Estuary Art and Ecological Awards putting the spotlight on Tāmaki

On Saturday 6 July we opened the Tāmaki Estuary Art and Ecological Awards at UXBRIDGE Arts & Culture.

The Howick Local Board is proud to fund UXBRIDGE to deliver a wide range of arts and cultural activities, including these awards. Creativity, culture and the arts make Auckland a vibrant and dynamic city. We also know that participating in arts and cultural initiatives enables Aucklanders to express our unique cultures and see ourselves reflected in public places.

This exhibition is not just art, it’s also about the environment. In fact we believe it’s the only art award in the country dedicated to ecological themes.

The Tāmaki is also known as Te Wai o Taiki, meaning "The Waters of Taiki". Taiki being a shortened form of Taikehu, an ancestor of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. It was a key transport route, providing a link through the shortest land connection between the Waitematā and Manukau Harbours.

The estuary extends around 17 km inland, with total shoreline length of approximately 40 km. These intertidal sand and mudflats feature numerous native habitats and ecosystems that are regionally important. Much of the surrounding catchment is intensively developed with a long history of commercial and industrial use which have cumulatively had a negative impact on sediment quality.

We cannot resolve these issues quickly or alone so we partner with local organisations and volunteers to take action to protect and restore the mauri (lifeforce) of our awa (waterways).

We recently approved our new budget, with a commitment to continuing our pest removal, stream restoration and pollution prevention programmes, as well as extra funding for Pakuranga and Botany Creeks, both which feed into the Tāmaki.

This event is a wonderful intersection of these priorities – where environment meets art. Contemporary art has a unique way of sparking the public interest and these awards are a great example of using creativity to promote the ecological value of this vital awa (waterway) and encourage action against its pollution.

Each year we see artworks that inspire, educate, and inform – there’s something for everyone to enjoy. We’re proud to continue to support these awards and the creatives who respond to them.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this exhibition, I’m always impressed by the bravery of artists who are willing to share their ideas and art with us.

Also thank you to this year’s guest judge, Annette Lees. Ecologist, and author of numerous acclaimed non-fiction books, facing perhaps her greatest challenge to judge these incredible works.

And you can join in on the judging - the People's Choice Award is open until 31 August! So get along to UXBRDIGE, enjoy these beautiful artworks, and cast your vote for your favourite.

Howick Local Board delivering crime prevention

"No one should feel unsafe in their own community and, while crime prevention is a central government responsibility, we’re grateful for the funding and opportunity to target local areas of concern. We’ve prioritised practical initiatives that will help address the challenges facing our residents and business owners.”

The Howick Local Board has allocated its share of the Crime Prevention Safety Initiatives fund to several partner organisations, to address specific safety concerns in the area. 

As part of the $2 million one-off Local Crime Fund made available by the Government announced in 2022, the funding supports and enhances current community-led partnerships that aim to prevent youth crime, as well as town centre and retail crime.

Read more here: https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2024/07/howick-steps-up-in-the-battle-against-crime/

Howick Youth Council goes from strength to strength

Another early start, but well worth it to attend the Howick Youth Council Principals Breakfast for 2024, where the new council introduced their teams and plan for the year to local school principals.

Made up of local school and university students, the Howick Youth Council determines and delivers their own programme for the year. It was great to see a range of new events and activities as well as the return of some highly successful ones from last year. This shows that they're continuing to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of their community, as well as utilising the strength and passion of their new members.

The Howick Local Board is proud to provide funding and support for these amazing rangatahi and has done so for more than a decade. Every year they continue to impress, with great succession planning ensuring they're setup for success.

I thanked the principals for helping guide these amazing young leaders and also for enabling them to be involved in HYC.

Welcoming new New Zealanders!

"We do not want you to forget your country of birth, nor that your children lose their heritage and cultural roots.

By merging our cultures, histories, and ideas, we forge new friendships and develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and each other.

We are all stronger for this."

On 5 March I had the privilege of officiating the citizenship ceremony for over 300 new New Zealanders.

Together with Adele White (Howick Local Board), Anne Candy QSO JP, Heather Andrew and Andrew Lesa JP (Manurewa Local Board), we celebrated the newest citizens from 38 countries of origin. Singing the national anthem together has special meaning with new citizens.

Lantern Festival is back! And closer than ever!

Fantastic to see the Lantern Festival return to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland! Even better than it's now in our backyard at the Manukau Sports Bowl, making it even easier to enjoy.

I had the privilege of attending the official opening on Thursday evening, with speeches from special guests including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson.

Then I returned on Sunday night with my partner to enjoy the last night of the festival. Amazing turnout with lots of people enjoying the event, which included food, performances and rides as well as many beautiful lanterns.

