Local businesses essential to East Auckland

Did you know that the 2,000 businesses in East Tamaki employ 30,000 people and contributes $3 billion to New Zealand's economy.

This massive growth is partly thanks to the great work by the Greater East Tāmaki Business Association (GETBA).

This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with their General Manager Jane Tongatule to discuss the challenges and opportunities that their organisation and members face.

Jane and her team do a fantastic job of supporting the members and advocating on their behalf. Lots of great improvements thanks to their hard work but always more that Council can do better to help support this essential commercial and industrial area.

Climate action needed now

Auckland Council’s departing sustainability officer has some hard truths about the lack of action on climate change.

"John Mauro said the council and community needed courage and ambition to make better progress, but there was a trend towards "show-ponying"." - Stuff

It was great to get the declaration of an emergency but we need to do something. We don't have the time or money to waste - we need real Climate Action now. Another six years of buying diesel buses is worse than inaction, it's creating more emissions and pollution.

Auckland Council must direct Auckland Transport and all the Council Controlled Organisations to present realistic, practical but ambitious plans to address climate change (both mitigation and adaption) and then make them happen.

Delays to Eastern Busway and Reeves Road flyover shows lack of governance

I’m very disappointed to hear there is more delays to the Eastern Busway project. This transformational project will be great for East Auckland, but is taking too long to deliver. Another 6 years until it's "complete" is too long and doesn't include the Botany bus station which is already overloaded.

I have concerns about the visual impact of the flyover, but I've seen some good examples of these done well in Melbourne so I'm hopeful we can get this right. Regardless, it's an essential part of improving traffic flow including ensuring a congestion free busway.

The lack of communication from Auckland Council and Auckland Transport is disappointing. They know this is a critical project for the area but there hasn't been an update in months.

We need strong oversight over these infrastructure projects and this is clearly lacking.

Quiz night to support the Howick Santa Parade

Awesome night at the Santa Quiz, fund raising for the Howick Santa Parade. Very competitive teams but thanks to the incredible knowledge of my friends we managed to place second!

Great fun and all for a good cause - the Howick Santa Parade is the third largest in Australasia and second largest in Auckland. Attracting over 50,000 people, its an amazing community event that cannot be missed.

The Howick Local Board funds some of the costs but its expensive putting on such a huge event. Pleased to be able to help raise money to support this iconic local event.

Check out their website for more support options.

To T2 or not t2

T2 or not T2, that's seems to be the question that many are asking in East Auckland.

It's been a few weeks since the newest T2 and bus lane opened in Auckland, down part of Pakuranga Road. This was deemed necessary to reduce the traffic heading to Panmure while the new Eastern Busway is built. This massive infrastructure project will be transformational for East Auckland but its also very disruptive during the build. Auckland Transport (AT) need to reduce the traffic by 10%or 800 cars to make it possible and the transit lane is part of this.

Transit lanes can be highly effective - the T3 lane on Ōnewa Road is believed to carry more than 80% of people during peak. This isn't always obvious to the observer as it has less vehicles (each carrying more). I used to live nearby and used this for years. It was a pain if you needed to drive solo but if you carpooled or bused, it was brilliant. It forced locals to rethink their behaviour and for the most part it worked. As our population grows we need solutions other than more roads, we simply cannot all fit.

I know that public transport isn't what it should be, but let's focus on making it work. Let's fix the reliability problems - helped by dedicated bus lanes that allow them to miss congestion. I know that public transport and carpooling won't work for everyone, but if more of us do it then it leaves space for those that can't.

The local MP has launched a petition calling for its removal and he's been joined by both local councillors. He's also asking for the Reeves Road Flyover to be built, which is still part of the plan. There does seem to be some shift in the delivery dates for the flyover of the project and I've asked AT what this means.

My view is that we need to wait for more information before making a decision. I appreciate that this isn't much help for this sitting in traffic and I feel your pain. I sit in traffic along Ti Rākau every morning, despite starting earlier and earlier. I'm rethinking my travel plan to use public transport more often, but I'll still get stuck in traffic.

