containing it to Auckland and preventing its spread further south.
 

Improving water quality in Ōkahu Bay
 

For years Okahu Bay has varying levels of poor water quality. One of the contributing factors has been aged ‘below the ground’ infrastructure from some of our ‘older suburbs.’ In December last year Council’s Healthy Waters team began a project to separate the combined stormwater and wastewater systems in the area, which will reduce the overflows into Ōkahu Bay that are the main cause of water quality issues.
 
In the 5 months that the project has been going, 792 private property drainage inspections have been undertaken to determine whether their stormwater and wastewater drainage systems were separated as mapping Council held was very old.
 
The number of private properties still with combined stormwater and wastewater drainage systems was higher than we anticipated.  Design consultants are currently working on the separation works which is expected to take until the of the year. Some properties, where the status is yet to be determined will require further site investigations. 
 
I’m excited that this Council is finally beginning a process that will both improve water quality in Okahu Bay and deliver quality stormwater and wastewater infrastructure for Orakei. With Okahu Bay becoming a highly used water sports and recreational destination, the urgency is even greater so the progress the Healthy Waters project team are making is encouraging.
 

Got a dog?

I received a request from a young constituent which I’d be interested in your feedback on. Please have a look at the video and let me know your thoughts Desley.simpson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

 
All pet owners maybe interested in the fact that Auckland Council have asked Auckland Transport to look at rules that would allow pets on public transport. Wellington City Council gave the go ahead earlier this year and those of you who travel know its common in many European cities. We are expecting feedback from Auckland Transport later in the year.
 

Finally...

Finally once again I urge you to have your say on the Regional Fuel Tax. Consultation Closes Monday May 14 at 5:00pm. www.akhaveyoursay.nz


 

STORM DAMAGE AND PREPARADNESS

To those who have recently experienced powercuts  and storm damage, my thoughts are with you.

Auckland experienced hurricane windgusts of up to 140km/h in the city which peaked at 213 km/h at Manukau heads on Tuesday night. At the storms peak 182,000 properties were without power as Vector experienced extensive damage to its network.

My own home was without power for a few hours, had roof damage and ended up with outdoor furniture we didn’t own. However this was significantly better than many parts of Auckland who  over 36 hours later are still without power and hot water.

Tonight  we are set for more bad weather. Please check on neighbours and loved ones. Ensure you are well stocked with batteries, candles, have access to a radio and secure all outdoor furniture.  For those who cannot call on family or friends for help, they can contact Auckland Emergency Management on 0800222200 for advice and assistance

If your life is at risk please phone 111

Many people think power outages is Auckland Councils responsibility but power to homes and businesses is the responsibility of Vector. They have had over 100 crew out throughout the region working 24 hours to restore power and fix damage and even called in others from outside the region to assist. I’m sure you along with me thank them for the efforts. However, there are a number of questions I’ll be following up with Vector as we seem to be having ‘power losses’ more frequently. Questions include -What is the main reason for the outages? Trees v power lines or aged infrastructure? What is the strategy for undergrounding powerlines and what is your reasoning behind prioritisation of locations. Why did your website and mobile app fail during this time of ‘crisis’ for many Aucklanders? I’ll keep you posted re their response.

 Council call volumes, with requests to respond to downed trees or issues relating to the storm, have returned to normal ‘business as usual’ levels. Council has had three crews of arborists out removing felled trees throughout the storm response. Arborists and maintenance teams will continue to work on clean-up over the next few days.

Public transport services have returned to normal, however power outages are affecting lighting at some train stations and some traffic signals. Generator power is in place where possible.

Power outage tips

·         Throw away any frozen food that has been exposed to temperatures above 4°C for two hours or more or that has an unusual odour, colour or texture. When in doubt, throw it out.

·         If food in the freezer is colder than 4°C and has ice crystals on it, you can refreeze it.

·         Contact your GP if you’re concerned about medications having spoiled.

·         Restock your emergency kit with fresh batteries, canned foods and other supplies.

·         Households that require power to pump water from tanks or to operate septic systems may need special assistance.

·         Conserve your hot water.