Botany Chinese Association Lantern Festival

On Wednesday 14 February, the Botany Chinese Association hosted a Lantern Festival to celebrate Chinese New Year.

It was a joyous occasion, filled with a diverse range of performances. Together with fellow Howick Local Board Member Adele White and many special guests, we were entertained with dance, song, and musical performances.

It’s wonderful to be able to enjoy so many cultures and experiences in our local community. Thank you to everyone who was involved in making it happen. For sharing your culture, your history and your art with us.

We wish you all a successful and prosperous year of the Dragon.

Meri Kirihimete / Merry Christmas!

As we wrap up for the holidays, we wanted to take a moment to thank our community for their continued support throughout the year. It’s been wonderful to have the opportunity to attend so many community activities and events across the year.

It hasn’t been without its challenges – the extreme weather events of early 2023 continue to impact communities across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. We’ve faced some tough financial challenges with rising costs and a growing population so are very grateful for the massive response to our annual budget consultation. Thousands of locals told us what their priorities were for our limited funding which enabled us to make the tough choices while ensuring we could continue to meet the needs of the community. On top of this, we received input into our new Local Board Plan that sets out the strategic direction for the next few years. Thank you for taking the time to provide your input, it was invaluable to us. We heard the community tell us to focus on protecting the environment, celebrating arts and culture, and supporting youth.

Our environmental programmes have achieved great things this year - the support we provide Pest Free Howick enabled them to run the most successful moth plant competition ever removing 133,507 pods containing an estimated 93 million seeds! We’re delivering on our urban ngahere action plan to increase the tree canopy by enabling volunteers to plant 16,420 trees in the 12 months to June. And we continue to focus on reducing pollution and waste with dedicated educational programmes for local construction, industry, and schools.

We provided funding for the community to deliver events like the Birt & Euro Classic Car Show, 70th Howick Santa Parade, and the Pakuranga Rotary Community Carnival & River Festival. Volunteers are at the heart of many of the successful activities and organisations that make our community such a great place, so we recognised them with a special ceremony in June. Our Celebrating Cultures event in March was a huge success and we look forward to its return as an annual event in 2024.

We’re very proud of the ongoing success of the Howick Youth Council, who’ve delivered a wide range of self-directed programmes and activities throughout the year. We’re also pleased to have secured funding for the long-awaited dedicated Youth Space that is due to open early next year.

2024 will bring new and familiar challenges, as our new Local Board Plan takes effect in July along with continued pressure on our limited budget. We’ve already stepped up our advocacy for the Flat Bush Community Centre and Library as part of the early discussions around the Long Term Plan (LTP). After a short break, we look forward to continuing to deliver for the residents of the Howick Local Board area.

We wish you and your whānau a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Master Paw celebrates Sir Bob Charles

Thanks to Chorus and local artist Grace Cheung, Golfands has an awesome looking new public artwork!

"Sir Bob Charles is New Zealand’s most successful golfer and his contribution is being honoured with a work, named Master Paw, featuring a cool cat teeing off – and playing left-handed just like Sir Bob - on the cabinet in Bob Charles Park, Botany."

Master Paw can be found at Bob Charles Park, 24 Bob Charles Drive, in Golflands.

You can find out more about this artwork here: https://www.chorus.co.nz/blog/chorus-in-the-community/cool-cat-celebrates-kiwi-golfing-legend

And if you'd like to get involved in the Cabinet Art project, check out this page: https://www.chorus.co.nz/community/cabinet-art-programme

Ormiston Entwine brings Flat Bush community together

Last Saturday evening, the Ormiston Entwine meet for the final time this year. This informal community networking group is funded by the Howick Local Board to help bring the newer communities of Flat Bush and Ormiston together.

We heard from Rosa Chow from the Asian Council on Reducing Crime (ACRC) who reminded us all to make sure we keep our valuables out of sight. In fact, don't leave anything in your vehicle as someone may break in to steal it, regardless of the value. She also encouraged us to make sure we log any incidents with the Police.

105 for non-urgent reports when the crime has already happened)

111 for urgent when the crime us happening now

I spoke about the work the Howick Local Board is doing to support the community, including the gravel paths project and the dedicated youth space. I also assured the community that the Howick Local Board remains committed to the Flat Bush Community Centre and Library - we've already stepped up our advocacy to get this built sooner.

We had a quick update from Pragna Patel from Otara Waterways and Lake Trust who has been working with other organisations to help restore the waterways in the area and tackle pest plants and animals. She reminded us all to make sure we dispose of waste properly, including the handy reminder that polystyrene can be dropped off free of charge at Mitre10.