I don't for a moment think the T2 is perfect - there's plenty of issues being reported especially on the intersections of Gossamer and Cascades. Issues getting across lanes and merging safely, issues with traffic blocking crossings and bad driving behaviours. Some of these should be addressed by AT and at last nights local board meeting AT promised to provide a summary of the issues and actions underway.

We need to give it some time. Time for the new park and ride that only began this week to take affect. Time for people to adjust to the advantages of carpooling. Time for AT to sort out the issues like Gossamer and Cascades.

Let's keep the constructive criticism of the T2 Lane coming through to AT and give them time to resolve it. Not months, but a few more weeks.

We need to build safer roads for everyone. With urgency.

There are too many near misses, serious injures and deaths on our roads. Children are scared to walk or cycle to school.

This has to change - we need to build more physically separate cycle and walkways across Auckland now. As Emma McInnes says in this piece, with urgency.

We've invested in cycling infrastructure and the usage has grown considerably. This shouldn't be a surprise when 1 in 4 Aucklanders cycle, it's a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative. And despite the noise from some, cycle-ways are relatively cheap to maintain.

I've had the pleasure of walking and driving in cities overseas that have done protected cycling well. Even if you don't get on a bike, the investment in making people safe makes the entire experience more enjoyable.

It doesn't need to be expensive, plenty of options for separate lanes without massive price tags. But let's not do a classic Auckland & under invest in our future. There are plenty of studies that show return on investment is significant & wide ranging.

Auckland is growing fast and we have the opportunity to become a city that puts people first, not vehicles. We can create a transport system that delivers real choice, with safe, affordable options for everyone. Part of that means safe cycling infrastructure.

I've advocated for a fairer transport system for over a decade. If elected to council, I will make sure council takes action to make our streets and our people safer. With urgency.

Our council needs to listen so I'm here to hear your questions and concerns

We deserve a council that listens to the people, so as a candidate I'm making sure I'm available to hear your concerns and dreams for our city.

I'm attending events, knocking on doors and always available to talk. I'm also hosting a series of informal events across East Auckland where anyone can come along for a chat, ask questions and discuss what you want from council.

There's no need to book an appointment and there will be light refreshments available so drop in for a coffee and a chat.

If elected, I commit to continuing these on a regular basis to ensure that your voice is heard at council.

Howick Library

• Sunday 04 Aug 2-4pm

• Sunday 15 Sep 2-4pm

Te Tuhi Pakuranga

• Sunday 18 Aug 2-4pm

• Sunday 22 Sep 2-4pm

Ormiston Activity Centre

• Saturday 31 Aug 2-4pm

• Saturday 28 Sep 2-4pm

Bucklands and Eastern Beaches Memorial Hall

• Sunday 01 Sep 2-4pm

• Sunday 06 Oct 2-4pm

Botany location TBC

• Sunday 11 Aug 2-4pm

• Sunday 08 Sep 2-4pm

Community planting day a success

This weekend was another fantastic community planting day, this time at Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain. We had a great turnout with families, the Scouts and other groups helping out .

There's 30,000 natives going into this area with locals schools getting involved, all organised by the Tīpuna Maunga Authority. We planted around 7,000 in a few hours but plenty more to do. There's another planting next week so get along!

Cockle Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association planning another busy year

Residents associations play a really important role in ensuring that locals are informed and have a voice. The Cockle Bay Residents and Rate Payers Association have had a very busy year which they celebrated their AGM on Saturday 27 July and I was pleased to attend.

They've been working hard to challenge the huge development planned for Sandspit Road which had helped get the Howick Local Board onside. They're looking towards another busy year working to resolve issues with Cockle Bay including ensuring we don't loose the cockles that give the area its name.

Special speaker for the AGM was Councillor Christine Fletcher who was standing in for mayoral candidate John Tamihere who wasn't able to make it.

