Pōwhiri for Paul Brobbel

Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming Paul Brobbel, the new Director of UXBRIDGE Arts & Culture, onto O Wairoa Marae -Te Whare Wānanga O Wairoa.

Having had my own pōwhiri last year, it was a privilege to be part of this beautiful ceremony for Paul, welcoming him to the whānau. This was followed by kōrero, kai and waiata - all genuine, heartfelt and honest experiences. True manaakitanga in action.

You can learn more about Paul’s journey to UXBRIDGE in this Times article.

Low voter turnout symptom of wider engagement issue

“I think that’s just a characteristic of how our local government systems work rather than a symptom. I think it’s wrong to blame the eligible population of voters for not coming out to vote, because the way we frame and communicate local government has simply not translated effectively to voter turnout.”

-Sanat Singh, ‘Where are Auckland’s voters?’ Newsroom 6 Oct 2022

Every local government election there is a discussion about low voter turnout, yet every election seems to get worse. I agree with Sanat - people don't vote because they don't connect with council.

Absolutely elections are part of the problem - I’ve talked about how postal voting is clunky and we need to modernise the process. But we also need council to connect everyday with the people it's meant to be providing for - outdated consultation processes, poor online presence and dated language contribute to disengagement.

Council is too focused on process, rather than outcome. This creates barriers to engagement, like overly formal public meetings that put off most people and provide little to those that make the effort. I’ve seen numerous groups and individuals speak at the Local Board meetings, expecting to have a discussion about the issues but the rules prohibit a proper conversation.

Consultations rely heavily on people reading dense PDF documents that still only provide some of the details. Submission forms are either too short and restrict responses, or too complex and cumbersome. Auckland Council has pivoted to online webinars in the past few years, but in my experience we still don’t get the answers to our questions and the format doesn’t suit everyone.

Even in daily interactions council is challenging. I've helped community groups navigate the bureaucracy to find the right person to talk to - it’s rewarding when it works, but it shouldn't be this hard. You shouldn’t need to be an expert in council structure, policy and process to get support.

When I've been out talking to locals about the election, most don't understand even the most basic structure of council. I spend most of my time explaining what council is, how it operates and who does what. In Auckland, this isn't helped by the complexities created by legislation but we could do more to communicate this clearly and in a way that's relatable.

In my experience, engagement is about communication - people want to feel informed and heard. Proper two-way communication, where ideas are conveyed and questions are answered in fit-for-purpose settings. A one size fits all approach will never work - public meetings during the day are great for some people, but not everyone; the same can be said for evening online sessions - different demographics need different approaches.

We have to improve how. where and to who council communicates. Otherwise, we'll never address voter turnout.

My practical suggestions that I will pursue if elected:

• Continuing to be available in the community to hear concerns and communicate decisions. Regular informal sessions across the ward where people can drop in and chat, as well as more formal opportunities.

• Ensure that council communication and consultations are done in ways that are relevant and accessible to all people. Not just multilingual, but also multi-format recognising that people consume information in different ways.

• Reduce the bureaucracy community organisations are forced to navigate through for funding and other council support, shifting the focus to enabling the community.

• Revamp of council website to provide richer information in an easy and accessible manner.

• Continuing to communicate council consultations and decisions as it relates to East Auckland using easy to understand language that identifies the key issues. Look to expand the distribution of this information (potentially through local media).

Flat Bush deserves the Library and Community Centre it’s been promised for almost two decades

The Flat Bush and Ormiston area has numerous schools and is anticipated to have a population of 40,000 by 2025, yet it has no community facilities or library. Just last week I was at a community event in Flat Bush where locals were asking when the facility was going to be delivered. Residents are understandably upset at waiting so long for a facility that still has no firm timeline. They want to know when they will get the facility that their growing community so desperately needs.

Community facilities were meant to be opened at the same time as the Ormiston Town Centre, but when the ribbons were cut on the retail centre in March 2021, there was no sign of the library or community centre. Promised back in 2005 by the former Manukau City Council and then by the current Auckland Council, locals were asked for input in 2012 and again in 2017.

Over nearly two decades hundreds of locals have provided their feedback that they need this facility. What they want now is action, not more talk or empty promises. Facilities like this are more than just buildings with books - they’re the heart of communities, providing meeting spaces and support for community services and organisations.”

This election has highlighted the impact the lack of facilities has on engagement - there is no location in Flat Bush for residents to drop off their voting papers, with the nearest collection points in Botany and Otara.

The Howick Local Board have been strong advocates for this project making it their One Local Initiative, but Auckland Council has failed to provide the funding or support to address the community's need.

