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've planted a million trees Auckland!
It was a stunning day for tree planting in Mangemangeroa Reserve on Sunday 16 June when I joined Howick Youth Council who had organised tree planting with support from Friends of Mangemangeroa Reserve.
We need more passion, ambition and leadership to make Auckland everything it could be.
Auckland is a fantastic place to live but we need more passion, ambition and leadership to make it everything it could be.
Ormiston Town Centre is coming (soon)!
We've all seen the residental developments around Ormiston and Flat Bush but it's exciting to see the long awaited town centre happening.
We're making progress on transport, but there's a way to go
Auckland has some serious transport issues but there is light at the end of the congested tunnel. And that light is public transport and active modes like cycling and walking.
Lloyd Elsmore Skate Park in desperate need of upgrade
Lloyd Elsmore has a skate park but its in desperate need of attention. A small group of us caught up this afternoon to see what can be done.
It doesn't take an expert to see that the skate park is tired. There's big cracks and splits in the concrete, the rails are worn and the surface is rough which wears down tires (and riders if they fall off).
Building CRL is an investment in our future
Getting the City Rail Link built is correctly a top priority for Auckland Council. It will transform transport across our city (even for non-train users). It’s expensive and the project costs have risen by $1B to $4.4B. Auckland Council was asked to cover half of it.
Ending domestic violence will take a community approach
Domestic violence is a terrible scourge on our communities and families. We've all heard the news, seen the statistics but its ruining lives, destroying futures.
David White is one such person - he lost his daughter, murdered by her husband. Instead of retiring, his wife and him have been raising his grandchildren, dealing with the aftermath.
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.
Cockle Bay Domain restored by community
On Saturday the weather was perfect for community planting day at Cockle Bay Domain as volunteers planted around 300 natives.
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.
Auckland needs a bold vision for stadiums
I don't for a moment think that stadiums are our most pressing issue but leaving issues till we're desperate isn't how we should be running our city (despite our track record).
Massive milestone for East Auckland
As reported in the Times ‘Construction starts on $1.4b Eastern Busway’
The Eastern Busway is a potential game changer for transport in our area.
Point View Drive clean up a community effort
On Friday I wore my new gumboots to help fundraise for youth mental health. Today I wore them as part of a community effort to clean up Point View Drive.
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.
Celebrating Buddha's Day
Very peaceful time at the Fo Guang Shan Temple to celebrate Buddha's Day.
Have your say on safer speeds in Auckland
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.
Instead of raising public transport fares, let's fix them
Public transport fares in Auckland have gone up because people are using it more. If you think that sounds backwards, you're not alone.
Giving away money not the solution to our stadium problem
I was very disturbed to see that some councillors - including both of my local - voted to give away $10m of public money to Eden Park with no strings. There was an alternative of making this a loan which would've been paid but this was narrowly voted down.
Kia kaha Christchurch...
Our little country rocked by terrorism and hatred, it's difficult to think of the words to describe how it feels.