Media Release
City Vision-Labour Councillors - Auckland City Council
For Immediate Release
Tuesday 9 September 2008

C&R Councillors Set to Slash Parks Services and Community Facilities

City Vision-Labour Councillors are outraged that Citizens and Ratepayers (C&R) Auckland City Councillors are all set to slash parks services and community facilities projects at tomorrow's Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee meeting.  In agenda items 13 and 14 of the 9.30am meeting to be held tomorrow, Wednesday 10 September, they are all set to kill off a long list of projects and services, including:

The Avondale community pool
The Glen Innes music and arts centre
The Morningside shopping centre upgrade
The Royal Oak town square development
Any provision for future land acquisition for parks
Any provision for land purchase to enable access to Auckland's harbours
The Manukau Harbour walkway from Blockhouse Bay to Onehunga
The Pt England beach resanding
Much playground development
Park safety improvement in Sylvia Park/Mt Wellington
An extension to Waikaraka Park
Development of Mt Richmond and Sturges Parks in Otahuhu
Any provision for future reserves development
The Grotto upgrade in Onehunga
Any provision for project related renewals
 

Labour Tamaki-Maungakiekie Ward Councillor Richard Northey said, "It is disgraceful and discriminatory that most of the cuts by the new John Banks' Council are set to be in the least well off Tamaki ward.  C&R made a fanfare about purchasing Onehunga's unique geological feature, the Grotto, but now they are proposing to leave it unkempt and undeveloped!"

Labour Tamaki-Maungakiekie Ward Councillor Leila Boyle said, "It is outrageous that having resanded their own St Heliers and Kohimarama Beaches, right wing C&R Councillors will now deny this to Pt England.  Having redeveloped the CBD, C&R are slashing projects to allow Aucklanders access to the waterfront and walkways on the Manukau Harbour.  Perhaps this is because poorer people live in the south of our city?  C&R clearly don't view access to the Manukau Harbour as being as worthy as access to the Waitemata Harbour."

City Vision Eden-Albert Ward Councillor Glenda Fryer said, "The new C&R Councillors have claimed they are promoting walking, swimming, music and the arts, but tomorrow they are all set to abandon the Avondale pool project, the Blockhouse Bay to Onehunga Manukau Harbour walkway and the Glen Innes Music and Arts Centre."

City Vision Eden-Albert Ward Councillor Cathy Casey said, "We appeal to C&R Councillors not to abandon vital projects which meet the needs of people in the outer suburbs in order to give priority to flash iconic projects like the $50 million Te Wero bridge in the central city and the bumper $56 million worth of city window dressing for the 2011 Rugby World Cup."

ENDS

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