I do hope tonight isn’t too bad as we weather the storm together

Kind regards

Desley

Final Chance to Have Your Say

Dear Readers, 

This will be my last newsletter on the Long Term Budget before feedback closes on Wednesday 28th March.

I am extremely sad to advise that as of last Thursday only 304 people have responded from the Orakei Ward. I strongly urge you to have your say. I will listen and promise my vote will reflect your feedback.

As you will be aware I’ve covered information on  general rates and the UAGC, the proposed new Water Quality rate and the proposed new targeted rate for Natural Environment based on capital values,  the mayors proposed fuel tax along with funding issues for the Auckland Art Gallery, new charges for rubbish collection, funding for Ohinerau ( Mt Hobson) and  Mt Wellington, Managing pests on Parks ( rats, stoats, possums, pigs and  cats) ,Adding more Community Recycling Centres, Heritage funding and investment ( or lack of) in Sport and Recreation.
 
This newsletter I’m going to cover

1. The proposal to get rid of Auckland Council Investment Limited
2. Increase in Water charges from Watercare
3. Debt
4. Staff numbers
5. CCO Accountability

 - Desley Simpson
Councillor for Auckland representing the Orakei Ward

Proposal To Disestablish Auckland Council Investment Limited

Auckland Council is asking for feedback on a proposal to disestablish Auckland Council Investments Limited (ACIL). This is a Council Controlled Organisation that was set up at amalgamation to act as an arms- length entity managing Auckland Council’s significant investment portfolio away from the political arena and return a dividend to Council. Currently it has just two major investments: a 100% shareholding in the Ports of Auckland Limited (POAL) and a 22.3% shareholding in Auckland International Airport Limited (AIAL). Together these shareholdings return about $86m to the Council per year. ACIL costs just over $1m per year to operate.

The option to disestablish ACIL and absorb it into the Council Parent would likely save between $500,000 and $800,000 in expenses per year and could have some benefits to POAL through use of shared services. On the other side, there is the potential that this makes the long term commercial objectives of POAL more likely to be affected by political decision making and a risk is that this undermines the profitability (and therefore the dividend returned by) the company. Is this worth it for a savings of $500k -$800k per year?  With disestablishment of ACIL, the Airport and Ports of Auckland shares get transferred to Council and politicians . Do you think that’s a good idea? Have your say as part of the Long Term Plan consultation before 28 March www.akhaveyoursay.nz #akhaveyoursay

WATER CHARGES and WASTE WATER CHARGES set by Watercare

In Council we talk about Three Waters, being water supply (tap water), waste water and storm water. Watercare Limited is a Council Controlled Organization that was set up under the Auckland Council legislation and it is responsible for water supply and wastewater. Unlike other CCO’s it doesn’t receive Council funding and has a very clear mandate to ensure that water costs are kept to a minimum practicable while maintaining their assets and provision of water and wastewater services. This also includes that they may not return any kind of profit or dividend to the Council. This means that 100% of their revenue is either used to fund their operations or invested back into their assets.

Based on their asset management and investment plans, Watercare are projecting an annual increase of 2.5% for Water charges and 3.3% for Waste Water charges over the course of the Long Term Plan, as signaled by their Statement of Intent and included in the LTP consultation document. Ultimately, the Board of WaterCare Limited are responsible for approving their charges but we are asking what you think? #akhaveyoursay

One of the headlines from this LTP consultation is the proposal to include a Water Quality Targeted Rate to improve the health of our harbours. That rate reflects the part of the work that the Council parent would have in resolving the issues but does not account for the total $856m cost of the work.The programme envisages that $404m of the total spend will be funded by Watercare Limited through their user charges. This is expenditure that Watercare had already factored in and isn’t directly driving their proposed increases.

Debt

Council’s debt figures are without a doubt, eye wateringly large – $9b in borrowings for the council group now and projected to rise to $12.6b by 2028. Price Waterhouse Coopers were asked to provide an independent opinion on Councils debt raising strategy. I quote from their written opinion presented to our  February Finance and Performance Committee which says  “We believe Councils funding strategy and use of off shore debt markets is a consistent, prudent and efficient means of satisfying the above underlying statutory objectives to future proof Councils ability to access long term funding and in ensuring liquidity capacity” So, whilst I appreciate that these numbers can be mind boggling initially, they do in fact represent prudent financial practice.