My campaign video

I’ve launched my campaign video - a quick explanation of why I’m standing, what my priorities are and how my skills and experience will help make them happen.

Thefts from vehicles still on the increase

Last night was a wild and windy night for Botany Crime Watch Patrol. I saw this story in the Times just before we went out to help the police and our community.

“The good news is robberies in the area are down 11 per cent over the past 12 months.

The bad news is thefts from vehicles, particularly those on driveways – known as non-dwelling burglaries, are uncomfortably high.

Counties Manukau East Police’s Area Commander Inspector Wendy Spiller told the Times that while robberies were down significantly across the area and the whole of the Counties Manukau District, thefts from vehicles have been increasing year-on-year.

Alarmingly, nearly 40 per cent of burglaries are from vehicles, many of which are unlocked and parked in residential driveways.”

— https://www.times.co.nz/news/robberies-down-vehicle-thefts-up/

The sad reality is that our community isn't as safe as it should be and we need to take precautions. Unfortunately vehicles are an easy target, especially when parked on the road. If possible make sure you don't leave anything that looks valuable in the vehicle, although I know this isn't always practical (especially for tradies).

We're fortunate to be renting a place with a garage which fits our cars but not everyone has that option. Ensuring the street lights are working will help, although some crimes happen during the day as the criminals get more brazen.

Talk to your neighbours and look out for each other. We make sure our neighbours know when we go away and it's a huge relief knowing someone is keeping an eye on the place.

If you're keen to get more involved, consider volunteering for your local community patrol. It doesn't take much but the more people who help, the more eyes and ears in the community, working alongside the police to prevent crime from happening.

Howick Youth Council continues to show leadership and action

Howick Youth Council recently held their annual youth summit, bringing over a hundred young people from 9 schools together to understand the issues that are important to them.

Howick Youth Council do an incredible job representing the young people of East Auckland. Some people have criticised youth councils as tokenism or sidelining younger people, but Howick Youth Council has proven they can be effective and empowering.

Over the past few years I've seen them go from strength to strength, building on each years success. Already this year they've delivered a wide range of events and advocated on behalf of young people across East Auckland.

Keep up the awesome work!

Our environment needs action at all levels

Today marks the first day of a new government mandated ban on single use plastic bags. It's been a while since the supermarkets phased them out and everyone has adapted, even if remembering the reusable bags is a challenge! However plastic bags only represent a very small amount (~0.01% ) of the 1.6 million tonnes rubbish that ends up in landfill every year and while I fully support the end of single use plastic bags, we’ve got a lot more to do.

There’s definitely an appetite to do more for the environment. Over the weekend we had a number of events focused on the environment with Howick holding its first Ecoday event on Saturday, followed by tree planting with Macleans College and then Bucklands Beach clean up on Sunday with the Howick Youth Council. All events were well attended showing the keen interest that East Aucklanders have for our environment which is great.

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It’s fantastic to see that locals are keen but we need urgent action by council or our efforts are at risk of being washed away.

We need to invest heavily into water infrastructure to reduce flooding and pollution. The pipes in the older parts of East Auckland such as Howick, Pakuranga and Cockle Bay are struggling to cope with current demand, with overflows not uncommon. As housing continues to intensify, we urgently need to ensure we can meet current and future demands. The work being done to understand the current network is good but needs to be done across the region and much faster.

Last month Auckland Council declared an climate emergency which was another great start but we urgently need action. This means reducing our emissions and for Auckland 40% of these come from transport. While the transition to electric vehicles will help, we cannot all fit on the road. Public transport and active modes such as cycling and walking are essential to reducing our impact on the environment. But they need to be realistic options - reliable, affordable and accessible. Projects like the Eastern Busway can help transform our area, but much more needs to happen to ensure it delivers for more.

