Weekly Wrap Up: 26 January 2026

Each week I’m providing a quick summary of the meetings and events I’ve attended as a member of the Howick Local Board (HLB). This is my first report for 2026, covering the week starting Monday 26 January.

On Thursday we had our first Howick Local Board workshop for the year. This included:
🏬Business Improvement Districts (Howick Village and Business East Tamaki);
🎾community-led Lloyd Elsmore Community Hub;
📑review of the Mangemangeroa Reserve Development Plan;
👟renewal of Yvette Williams Athletics track;
🚧Auckland Transport presented updates on their Accent Drive proposal and an upcoming project to renew the seawall at Half Moon Bay;
🛠️Progress on maintenance contracts - one of the highlights for me. They’re big money ($14M a year for HLB alone) and vital to ensuring our open spaces and buildings are properly maintained. Despite this, we haven’t had great oversight or control but there is hope. (Check out more here).

🖼️On Saturday I attended the opening of the new exhibition at UXBRIDGE - 时雨 Showers of Spring. A beautiful collaboration between local artists Qiuwang Wang and Gavin Chai, the exhibition includes paintings and ceramics. Check out my post here. But art is best enjoyed in person so get along to see it - open until 14 March 2026.

This coming week:
📅 Thursday 5 February: Howick Local Board workshop (see details here: https://aucklandcouncil.resolve.red/portal/meeting/11550)
📅 Friday 6 February: Waitangi ki Manukau 2026 at Manukau Sports Bowl (see details here: https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/events/2026/02/waitangi-ki-manukau-2026/)
📅 Saturday 7 February: Reunion Dinner at Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple