Saving Kauri Kids Howick

Yesterday the Howick Local Board faced one of the most challenging decisions of this term - funding for early childhood education.

As part of it's annual budget decision, the Governing Body of Auckland Council decided to withdraw from the delivery of early childhood education while allowing Local Boards the option of funding them. Already facing a reduced budget, we had a robust discussion in the limited time available - the ultimate outcome was that we will provide funding through until June 2024.

This provides time to explore alternatives and we’ve directed staff to identify one or more third party providers to deliver a similar service, utilising a model which aligns with the Kauri Kids values. We’ve provided a deadline to provide certainty and reduce the financial risks for the Howick Local Board.

Unfortunately, this has meant that were weren’t able to finalise all of our work programmes while we seek further advice on what we can reduce without significantly impacting the delivery. While not an ideal situation, we believe that the extra effort is worthwhile to protect this beloved community service.

Read the full story on OurAuckland: https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2023/07/howick-local-board-keeps-kauri-kids/

Community Patrols help make us safer

Volunteering with Community Patrols is a great way to help your local community. I've done it for years and it's practical, rewarding and worthwhile.

They always need more volunteers so please consider joining your local patrol. They provide training, equipment and support to make our communities safer.

In East Auckland we have Howick & Pakuranga Community Patrol and Botany Crime Watch Patrol (which also covers Flat Bush). I'm sure both would love new volunteers, so please reach out to them!

https://cpnz.org.nz/join-cpnz/

O Wairoa Marae - Te Whare Wānanga O Wairoa.

Last week I had the honour of being welcomed onto O Wairoa Marae - Te Whare Wānanga O Wairoa.

After the powhiri, we had kōrero & kai. It was wonderful to learn everyone's connections to the Marae and share our journeys that led us there.

Thank you to everyone who made me feel welcome.

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.

Happy Moon Festival

Happy Moon Festival! Also known as Mid-Autumn or Mooncake Festival. Whatever you call it or however you celebrate, I hope you have a great one!

In East Auckland we celebrated with a festival in Sir Barry Curtis Park complete with lanterns, performances and food. Can't go past opportunity to have some dumplings and got myself a Mooncake to enjoy.

East Auckland Tourism celebrates successes despite challenging year

Monday night was the AGM and networking event for East Auckland Tourism - one of the local community organisations I volunteer my governance skills and experience.

We were hosted by Turanga Creek who hold weddings and events, an incredible venue in East Auckland that provides the whole package - great food, wine and location. Owner and operator Rochelle gave us a great overview of the venue as well as being an amazing host for the evening.

Annual general meetings can be a dry, formal event but this was really enjoyable. I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved over the last year. It’s been a tough few years for businesses, especially those who rely on tourism and hospitality so it was good to reflect on our successes.

We’ve invested heavily in our website and digital promotions, bringing East Auckland to a wider audience, together with practical suggestions for things to do, while our new map is providing visitors with an up to date guide to the region. Despite the challenges we’ve managed to pull off some events, including an activation linked to our growing Art Trail. And we’ve partnered with expert providers to create specialised tours of the area that has brought new people into the region.

We heard from both Jacqui Wilkinson from White Glove Experiences and Ceillhe Sperath from TIME Unlimited Tours who provided some great insights into tourism in East Auckland.

As treasurer, I spoke to our financial performance which was solid and set us up nicely for the new year. I was proud to announce our increased budget for the year, thanks to the gracious support of Auckland Unlimited, Howick Local Board and Franklin Local Board. With this extra funding we can supercharge our efforts to grow tourism and support local businesses in meaningful and practical ways.

It was also great to network with others and see local businesses owners connecting with others. Another big lesson from the pandemic has been the importance of buying local and based on the conversations last night, we can expect to see more local partnerships!

Community asking for more investment in Flat Bush and Ormiston

On Monday the Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust hosted local candidates as part of their regular seniors meeting.

It was a pretty wet and wild outside but the reception inside the Old Flat Bush School Hall was warm and welcoming. We were treated to music, group exercises and a delicious lunch.