One also needs to understand is that Council only funds capital projects through debt and this means that the cost of the asset can be paid off over the lifetime of the asset. This helps to manage the cost of Auckland’s infrastructure across the generations that will benefit from it. The cost of debt (repayments/interest) is funded through operational expenditure, as is the depreciation of those assets.

Credit rating agency Standard & Poors, consistently gives Auckland Council an AA rating. This is very good, second only to central government and higher than any other Council in New Zealand. When calculating the rating, they also look at Auckland Council’s ability to service their debt. This means that they focus on the ratio between the revenue that Council receives and the debt level that it has. We are very aware of this as we are creeping up towards our limit. It’s important to ensure that we do not get too close as that would potentially downgrade our AA rating. A downgrade is a lose-lose situation for Council as the interest payments on our debt would increase significantly as a result of that.

Auckland is gaining nearly 50,000 people each year. On top of that, thanks to the unitary plan, adding new greenfield urban development 1.5x times the size of Hamilton over the next 30 years. Those figures challenge us to deliver on new infrastructure above and below the ground to meet that need as well as servicing that which we currently have.

 

Staff

I have written previously about the council’s staffing levels when the staff numbers were announced through the Council’s Annual Report last September.

That report had shown that more money had been spent on staffing across the council group than budgeted and while there were various reasons given for this, I raised concerns that budgets once set, should be adhered to. As a result, the Auckland Council CEO’s performance objectives now include ‘ensuring that the Council (parent) keeps to the salaries and wages budget.’ – watch this space ….

While staff numbers have historically increased, and this LTP draft budget is no different,  increase does occur against a backdrop of very significant population growth which puts pressure on Council’s services; particularly in areas such as Resource Consents where a busy construction industry may require additional Council staff resource to keep pace. Plotting the number of council staff against the population growth in Auckland shows that since 2014 the number of staff per 1000 Aucklanders has been reducing slightly each year for both the council parent and the wider council group.

Ultimately, the concern with Council staff numbers is one of concern that public money is being used to the best effect. The Value For Money programme (Section 17A Reviews) is a great vehicle to identify where and how council can improve its practice and use rates money to the best effect, whether it is by removal of duplication or through ensuring Council is up to international best practice standards across its many functions. The mayor last week officially asked me to work alongside him to ensure deliver value for money in everything we do. As you can appreciate this is huge job, but a challenge I am up for.

CCO Accountability

CCO’s are accountable to the Council, which agree the objectives and targets for each CCO and monitor their performance. The Council is required to have a policy on the accountability of its CCO’s and during this LTP we are looking at tightening up that policy. The policy includes expectations such as providing value for money, managing risk appropriately, building a group approach to achieve outcomes for Aucklanders and assisting to build trust and confidence in the Council group.

Do you agree these are common expectations that all CCO’s should meet?

And a final plug from me to you, your family, friends and neighbours to look and see how the suggestions will impact your rates bill, your community and Auckland.
 

Please take a few minutes to HAVE YOUR SAY at akhaveyoursay.nz #akhaveyoursay

I’ll listen.

SECOND MARCH NEWSLETTER

 

Dear Readers, 

As there is much to discuss as part of Councils ten year budget, I’m sending you a second newsletter this month to update you on more subjects we are consulting on.

Last week I covered general rates and the UAGC, the proposed new Water Quality rate and the proposed new targeted rate for Natural Environment, the mayors fuel tax along with funding issues for the Auckland Art Gallery and new charges for rubbish collection.

This newsletter will cover- Funding for Remuera’s Ohinerau (Mt Hobson), managing pests, adding more community recycling centres, heritage focus and funding and sport and recreational funding.