70th Howick Santa Parade a community success

Awesome day as we celebrated the 70th Howick Santa Parade this afternoon.

Howick Local Board is proud to support this community led event. Fantastic to join the parade today, celebrating alongside the community.

Congratulations to everyone who helped make this event happen - the generous sponsors, dedicated volunteers, and community groups who participated.

Merry Christmas to all!

Gravel footpaths providing safety for Flat Bush

“Flat Bush has stretches of disconnected footpath separated by long gaps and that means sometimes walkers, cyclists and people pushing prams do not have safe travel options and must contend with either crossing muddy grass or using the road. That is particularly concerning when it’s our tamariki walking to and from their schools, so we’re prioritising action in those areas.”

The normal process for new footpaths is that they are delivered as part of the development of the property, partly to ensure that they allow for any infrastructure such as pipes and driveways. While this ensures the most cost-effective delivery of footpaths, it can lead to gaps in the network and timelines rely on the property developer (normally a private party).

This has been a major issue in Flat Bush and locals have identified some long-standing gaps, in particular near schools. Since then we’ve been working with Auckland Transport to implement a cost-effective solution that will address the immediate safety concerns.

The Howick Local Board is pleased to report that we've approved funding for Auckland Transport to deliver these gravel footpaths that will provide a safe alternative while the permanent paths await the property developer.

We're particularly thankful for the ongoing advocacy from the Flat Bush Residents and Ratepayers Association.

Read more at OurAuckland

Lloyd Elsmore Skatepark upgrade open for public feedback

Excited to see the long awaited upgrade for the Lloyd Elsmore Park skatepark out for public consultation.

While the surface was tidied up a few years ago, the design and age of the old skatepark mean it's unlikely to meet the needs of the community. The proposal is the replace it with something better suited for modern wheeled play while providing space for future expansion.

We've asked our staff to work with key stakeholders like East Skate Club and it's great to see their proactive involvement helping shape this proposal.

We'd love your feedback on the proposal!

We are seeking feedback on the concept design.

• what features you like?

• what features you would change?

• any other ideas or feedback for the skatepark upgrade.

Please have your say online here https://tinyurl.com/3mtsn2pp

Consultation closes: 22 December 2023.

Ethnic communities enjoy sense of belonging

“As a board we want to engage with our community in different ways, and these forums give us the opportunity to do that. To enable us to hear from our diverse ethnic and cultural communities, we altered the format so we could have a different conversation with locals we don’t always hear from.”

Last month, the Howick Local Board hosted our second community forum for the term. Our first was for organisations that support our communities in need, this one was for our diverse ethnic and cultural communities.

We're fortunate to have incredibly diverse communities living in our area, but our normal engagement models mean we don't always hear from them. We continue to have our Ethnic Leaders Forum, but this session allowed us to hear from different voices and in a different format. In particular the panel had representatives from a younger generation of ethnically diverse locals who were second or third generation Kiwis.

Some incredibly useful insights came from this evening, including some great positive messages that people do feel a sense of belonging and connection. However we can always do better and we were encouraged to keep it simple.

Massive thank you to everyone involved in making this happen - staff, Board Members and the public.

We'll continue to run these sorts of forums throughout the term, providing another avenue for the Board to engage with the people we represent and serve.

“This forum was just the beginning of a longer, deeper conversation about how we can better serve the needs of our diverse communities. As our population continues to grow and evolve, we need to adapt to their changing needs."

Read more on OurAuckland

Stockade Hill Christmas Tree is lit!

The tradition marks the beginning of the festive season in Howick, proudly funded by the Howick Local Board.

As we waited for it to get dark, we celebrated the diversity of our communities with performances from local schools and community groups. From traditional Christmas carols to modern Chinese dance and K-pop, plus Santa with a ukulele!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Howick Youth Space coming soon!

“This dedicated youth space is a significant step forward in delivering on what the community has asked for and we’re thrilled to be able to act so quickly to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.”

We're thrilled to report that the Howick Youth Facility is moving ahead! We piloted this last year in the Botany Town Centre which was very successful and last month the Howick Local Board reallocated funding to enable a more permanent home.

We know from our annual budget consultation that locals want us to invest more into young people and this dedicated space will provide a place to run programmes and activities as well as an opportunity for youth development.

More details on the new location and an opening date coming soon.

Read more on OurAuckland

Cherry Blossom Festival at Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple

Over the weekend, the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple New Zealand 紐西蘭佛光山 celebrated their Cherry Blossom Festival. Together with food and craft stalls, they made for a wonderful visit.

While there, fellow Howick Local Board member Adele White and I caught up with Abbess Manshin to talk about opportunities to partner.

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.