Candidates were invited to introduce themselves and their priorities, followed by an opportunity for questions.

There were two big issues that came out of our discussions:

1. Transport and road safety: especially around the Flat Bush / Ormiston area and more specifically at the Intersection of Murphy’s Road and Redoubt Road.

2. Flat Bush Library and Community Centre: despite it’s massive population growth, this area still doesn’t’ have a community centre or library.

Both of these are priorities for me and hopefully the community’s wishes are heard by other candidates (even those who didn’t attend).

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.

Celebrating the diversity in our neighbourhood

East Auckland is home to the serene Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple New Zealand 紐西蘭佛光山. On 3 September, they had a Neighbourhood Day, including guided tours of the facilities and work they do in the community.

Great to learn more about one of my favourite places to visit, always feel so welcome.

Howick Sports Awards recognises incredible local talent and service

Last Thursday night was the annual Howick Sports Awards. Unfortunately I was late due to a delayed fight back from Wellington (work Board meeting) so I missed some of the presentations. What I did see was amazing - such incredible local talent that we have in East Auckland. Howick Pakuranga Community Sports Centre (formerly known as Pakuranga United Rugby Club) did an incredible job of organising and hosting the evening!

I was a judge in the 2021 awards so I have some appreciation of the tough job to narrow down the nominations and choose the winners. Based on what we heard on the night, each was really deserving of the nomination even if they didn’t win.

The Supreme Award went to Lance Revill who has built and led Revill Boxing Gym - he’s a local legend who not only helps people get fit and achieve world class boxing status, he’s also a great mentor and strong supporter of lifelong learning. Congratulations to Lance!

Celebrating with Aaron Martin, President of East Skate Club

It was especially awesome that Aaron Martin received a Service to Sport award. Aaron has been the driving force behind East Skate Club and it’s been fantastic working with him and the rest of the team to get this club off the ground. It’s only been two years but we’ve managed to achieve a lot for local kids, including running learn to skate programmes in schools and at the local skatepark.

Remembering our past as we move forward

While looking for something in the Auckland Libraries Archives, I stumbled across this invitation to a ball in 1847 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Fencibles landing in Howick - this year we're celebrating 175 years.

Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections Footprints 05778

Much has changed in the 125 years since the celebrations in 1847 and it's been awesome to see that this year's celebrations have acknowledged and celebrated how our communities are more diverse.

Check out Howick175.co.nz

Another fantastic Howick Santa Parade quiz night fundraiser

The Howick Santa Parade is a local community event that is largely funded through donations and fundraising in our community. Auckland Council (through the Howick Local Board) provides a small grant, but the bulk of the funding comes from other sources.

One of the semi-annual events is the Quiz Night at Bosuns Bar (unfortunately cancelled last year due to lockdown) which was held on 18th August.

The night saw 104 local quiz fans completing to go to take out the 1st prize, which went to the undefeated champions East FM. I was pretty pleased with my teams placement of Third-equal (down to forth after a tough tie breaker). But even better we raised around $4k to help support the parade which is awesome!

The Howick Santa Parade is run by the Howick Children’s Charitable Trust and is planned for Sunday 11 December.

Check out www.howicksantaparade.co.nz for more details, including how to support and volunteer or even enter a float!

We can all do more to support our local not-for-profit

“Civil society sits at the heart of our daily activities. We rely heavily upon the vital and often invisible work of the not-for-profit (NFP) sector.

"New Zealand has the highest number of charities per capita in the OECD – over 28,000. This is undoubtedly too many, however their contribution is colossal and not always properly valued.

If we are talking dollar value, in 2018 the charity sector was worth over $12b per annum to our GDP."

Pru Etcheverry, ONZM, Stuff

From sports clubs to environmental groups, residents associations to animal rescue, support groups to community patrols - the list goes on. Not-for-profits do incredible work across New Zealand, delivering an enormous range of services that are critical to our communities.

Some are fortunate to have enough financial support that they have paid employees, but most rely heavily on volunteers. I’ve had the pleasure of serving on a number of Boards for not-for-profits and I’m always impressed with the dedication and passion of the people involved.

For good reasons there is a lot of transparency and accountability reporting that these groups must undertake. On top of the constant hunt for funding, the administration burden is significant. I’d like to see local and central government support this sector more by reducing the bureaucratic demands and focusing more on enabling these groups to thrive.

I’d also encourage anyone who is looking to do something rewarding to seriously consider helping out one of their local groups. Find one that connects with a passion you share, or that might need your skills. Even sports clubs need accountants, you don’t have to be an athlete.

Check out https://seekvolunteer.co.nz/ for groups looking for volunteers or for governance roles head to the NZ Institute of Directors vacancies page.

Howick Councillors change of heart on park sales too late to save Fortyfoot

While it’s good to see our councillors accept they had previously made the wrong decision and try to save Fortyfoot Park it has been too late. I welcome their recent efforts but today's outcome is the unfortunate but inevitable result of poor decisions they made two years ago.

On Tuesday 26 July 2022, a motion before council to prevent the sale of the public reserve at 9R Fortyfoot Lane in Sunnyhills failed to get sufficient support, losing 8-13.

The park was put up for sale as a result of the Asset Recycling programme initiated under the 2020/2021 Emergency budget which both Howick-ward Councillors Paul Young and Sharon Stewart voted for. The target for asset sales was set at a record $224 million and the list of initial target properties in the Howick ward included 34 Moore Street, 16 Fencible Drive and 28R Simon Owen Place. On the potential target list were 14 properties in Howick, including 9R Fortyfoot Lane, 76R Aberfeldy Avenue and 111R Golflands Drive. After intense public pressure the Golflands reserve has been withdrawn from the list, but both Aberfeldy and Fortyfoot remain as targets for sale.

I was there in the council chambers in July 2020 as our councillors both voted in full support of the Emergency Budget. I was stunned to see both of our elected representatives vote to sell hundreds of millions in community assets, knowing full well that beloved local parks were in the firing line.

The community feedback was clearly against selling these parks and the Howick Local Board were strongly opposed to the sales. My own submission on the budget criticised the asset sales, noting that the timing was extremely poor and Eke Panuku Development Auckland (the Auckland Council CCO responsible for the Asset Recycling programme) had a bad record of community engagement.

Asset recycling is a dreadful euphemism used to disguise what this really is - a firesale of community assets to cover poor financial management. Decades of poor governance, haphazard prioritisation and no financial discipline have left Auckland with record debt, endless rates rises and reduced services. To make matters worse, local parks are being sold to cover the shortfall.

I’ve been a vocal critic of the programme to sell parks and reserves since it was proposed in 2020.

“While I'm not ideologically opposed to asset sales, selling our reserves and greenspaces is something else entirely. As our city continues to grow and housing is intensified, these spaces become more important. Once gone, we'll never get them back. It's short sighted and fails to address the issues of waste and misspending.”

- Damian Light, February 2021 after attending a community meeting in Aberfeldy Park where both Howick-ward councillors failed to show up.

Sometimes it makes sense to sell some unused land to fund something better and more useful for the community. 2R Ti Rakau Drive is a good example of a small parcel of land that served little community use.

However when council does sell community assets, all revenue generated must be reinvested into the communities whose assets were sold. Putting the revenue into the general revenue pool is dishonest and robbing communities a second time.

Today's outcome is a sobering reminder that decisions made by council have serious, long term impacts on communities. I feel for the locals who have been forced to fight for their community park and been let down. I'm also fearful for the other parks whose fate we don't yet know, such as Aberfeldy.

East Auckland deserves better - we need councillors who will listen and act in the best interests of their community at all times, not just during an election year.

Community can help with crime prevention

It's always distressing to see crimes happening, especially in our own area. I feel particularly for the business and home owners - the emotional and psychological impacts are often longer lasting than just the loss and damage to property.

I've attended briefings from both local and regional police, and I'm aware that they're working to identify those involved and they are making progress. Getting a conviction requires a careful, methodical approach which can appear to take longer than it should. However, I know a number of police officers at various levels within the New Zealand Police and I have massive respect for the role they play. We must trust that they are doing what they can and work together to do what we can to protect each other.