 - Desley Simpson
Councillor for Auckland representing the Orakei Ward
 

Funding for Ohinerau (Mt Hobson) and Mt Wellington

Fourteen of Auckland’s distinctive Volcanic Cones are managed by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority. This authority was set up by the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Act 2014 and its membership includes representatives of iwi and Auckland Council who manage the maunga   (mountains) for the common benefit of iwi and all Aucklanders. Their plan for the maunga is being consulted upon as part of the Long Term Plan.

Although we have several maunga (mountains)  nearby, Ōhinerau/Mt Hobson is the only maunga within the Orakei Ward administered by the authority and I think this treasured landmark is worthy of a specific mention. The plan includes an increase in operational expenditure next year, primarily in pest and vegetation management, with capital works including enhancements to the track network and signage coming over the next three years.

Do you agree Ohinerau/Mt Hobson needs designated funding for Pest and vegetation management, track enhancements and upgraded signage?

Managing pests in Auckland (rats, stoats, possums, pigs and cats)

The Regional Pest Management Plan is another area where council wants to know what you think this month. This plan is to replace the previous plan that dates all the way back before the creation of Auckland Council. The plan is a mix of regulatory rules (e.g. what species are controlled and to what level) and proposing works to maintain and improve Auckland’s ecosystems. The activities suggested would be funded in part through the proposed Natural Environment targeted rate and the total work programme will depend on the funds made available through the long term plan.

A part of the plan which has attracted early attention is that it clarifies when and where cats are considered a pest cat vs a pet cat. It is proposed that Cat control will only occur around certain high ecological value sites where other pest animals are also being controlled e.g. Shakespear Regional Park. None of these sites are in Orakei or on the urban isthmus. Affected communities will be notified well in advance of any action being taken, and ensuring cats are microchipped will prevent any moggies from being mistaken for feral.

Do you think this will work and is the right thing to do?

So what else is changing? This iteration adds 11 new animal pests and 55 new plant pests to the list of controlled species. Several of the new species are currently sold by the pet or nursery industry, however gardeners and pet owners will still be able to retain existing plants or pets that they already have just won’t be able to purchase new individuals of the banned species.

Examples of animals proposed to be listed as a new pest species are bearded and eastern water dragons which have previously been allowed as pets.

Examples of a new plant species included in the proposal as pests are short-form agapanthus (with some exceptions for low fertility cultivars) and several species of bamboo.

Particular priority in this plan goes to preventing the spread of Kauri dieback, particularly to Hauraki Gulf Islands and the Hunua Ranges and eradication of pests on gulf islands.

Find the full proposed plan here

Find the feedback form  here
 

Adding more Community Recycling Centres

Auckland’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP) is a refresh of the 2012 plan which set a vision for “Zero waste by 2040”. While some progress has been made: household waste dropped 10% from 2010-2016, there is a long way to go and other sectors of waste are increasing (especially construction and demolition waste).

One of the proposals is to increase the number of Community Recycling Centres to twelve – currently there are 5, in Whangaparaoa, Helensville, Devonport, Waitakere and Waiuku. The centres are Council owned and run by community enterprise, turning unwanted goods into saleable items. So far, these centres are reportedly effective in diverting waste from landfill (exceeding expectations by diverting more than 60% of materials received away from landfill). The network at present has noticeable gaps particularly in central and south Auckland which would be covered by new facilities, for example at Western Springs and Mt Wellington/Panmure.

What do you think about expanding the network? Do you think you’d find it useful?

You can read more here and have your say here.
 

Heritage funding

Auckland Councils first Auckland Plan had 14 pages designated to Heritage. The draft Auckland Plan has none, not mentioned at all. To those keen on built heritage and the many heritage groups we have, this is very concerning. Staff say that while heritage is no longer given the status as a separate chapter in the plan, it is something that underpins other objectives such as creating/maintaining a sense of belonging and identity for Auckland. This iteration of the Auckland Plan has focused on narrowing the number of priorities so that the plan is more focussed.  While the Auckland Plan is not a funding or regulatory document, it sets the direction for Council’s work.

One example of Council’s work in this area is the grants programme, where landowners who have heritage homes are able to apply to the Council’s Regional Historic Heritage Grant to assist with maintaining their heritage buildings for the future with activities such as seismic strengthening. The size of this fund has been $80,700 for the past few years and change to this is not proposed at this point. In addition, the 21 Local Boards have funded heritage work from their contestable grants to the value of $86,927 between them in the past year.

