Weekly Report: 17 November 2025

Howick Local BoardWeekly Report
Written By Damian Light

Each week I’ll provide a quick summary of the meetings and events I’ve attended as a member of the Howick Local Board (HLB). This is my report for last week, starting Monday 17 November - please let me know if this is helpful.

On Monday, I attended Elected Members training, along with other members of the Howick, Aotea Great Barrier, Waiheke, Waitematā, Ōrākei, and Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Boards. We were also joined by Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Ward Councillor Josephine Bartley and Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson (Ward Councillor for Ōrākei). We discussed what was necessary for effective meetings and community engagement in interactive and informative sessions. It was also a good opportunity to reconnect with returning members and meet the new members of the central Local Boards.

We finished with a tour of the Auckland Emergency Management (AEM) command centre. They have a small team on at all times (including oncall after hours) but will call on the hundreds of trained staff within the wider Auckland Council group when they need to scale up and the room was setup to take on the extra help with desks, phones and procedures prepared. Situational awareness is vital in an emergency and AEM have better access to information than ever before, displayed on dynamic monitors filling one wall.

Auckland Emergency Management

On Thursday we had our Howick Local Board workshop - these are informal sessions where staff brief us on upcoming issues and answer our questions. Unfortunately most of these were closed and/or confidential so I'm unable to reveal what was discussed:

  • Eastern Busway - I asked the project to confirm the impact of opening of the flyover on Ti Rākau Dr and they will come back to us.

  • Induction: Communication in the new term

  • Community Playground fencing proposal

  • Leases for Bucklands Beach Yacht Club and Howick Sailing Club

The open session was on community engagement and we had a good discussion on how to connect with individuals and groups we don't normally hear from.

On Friday I attended an afternoon tea hosted by Botany MP Christopher Luxon to celebrate and thank local community organisations for their work. It was also an opportunity to thank his electorate staff who work with local residents on a wide range of issues.

On Saturday I attended the funeral for Michael Williams. Known locally as the former Principal of Pakūranga College, he had a long and distinguished career in education. His impact was very visible with the large turnout of former students and colleagues from numerous colleges across Auckland.

This coming week:

Damian Light
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