I’m pleased to see that soft plastic recycling is back and the government is investing $40m into waste minimisation innovation but we need to do more to reduce the waste being generated in the first place. Strong product stewardship is key to this, ensuring that those producing the waste are required to ensure it’s sensible disposal. We all have personal responsibility but we also need industry to get up to speed.

I want to see a council that leads the way, supporting local community efforts across the city backed up by meaningful action by Council that will ensure that our environment is looked after for future generations.

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 heard again from the Te Uho o te Nikau Primary School who need safety improvements outside the new school to protect their young students from trucks. This conversation started 11 months ago and the process has been very slow but last night funding was approved to start work on addressing these issues. Also approved was funds to help Botany Downs Secondary College who also have safety challenges outside their school.

The fight to save Stockade Hill views continues and Janet Dickson was present to talk to the local board, supported by tireless champions the Defencibles.

I’ve stood with locals to fight for Stockade Hill and will continue to do so

There have been some developments and there are a number of moving parts to this. The original Plan Change 3 will provide a 137 degree protection but we want to save 360 degrees. A new Plan Change 26 will provide clarity on how Special Character Area Overlays work which may help, although Howick's overlay isn't ready and also doesn't include Stockade Hill.

The Board had asked council staff for advice on how to advocate for a solution and received a response last night which was effectively that there was no workable solution. Going against the advice of council staff, the Board unanimously voted to "obtain independent planning and other necessary supporting advice to inform the board on options available to advocate for a change of plan or control development around Stockade Hill" including funds to do so.

This feels like progress, although it's taken far to long to get to this point and there's still a long way to go. What concerns me the most is that the issue has been caused by council failing to listen to locals - the loss of localism.

We need a strong councillor who can take the concerns of our community to council and fight for locals. If elected councillor, I will continue to stand with locals and ensure that East Auckland is heard at the council table.

We've planted a million trees Auckland!

Three years ago the Mayor set a goal for Aucklanders to plant 1 million trees and we reached that target in the last few days .

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.

Plenty of young people turned up to volunteer as well as local board members John Spiller and Adele White. Mike Turinsky also arrived although wasn’t able to plant due to an injury.

Mangemangeroa looks incredible and there were plenty of stories about how people had contributed over the years. Over the years volunteers have planted over 100,000 natives and the progress is incredible. Great to see!

We need more passion, ambition and leadership to make Auckland everything it could be.

Our city is known by many names: Auckland, City of Sails, Tāmaki-makau-rau, but to me it will always be home. I am proud to have lived and worked in Auckland my whole life, seeing the city grow and change.

There is so much to love about our city - we've got some amazing beaches and outdoors, opportunities for entertainment and food, and the people - the incredible mix of cultures that makes our city so diverse. And East Auckland has all of this and more. Our area is one of the fastest growing parts of our city and us locals know why.

I love living in Botany but I’ve also had the privilege of travelling to some of the worlds greatest cities. Understanding what they've done overseas I can see the potential in our city but I’m frustrated by our lack of progress. The greatest challenge facing cities worldwide is leadership and Auckland is no different. Council elections this October are the perfect opportunity to review who is leading our city.

It will come as no surprise to most that I will be standing for one of the Howick seats on the Auckland Council.

I was humbled by and grateful for the support in last years by-election and look forward to building on this. While our city has made improvements, the issues I campaigned on last year remain a problem. My priorities are:

• Fair share of rates. Auckland Council is making an unprecedented investment across Auckland and I'll ensure East Auckland is not left behind. I will challenge reckless spending, put the handbrake on endless rates rises and ensure cost effective delivery of services.

• Deliver on transport. Resolving road safety concerns around our schools must be a priority including ending overcrowding on school buses, ensuring safe road crossings and options for walking and cycling. I will ensure the billions invested delivers on reducing congestion, improving safety and ensuring our transport is fit for a growing city.

• Protect and restore our environment. We must make sure that development does not come at the cost of the environment. I will make sure council takes action to protect our community from climate change, flooding and erosion and work to restore our water quality and biodiversity.