Historic buildings owned and maintained by council in the Orakei Ward include the Remuera Library and the St Heliers Library. Funding for their maintenance and upkeep whilst regionally based comes through the OLB. I do know that the full cost of work proposed for the St Heliers library is unable to be funded from existing budgets.

What do you think, does council spend enough on heritage? Is it something that the Auckland Plan should explicitly deal with, or is it best placed as something that supports other priorities?
 

Sport and Recreation

The Parks and Community Budget covers a wide range of council facilities including parks, community halls and public spaces. Whilst the LTP shows that the Parks and Community area has a 10 year Capital budget of $3.2 billion (an increase of $800 million compared to the previous LTP), I have heard concerns from the sporting sector that this may be insufficient investment into sport and recreation. This is concerning. Not only do facilities need to be upgraded and maintained to ensure their longevity, but new facilities are required to address the current shortfall and the rapid growth in Auckland’s population – these needs are applicable to both indoor and outdoor spaces.

If there is inadequate investment in sport, recreation and physical activity in Auckland risks driving participation rates down. Physical inactivity cost New Zealand’s health care system over $200 million in 2013. 32% of New Zealand children are expected to be overweight or obese by 2025, with 21% of 4-year-old children in Auckland already overweight or obese.

Furthermore, the availability of spaces and facilities is already failing to meet demand in certain areas. Known, current, and well-researched regional facility plans prepared by sports codes demonstrate current, short-, and medium- term shortfalls in facility provision, including gaps of approximately 30 indoor courts 70 outdoor netball courts and 40 outdoor tennis courts; as well as winter sports fields shortfall in hours the equivalent of circa 50 artificial turfs.

Without sufficient investment, our current and future community sport and recreation spaces are further compromised. This means our growing, increasingly diverse population won’t have adequate access to suitable infrastructure to participate in physical activity – whether it’s a competitive rugby match, social tennis or sports events. Even with the increase in funding for renewals indicated in the draft LTP, Council has acknowledged that there will be a decreased level of service, deteriorating assets, and risk of failure and asset closure.

Having invested so much of my efforts to upgrade Madills Farm, Colin Maiden Park, Ngahue Reserve, Michaels Ave and Glover Park during my time as Orakei Local Board chair, I would like to see this investment continue so all codes were catered for to meet current and future demands. Do you agree?  Tell us what you think.
 

Have Your Say

Remember you can Have your say at akhaveyoursay.nz -  feedback is due on or before March 28.

March Newsletter

Dear Readers, 

It’s been a busy start to the year with Council lodging resource consent for the Americas Cup Village and preparing consultation material to ask Aucklanders their thoughts on how rates should be set and spent for the next ten years. Whilst we ask you to think ten years out, the reality is the first three years are the most crucial, as by law, the ten year process needs to be repeated every political term (3 years). The suggestions are not all supported by me personally but my vote will reflect your feedback.
The consultation covers a very wide range of topics and proposals. The 4 main ones I’ll cover in this newsletter are:

1. General rates rise and the UAGC amount
2. New targeted rates proposed and funding mechanisms for these
3. The proposed Fuel tax, and
4.  the Orakei Local Board’s main project.

I’d also like to touch on:

1. Revaluations

1. Other consultation items and opportunities to Have Your Say!

 - Desley Simpson
Councillor for Auckland representing the Orakei Ward
 

General Rates and UAGC

Broadly speaking, Council’s draft proposal seeks to constrain the general residential rate increases that fund the bulk of Council’s investment and activity, to 2.5% for years 1 and 2. The plan looks to increase this to 3.5% for following years. The UAGC (Uniform Annual General Charge) is also set to rise 2.5% to $414 for 2017/18 and another 2.5% in 2018/19. Again the plan looks to increase this to 3.5% for following years. This will be the highest UAGC Auckland Council has ever had. Remember this is ‘good’ for our ward on the whole, as the higher the UAGC, the lower the proportion of rates that is calculated on your property’s capital value, noting Orakei is the highest residential ratepaying ward in Auckland. Do you agree with the proposed UAGC and rates rise?