This is one of the reasons why I volunteer with Community Patrols - locals proactively working together to prevent crimes. In partnership with the Police and local organisations, groups all across this country working together to look after their communities.

If you're concerned about crime in your community and want to do something practical, then please volunteer with your local community patrol -

• Botany Crime Watch Patrol (including Flat Bush / Ormiston),

• Howick & Pakuranga Community Patrol

• Community Patrols of New Zealand (CPNZ).

In the meantime, we should all do our part to prevent crime - making sure we don't leave property in view and locking doors and windows. Even if an item isn't valuable, leaving it visible can lead to someone breaking in to steal it so make sure it's out of sight (especially if its in your car parked on the road).

Remember - if someone's life or property is in danger, call 111 immediately. If you want to report a less immediate issue, call 105. The teams in the communications center are friendly, professional and there to help.

Another busy year for the Cockle Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association

The Cockle Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association are one of the most active and constructive groups in our area. At their AGM today, Chairperson Laurie Slee talked through their work over the past year and I was impressed with both the range and depth of issues they’ve advocated on. From housing, transport, parks and even noise complaints, CBRRA has been advocating for their local community. Their submissions have been evidence based and pragmatic, and other groups have appreciated their support in making their own submissions. 

They invited Howick Local Board Chair Adele White to explain the role of local boards as well as their recent achievements. Given the complex and bureaucratic nature of Auckland Council, it’s important that the community understands how the various pieces fit together and the limitations on elected members. I thought Adele’s point that the ward councillors play a critical role in ensuring that the local board and community are informed and heard was a very important one - too often the focus goes on the Mayor when our councillors need to listen and be heard.

It’s not always easy to balance feedback and criticism to ensure it’s constructive and relevant, especially when on issues that generate a lot of emotional responses. Really impressed with CBRRA under Laurie’s leadership and congratulated him and the whole committee on their hard work. Special thanks to Treasurer Grant Taylor who stood down after 42 years on the committee, including 30 as chairperson which is incredible dedication.

East Auckland youth have incredible talent!

Last night we attended the East Auckland Performing Arts Showcase, organised by the Howick Youth Council. It was a great evening, showcasing the incredible talent of our East Auckland rangatahi (young people).

We enjoyed a wider range of performances from dancing, singing, instrumental and spoken word. From traditional through modern and everything in between. Even the instruments were diverse with performances featuring drums, electric and acoustic guitars, a cello, a guzheng, the piano and even a xylophone.

Huge congratulations to all performers and the Howick Youth Council for a fantastic evening!

Eastern Busway Burswood diversion continues to divide

I popped into Eastern Busway community drop in session in Burswood this morning. Nice to see full size maps and talk with knowledgeable staff from Eastern Busway Alliance.

I'm still unconvinced about the Burswood diversion and it was good to get a bit more information on it. Apparently it avoids underground infrastructure, reduces the number of intersections and will be faster to build.

Not surprisingly, local feedback is pretty mixed, with the loudest opposition from those who are directly impacted.

I'd still prefer to see this regionally significant project get the priority it deserves, with but ultimately the decision sits with the Board of Auckland Transport who are due to make the decision later this month.

On a more positive note, there's been good progress on reducing the visual, social and environmental impacts of the Reeves Rd Flyover. By ensuring its integrated into Pakuranga Town Centre masterplan, it should help connect the space underneath into more useful space. Great to hear that Te Tuhi has been involved in the discussions.

The Eastern Busway will be game changer for East Auckland and I cannot wait to see it done. It will connect up with the Airport to Botany busway, providing yet another connection onto rail network, airport and beyond.

See more at the Auckland Transport website.

Community planting day at Mangemangeroa Reserve

Early morning start today, helping out with community planting at Mangemangeroa.

Great turnout, especially from the Botany and Flat Bush Ethnic Association. We had so many keen volunteers that we finished so quickly and they had to find more trees to plant!