Councillor Harland to stand down in October

9 July 2004

After serving 15 years in local government Auckland Regional Councillor Catherine Harland has announced she is not seeking re-election in the upcoming October elections.

Councillor Harland chairs both the ARC's Passenger Transport Committee and the Auckland Regional Land Transport Committee. She is currently Vice-President of the national executive of the Traffic Institute of New Zealand (TRAFINZ) and has served on many other transport and community committees.

“Over the years I have been fortunate to have had support from the community and colleagues, enabling me to serve in many roles. From my fledgling days as a One Tree Hill Borough Councillor, followed by a term as a Maungakiekie Community Board Member through to Auckland City Councillor and this term as an Auckland Regional Councillor,” says Catherine Harland.

“There have been many challenges and achievements along the way; from helping to deliver long-term flooding relief for homes and businesses in Ellerslie and Onehunga, major upgrades of both town centres, and a new library and community centre for Onehunga. Developments in the transport area include the introduction of bus lanes, bus priority measures, starting the Northern Busway, the opening of Britomart and after decades of neglect the start to transforming rail."

"For me transport has been a passion. Nine years ago we identified inadequacies in the system: too much reliance on cost/benefit ratios that favoured isolated projects versus strategic developments. Roading was pre-eminent with public transport extremely difficult to pursue. There was inadequate funding for transport in Auckland but also nationwide, and getting things done relied on multiple agencies with conflicting objectives.”

"I am pleased that sustained pressure over these many years, by myself and others, has resulted in the Government taking action to change all this. The law now provides for transport to be developed in an integrated, strategic and sustainable manner, we have far more funding than ever before going into public transport and roading and the organisations involved in Auckland transport have been changed."

"Having played my part in these major initiatives I have decided that now is the right time for me to stand down," says Catherine Harland. "I have met and worked with many wonderful people, with great skills and abilities and I want to thank them, and the community, for their support."

ENDS

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