The project was apparently delayed as a result of the dreadful 2020 Emergency Budget when council’s financial mismanagement caught up with them. But if this project was ever going to meet its deadline of 2021 it needed to be much further along by then, which begs the question if council had any idea where this project was at.

Again in 2022 councillors voted to defer the project as part of the adoption of the Annual Budget. Neither incumbent Howick Ward councillors voted against the motion or bothered to note their objection to the further delay. There has been no communication of this to the community and the timeline remains unclear.

Auckland Council have said that work is due to recommence in 2024 but given the financial situation it’s likely that it will need to be delayed again unless we get representatives who will fight for East Auckland.

If elected, I will fight to get this project delivered sooner and ensure that the timeline is communicated to the community.

Flat Bush has waited long enough - voting papers will be received soon which is the opportunity to vote for change.

East Auckland deserves good councillors who will get things done

"Good councillors know how to work with others to get things done. Others just watch from the sidelines and complain."

- Simon Wilson, NZ Herald Tuesday 13 September 2022

Fortyfoot Park (like Aberfeldy) and other reserves are being sold by Auckland Council in an effort to claw back their massive deficits. I remain opposed to this - selling community assets like parks to cover poor financial management is short sighted and fails to address the root causes of waste and misspending.

In the NZ Herald on Tuesday 13 September there was a good column by Simon Wilson titled ‘What a park in Pakuranga tells us about Auckland Council’ that gets to the core of the issue - ineffective councillors.

Despite her recent opposition to the sales, Sharon Stewart voted for the $224m "asset recycling" programme in 2020 knowing that Fortyfoot Lane was on the list. This was despite the Howick Local Board and other locals (me included) asking council to not sell our parks. Parks, plural - on the potential target list were 14 properties in Howick, including Fortyfoot Lane, Aberfeldy Avenue and Golflands Drive (since saved from sale).

Stewart waited till the last minute to change sides, but it was far too late to change anything.

This is a sad reminder that decisions made by councillors have real impacts on our community. There’s been a lot of focus on the mayoral candidates which I can understand, but we must not forget that the councillors vote on the plans, policies and budgets. There are 20 councillors for Auckland, 2 for East Auckland - who these people are and what they do matters.

The repercussions of 2020 Emergency Budget are still being felt - record debt, service cuts & asset sales continue to deprive Auckland. The Eastern Busway was delayed as was the Flat Bush Library and Community Centre - when I queried these at council consultation events and via our councillors, I got vague responses that failed to address the concerns. We got a public statement from the Mayor that the cuts wouldn’t effect the Eastern Busway, which made no logical sense and turned out to be wrong.

Maybe our councillors felt that there was good justification for voting for this but they’ve never explained themselves.

East Auckland has been poorly served for too long by councillors who don't understand the impact of their decisions. Councillors who are unable or unwilling to communicate with the people they’re meant to represent. Councillors who are quick to complain but slow to offer alternatives.

It's time for change.

If elected I will continue to analyse the potential impacts of every council vote in order to make the best, well informed decisions. I will continue to listen to the community, to understand the views of the people I represent and advocate with determination and passion. I will continue to communicate the impact of the decisions that are made, even if I disagree with them or they’re bad news. I will continue to hold our elected representatives and council staff to account for the decisions they make and they ones they won’t. I will continue to work collaboratively with council and community to achieve the best outcomes for Auckland.

If not elected, I’ll continue to do this anyway, because I love my city and my community. We deserve better and I won’t stop fighting till we get it.

Embracing our diversity is good for democracy

Last Friday the Korean Positive Ageing Charitable Trust hosted a local election workshop designed especially to help voters understand elections. Attendees were given an explanation of what local government is responsible for and role of elected members before candidates spoke.

It was great to spend the afternoon talking real practical issues with locals and learning more about our diverse community.

We have a lot more work to do to make our city and democracy more accessible to those less fluent in English. It's challenging enough without extra barriers.

As part my efforts, I'm continuing to try get my website translated into more languages (currently available in English, Te Reo Māori, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese).

Good news is there are translated election related resources available online through Council.

Auckland's outdated election system hurts our democracy

The chief executive of Auckland Council will be sleeping easier after being relieved of one item on his contractual list of “must-dos”.

Jim Stabback no longer holds the responsibility of lifting voter turnout in the October 8 elections by more than 3%, from a dire record-low of 35.2% in 2019.

Councillors struck-off that requirement from a list of performance yardsticks that Stabback must meet over the coming year, though avoided stating the obvious – that maybe they should carry that burden.