Business rates-
The draft proposal proposes to resume the “Long Term Differential Strategy” which incrementally lowers the proportion of rates paid by business ratepayers. Currently business pays 32.7% of general rates and this would be gradually lowered to 25.8% over twenty years. This is done gradually so that the effect on residential ratepayers is not more than a 0.5% increase in any given year. As a Business ratepayer (or residential ratepayer) do you agree?

New Targeted rates based on capital value of your property

The suggestion in the draft plan is also to add options for additional targeted rates to increase council spend in areas where Council has a great need, namely - Water Quality, and our Natural Environment.

Water Quality Targeted Rate

In my opinion, it is unacceptable that in a city such as ours, that we still have sewage overflowing at times into our harbours. Sadly, past investment in water infrastructure has struggled to match the growth our region has faced. The Water Quality Targeted rate proposal suggests raising and using this additional funding, to specifically reduce the amount of wastewater overflows. Orakei Ward currently has 11 points where overflows can enter Hobson Bay, 8 overflows entering Okahu Bay and 22 entering the Orakei Basin.  Safeswim (the updated website identifying beaches safe for swimming and free from sewage discharge) has shown that in January this year, St Heliers Beach and Okahu Bay registered water quality, below the National Guidelines over 23% of the time.  Mission Bay and Kohimarama registered below guidelines 16% of the time. All beaches had additional rates of between 3-6% of ‘risks to people with lower immunities such as the elderly’. The Water Quality Targeted rate proposal suggests raising and using this additional funding to specifically reduce the amount of wastewater overflows. Whilst consultation documentation talks about the extra rate as being on average $66 per year, this would vary based on your homes capital value.  (I lost my recommendation on votes around the Town Hall table to have this as a set charge). Do you agree with this extra targeted rate to specifically clean up our beaches and waterways?

Natural Environment Targeted Rate

Council has also been recently faced with some major environmental challenges such as Kauri Dieback disease and introduced pest species. On top of that, Auckland has the sad label of being the ‘world’s weediest city’ because of our high number of invasive plant species. Late last year a number of cases of Myrtle Rust were found on Pohutukawa. Myrtle Rust is a fungal disease which targets related species such as Pohutukawa and Manuka. Data shows more cases of this disease were found in Remuera than any other part of Auckland. Myrtle rust is being addressed by the Ministry of Primary Industries ( MPI)  but Council needs to play its part too.

Ratepayers and residents are being asked whether they wish to contribute to specifically targeting the reduction of Kauri Dieback along with rural possum control and plant and animal pest eradication on the Gulf Islands with a Natural Environment targeted rate calculated based on the capital value of their property. Consultation material will offer you three options; not to invest further into initiatives to protect the Natural Environment, a small targeted rate that would fund a limited suite of initiatives (gathering an extra $136m over 10 years) or a larger rate with a fuller range of activities (gathering an extra $311m over 10 years). Do you think we should keep doing what we do within budget, or pay more through a targeted rate?

Regional Fuel Tax

The mayor is also asking Aucklanders to also consider a Regional Fuel Tax. Unlike the other two suggested targeted rates, it’s not yet clear exactly what projects this tax would fund. Transport has a number of masters. Obviously Auckland Transport is given budget to deliver transport infrastructure and solutions in Auckland, but for large transport projects Council often shares the spend with central government. A good local example, is the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive shared path. You will remember that following lobbying to the MP for Tamaki Simon O’Connor from the then Orakei Local Board based on community feedback, this project was agreed to be funded by both central government and then following that, Council. We are currently waiting for the new government to confirm their transport policy and at time of writing this hasn’t been completed. However due to the good work done with the previous government, we do know that Auckland faces at least a $5.9 billion shortfall in transport spending. To confuse things even more, every residential ratepayer currently pays $113.85 per annum as an extra transport cost. This was instituted in 2015 by the Len Brown Council as a flat charge to all properties as a stop gap funding measure until a new transport revenue source was identified. The proposal now is to replace that set levy with a Regional Fuel Tax of $0.10 plus GST ($0.115c) litre of fuel (diesel and petrol) to help fund the shortfall. I am still waiting to hear if this would release funding for local projects or specifically be allocated to fund any transport projects to benefit our Ward.