• Strong community voice. We must prevent issues like those surrounding Stockade Hill from happening again by improving communication between council and community. I will ensure that local voices are heard, that council is open, transparent and accountable and we embrace our multicultural and diverse community.

I’ve heard from people across our city that council needs to move faster on delivering change. It’s almost been 10 years since the super city was formed and progress is too slow.

For over a decade I’ve worked as a problem solver for large organisations, helping them improve outcomes for customers, staff and shareholders. This means understanding the issue from all sides, exploring options and working with people to implement meaningful change.

I have the business and governance experience, combined with strong community connections to deliver positive change for our city. With your support, I will provide the vision and leadership to tackle the tough issues, put in the hard work and ensure the people of East Auckland are heard at the council table.

Auckland is a fantastic place to live but we need more passion, ambition and leadership to make it everything it could be.

We can do better.

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.

Last night we got an update from the various parts of Auckland Council and the developers Todd Property.

Lots happening but a quick summary of the key parts to the project

• brand new retail, dining and entertainment shopping centre with 100 new shops including Warehouse, Noel Leemings, New World and Hoyts;

• new aquatic and leisure centre complete with 25m pool, spa, children's area and more;

• new library and community centre, community will be engaged on the design;

• further enhancements to Sir Barry Curtis Park, including walking and cycling connections through the new town centre;

• updates to public transport and roads to support new residents, workers and shoppers.

All of this within the next few years! In fact shopping centre will be done by Christmas next year, only 18months away!

Huge thank you to the all the council staff and the developers for making themselves available this evening and especially Howick Local Board for organising it.

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.

Cars have their place but we need effective mass transit to support our growing population. All the successful cities around the world have them, we should too.

It's easy to forget the incredible progress we've made recently like HOP cards, integrated ticketing, double deckers, electric trains, bus lanes. A recent Spinoff piece gives a great summary of where we’ve come from and where we’re headed.

It's harder to ignore the massive investment underway now like the Eastern Busway and CRL which are being built at long last.

What's essential is that we deliver these transformational projects while also addressing safety and local issues.

Frequency, reliability and coverage of services (both geographical and time) are still issues as is affordability.

We also haven't cracked the first and last mile, which is always a challenge. Park and ride is part of that, but we need smarter solutions so people don't have to drive if they don't want to or can't.

Auckland's transport system is far from perfect but we're on the right track. We need to maintain discipline, funding and not forget the local voice.

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).

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There were some kids using the park and they all said the same thing - it's boring and old. Many had been down to Barry Curtis Park but Lloyd Elsmore is closer.

We spoke to a mother and local teacher who asked for some basic facilities - there's currently no water, toilets or shade. Even getting access to the skate park isn't easy with no parking or footpath access. She wanted her teenagers to be able to come down and play, but she didn't feel safe letting them do this. There's no lighting around the skate park and there have been issues.

The Howick Local Board is aware of the problems and have some work underway to review all sports facilities in the area. But if we want this to improve we need to show the support for it. You can do this via the Facebook page.

Rail is so worn and sunken it’s no use to anyone

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.

Some of this extra cost ($250m) comes from increasing the size of the stations which will future proof them, absolutely the right choice. There's extra costs due to delays ($152m) but also the rising cost of infrastructure ($327m) which is a good reminder the longer wait, the more expensive this gets.

It's also worth noting that this new costing is far more accurate, now the designs and procurement are done.

Congestion costs Auckland $11B a year, we have to invest to tackle this. CRL is a major part of transforming our transport system to something that's fit for purpose.

However how the council managed to find $500m without raising rates is interesting. It highlights the significant savings that can be made if there's a need or will. Councillors need to push harder to realise more of these savings across the city.

What is definitely concerning is the lack of clarity over who will own and maintain the CRL. There's some suggestion it might be NZTA but councillors aren't clear. Considering the massive size of capital investment, I'm a little stunned that this hasn't been decided.