- Who shoulders the burden of lifting Aucklanders' voting habits? Stuff 2 August 2022

Leaving oversight of elections to those the current, flawed system put into power is significant conflict of interest. Out sourcing the operations to commercial businesses is hardly better.

Local government elections for councils should be managed by very capable and independent Electoral Commission. They run the central government elections for parliament extremely well and could easily take over council elections. They’ve proven that they’re capable of moving with the times, unlike Auckland Council.

Instead of modernising our voting to the more democratic STV (Single Transferable Vote) system that ensures that your views are considered, Auckland's elected representatives continue to support the archaic FPP (First Past the Post) system that the public stopped Parliament from using in the 90s. Why have councillors kept the same, out dated system? Because it works for them.

We've known since before the super city that voting in local elections has been declining. We've know for over a decade that postal voting is becoming less practical. We've known for long enough that most Aucklanders don't understand council or why their vote matters.

But our councillors and mayor have sat on their hands, done nothing. Democracy isn't just voting in elections, but turnout is good indication of public's faith in the system. Will modernising our voting fix everything? No, but it would be sign to the public that their views matter.

STV isn't radical, it's used by councils across NZ. Dunedin, Hamilton, Wellington, New Plymouth, Nelson and Gisborne to name a few. Auckland's outdated voting system is bad for democracy.

It has to change.

If elected I will do everything to ensure it does so your voice is heard.

Auckland Council's ineffective governance of CCOs

Auckland's Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) account for 2/3 of the services provided to the public, control 2/3 of councils assets and make up half the operational budget.

Considering the massive impact they have on our daily lives, you'd imagine that they would be a top priority for Council. But in reality "council’s many plans, policies and strategies offer almost no practical strategic direction to CCOs."

In fact "in some crucial areas – such as water, property and arts and culture – there is no strategy at all." Perhaps caused by "a lack of commitment by some councillors" and the "insufficient face-to-face discussion and meaningful dialogue between CCOs and the governing body".

Those aren't my words (although I agree with them wholeheartedly) - these quotes come from the CCO Review that recently found that the "council’s governance of, and liaison with, CCOs is not working as it should". This is no surprise to Aucklanders who have to live with the erratic performance of these organisations, battling between silos and getting very little in response. And it's not just us, with CCOs "not sufficiently responsive to local boards’ concerns".

Yesterday Auckland Council formally adopted all of the 64 recommendations from the review. Of those, 25 are to be progressed over the next 6 months while the others will be worked through with the CCOs and local boards. This is undeniably great news and is a significant step forward.

How much actually changes, only time will tell. But when you look through the recommendations, it's disappointing to see that there are clearly significant gaps in basic governance and accountability.

This isn't a dig at the recommendations - they're solid. But it shouldn't take public outcry and a costly external review to agree that "quarterly meetings of council and CCO executive leadership teams have a formal agenda". That's basic business practice not followed and it gets worse as the review goes on.

Auckland Transport and Watercare are constantly criticised for their maintenance and lack of planning, yet only now will they "submit their asset management plans and detailed supporting information to the council every year so it can assess how well the plans give effect to its urban growth strategy." It's no wonder that our infrastructure isn't coping with our rapid growth, despite all the election promises we heard.

At the risk of sound like a stuck record, Auckland Council lacks proper governance and oversight. Many of the councillors elected have little to no business experience, yet they're responsible for one of the largest budgets in the country (second only to central government). Perhaps this review will be a wake-up call for those charged with governing our city? Past performance says that's unlikely, but I'm always hopeful for our city.

Read the full review here: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/how-auckland-council-works/council-controlled-organisations/Documents/CCO-review.pdf

Read the Governing Body decision here: https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/articles/news/2020/08/council-agrees-cco-review-recommendations/

Delays to Eastern Busway and Reeves Road flyover shows lack of governance

I’m very disappointed to hear there is more delays to the Eastern Busway project. This transformational project will be great for East Auckland, but is taking too long to deliver. Another 6 years until it's "complete" is too long and doesn't include the Botany bus station which is already overloaded.

I have concerns about the visual impact of the flyover, but I've seen some good examples of these done well in Melbourne so I'm hopeful we can get this right. Regardless, it's an essential part of improving traffic flow including ensuring a congestion free busway.

The lack of communication from Auckland Council and Auckland Transport is disappointing. They know this is a critical project for the area but there hasn't been an update in months.

We need strong oversight over these infrastructure projects and this is clearly lacking.

Our council needs to listen so I'm here to hear your questions and concerns

We deserve a council that listens to the people, so as a candidate I'm making sure I'm available to hear your concerns and dreams for our city.