What do you think about paying extra through a fuel tax to assist funding transport for our region? ( noting we don’t know what for as yet)
 

Orakei Local Board Initiative

The Orakei Local Board has chosen as their number one initiative, the popular north south connection to the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive shared path at Gowing Drive. In the past, even though the Orakei Local Board have put up projects well supported by our community, they have been unfunded due to a lost vote around the Town Hall table. I’m hoping to change that.

But I need to know if you support this.

Re-Valuation of your home

You will remember that independent revaluation of all Auckland properties was done in November last year. Whilst we all know Auckland is expensive, overall revaluation showed that the value of Auckland’s real estate had increased by a whopping 46% since valuations were last done in 2014! Some properties in the Orakei ward increased significantly more than the overall average of 46% and others less. This means that unlike last year’s clear 2.5% rates increase, the change you see on your rates bill for the year beginning July 2018, will probably not match the 2.5% - some will be higher, and some will be lower. Not everyone likes a high property valuation as obviously it’s the capital value of your home which influences how much you pay in rates.
 
By way of average figures for our ward, sadly revaluation will mean 304 properties will receive a rates rise over 40% before you even start adding the extra proposed rates, 15,511 properties over 2.5%. There is good news for some though, 10,409 properties will have a rates reduction on last year.
 
To check what YOUR rates will look like with all that’s proposed please follow this link and put in your address. You will see the rates you currently pay, the increase or decrease proposed and then what the extra targeted rates will do to your bill.
 
If you have any questions or queries, please contact me.
 

Other consultation items and opportunities to have your say!

Extra funding for the Auckland Art Gallery

In 2005 Auckland Art Gallery received $6.4M of operational funding. You will remember the Art Gallery closed for extensive renovation and extension and reopened in 2011 with an operational funding budget of $9.2M. previous Council regimes have then annually reduced the budget for the Gallery down to $6.9M, very close to what it was 13 years ago even though the Art Gallery has 50% more exhibition space and 80% more public event space. After some lobbying (and yes, I was one) the Mayor is now suggesting an extra $2M per year additional funding as part of the ten year budget. This is not guaranteed at all. In fact it’s still not even in the draft budget for consultation. So if you agree the art gallery needs more funding you will need to specifically say so in your submission. If you don’t agree the Art Gallery needs more funding, is not so necessary to mention it- it’s not in the current draft.

Charging more for your rubbish collection

Also coming in the plan are some changes to the way that council’s rubbish collection works. These changes don’t start to affect Orakei until next financial year, but they are worth knowing about and having your say on them. We currently pay for refuse and recycling collection through fixed rates that are the same for every property: $ 117 for your red bin and base rate of $102 for your blue recycling bin and inorganic collection. From next year the proposal is to give you a third bin just for food waste. This would be compulsory and add $67 extra per year to your bill. The theory behind this separate food waste collection is that it would greatly reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfills. Your red bin would be collected only when you put it out and you would be charged $3.80 every time you did or that. Currently you pay $219 per year through your rates for these services and under this proposal you would pay an estimated $264 per year from 2020/21 (through rates and user charges), with an added bin for food waste collection. Do you support this?
 

Get involved.

Complete information on all the budget issues is available on the council website including what the various proposals (if agreed on) would mean for your property’s rates bill. Information will also be at your local library and through your local Residents Association. My main request to you, is to please take some time and be part of the discussion and let me know what you think. My vote will reflect your feedback.
 
There will be a public meeting at St Chad’s Church and Community Centre March 15th at 7pm if you want to discuss the above issues specifically with me, as well as a drop in session at:

• Eastridge Shopping Centre 10 March, 1:00pm-3:00pm.

Submissions opened February 28 and close on 28 March. See The Auckland Council website for full information.

Remember, I am always available to listen and look forward to seeing you at an event or reading your submission.