I'm attending events, knocking on doors and always available to talk. I'm also hosting a series of informal events across East Auckland where anyone can come along for a chat, ask questions and discuss what you want from council.

There's no need to book an appointment and there will be light refreshments available so drop in for a coffee and a chat.

If elected, I commit to continuing these on a regular basis to ensure that your voice is heard at council.

Howick Library

• Sunday 04 Aug 2-4pm

• Sunday 15 Sep 2-4pm

Te Tuhi Pakuranga

• Sunday 18 Aug 2-4pm

• Sunday 22 Sep 2-4pm

Ormiston Activity Centre

• Saturday 31 Aug 2-4pm

• Saturday 28 Sep 2-4pm

Bucklands and Eastern Beaches Memorial Hall

• Sunday 01 Sep 2-4pm

• Sunday 06 Oct 2-4pm

Botany location TBC

• Sunday 11 Aug 2-4pm

• Sunday 08 Sep 2-4pm

Localism the council's greatest weakness

Last night I attended the Howick Local Board meeting and Deputy Mayor Bill Cashmore was present to provide an update on regional issues, starting off by noting that localism was the council's greatest weakness. This sums up a lot of the issues that we heard last night but also throughout the city.

We heard again from the Te Uho o te Nikau Primary School who need safety improvements outside the new school to protect their young students from trucks. This conversation started 11 months ago and the process has been very slow but last night funding was approved to start work on addressing these issues. Also approved was funds to help Botany Downs Secondary College who also have safety challenges outside their school.

The fight to save Stockade Hill views continues and Janet Dickson was present to talk to the local board, supported by tireless champions the Defencibles.

I’ve stood with locals to fight for Stockade Hill and will continue to do so

There have been some developments and there are a number of moving parts to this. The original Plan Change 3 will provide a 137 degree protection but we want to save 360 degrees. A new Plan Change 26 will provide clarity on how Special Character Area Overlays work which may help, although Howick's overlay isn't ready and also doesn't include Stockade Hill.

The Board had asked council staff for advice on how to advocate for a solution and received a response last night which was effectively that there was no workable solution. Going against the advice of council staff, the Board unanimously voted to "obtain independent planning and other necessary supporting advice to inform the board on options available to advocate for a change of plan or control development around Stockade Hill" including funds to do so.

This feels like progress, although it's taken far to long to get to this point and there's still a long way to go. What concerns me the most is that the issue has been caused by council failing to listen to locals - the loss of localism.

We need a strong councillor who can take the concerns of our community to council and fight for locals. If elected councillor, I will continue to stand with locals and ensure that East Auckland is heard at the council table.

Auckland's growth needs to be managed so local voice not lost

It's no secret that Auckland has been growing at a tremendous rate, in many cases faster than our infrastructure can keep up with. It's put a massive strain on our housing, transport, water and environment as well as the people who live here.

The good news is that the growth has slowed from 43,000 new residents a year, the bad news is that it's now 30,000 people. This is a significant drop but still represents a massive growth challenge for any city, especially one that has not kept pace with the growth so far.

It's awesome that people want to live in Auckland, it's not perfect but it's a great city. I love it here & understand why others want to come here too. But we need to take deliberate action to plan for this growth, including investing in our infrastructure.

Funding is a significant challenge, endless rates rises is not a sustainable solution to massive long term growth. It's good that the council has identified some alternative funding but we need a significant shift if we're going to see real investment. I've long advocated for rates reform and will continue to do so until we get a step change in how our cities and regions are supported.

Auckland Council has made some cost savings which is positive but there always more to find. Large organisations will always have efficiencies to be uncovered, especially as technology and processes evolve. This article mentions that "total savings over the next decade are estimated at $565m - with a further half billion dollars to be reached "in cost avoidance and savings" through the capital programme." which is good to hear. It's great that the CEO understands that it's essential that they constantly ask themselves "can we do even better". Most Aucklanders would emphatically say "yes, we can do better".

One of the justifications for merging the old councils into one Super City was that we’d get a more efficient and effective delivery of services if it was managed across the region. There’s some evidence that this is working but this quote from the CEO sums up one of the Councils greatest challenges - "The bit that is challenging is the local bit, the local board connection. There's very diverse views over whether that's working or not."

My view is that it’s not working. There are definitely some examples of where it does work, but for the most part it doesn’t.

Too often the local voice is lost in the noise, not maliciously but often disastrously. Stockade Hill is a great example of this – an issue that arose from the city wide Unitary Plan and has been a dreadful experience for the community and council for years since. Something as large as a unitary plan will need broad strokes, but there will always be a need for finer details at a local level. We’re hopefully closing in on a positive outcome, but it could’ve been avoided if the local voices had been heard by council. The same can be said of a number of other issues such as the school bus changes, park maintenance and many more. Too often I hear from locals that they don't both logging issues with council anymore as they never get resolved which is an appalling indictment on the loss of community voice.

This needs to change at all levels which means deliberate leadership from the mayor, council, our councillors and our local boards.

Local Board Meetings great opportunity to hear from community

I make an effort to attend every Local Board meeting. It's a great opportunity to hear from locals, on their concerns and ideas for our community. And tonight was no different.

We heard from Richard Waugh and Laurie Hayward from the Auckland Brit and Euro Classic Car Show. Four years running, the free show had huge turnout in both cars (1077) & visitors (over 10,000), up 20% on last year.

We heard from a local resident concerned about the issuing of a consent for an extension to the Half Moon Bay Marina and the lack of notification to affected parties.

Huntington Park Residents Assoc were present to thank the Council for supporting their recent neighbourhood day. They also raised concerns about how request for removal of privet has been handled by Council, the speed of cars on Huntington Dr and issues with maintenance of curbs.

Another resident spoke about dogs off leads and the challenges they can present to cyclists. Serving to avoid dogs can (and has) led to people coming off their bikes. He's very supportive of a local dog park which we don't have in East Auckland.

And safety around our schools was on the agenda again. A trustee from Te Uho o te Nikau Primary School was back to again request action on safety for their students. This issue was raised 9 months ago, again last month and got some traction tonight. Howick Local Board requested Auckland Transport truncate the normal LBTCF funding process to urgently get detailed designs underway for safe bridge near the school. The costs are estimated at $1m for a temporary bridge or beyond $2m for permanent one. the Community Safety Fund is also to be investigated but seems unlikely given the scale of the project.

More good news on safety Auckland Transport have a temporary solution for 90 Pakuranga Rd which has had cars crashing into their fence. AMETI is arranging for temporary barriers to be installed while longer term solution is implemented.

I find these meetings worthwhile, the minutes only capture the outcomes, not the discussion or debate. The agenda is published online prior to the meetings and anyone can come along. Some times they can be a bit dry, but I've never come away without learning something about the community.

The photo was taken after I was granted special permission to do so (much to the bemusement of some of the board members).

Let's all try to be more like John

Howick locals came together to acknowledge John Sato, a local who has become an inspiration to many. At 95 he caught multiple buses to be at the anti-racism march, setting an amazing example for us all.

Unsurprisingly so many people wanted to meet the man, so local Bo Burns organised a opportunity and I was so thankful to be invited. There were people from all parts of the community, including the Prime Minister but this event was absolutely about John and his message of kindness.

The Prime Minister was present to listen and talk to John.

When I spoke with John, I was impressed by how humble and kind he was. He spoke about how we all have goodness in us and that we can be kind to one another. That events like the awful tragedy in Christchurch can be an opportunity to reflect on what's inside us and how we treat others.

Let's all try to be more like John.

When I spoke with John , I found him so humble yet inspiring.

Have your say on safer speeds in Auckland

Feedback on safer speeds for Auckland closes tomorrow (Sun 31 March) so have your say now.

Too many people are killed or injured on our roads - 749 seriously hurt and 64 killed in 2017 is far too many. We need to improve the road design, driver behaviours and increase enforcement but we also need to set realistic speeds.

Our city has grown significantly and there are places where the current speed limits are not appropriate anymore. It's essential that we review and adjust them to make people safe.

Reductions in speed make a massive difference - someone hit at 50km/hr has a 80% chance of being killed while someone hit at 30km/hr has an 90% chance of survival (although still injured).

There are a few ways to submit feedback - online form, detailed map or contacting AT directly. Providing your thoughts is important, this affects us all. Even just showing support (or expressing concerns) is helpful. Get your feedback in today!

Art might be subjective but it's meant to communicate an idea

Art is definitely subjective and very few pieces of public art will impress everyone. The new artwork in Howick is controversial and has many questioning it’s value. I personally would've preferred the alternative which was a small girl trying to push a boulder (symbolising the fight for suffrage).

However, what concerns me is how this has been handled by Council. There was no communication that this was coming or what it was for, despite the Local Board and our Councillors being aware of it. Even if our elected members weren't involved in the decision on design, they knew it was being funded and where it was being placed. Instead of becoming a point of celebration, it's become a sore point for many which didn't need to happen.

This is yet another example of poor communication from Council, we deserve better.