Friday, 24 July 2009 - Issue 78
Select Committee
The Select Committee into Auckland governance sat in our city last week and we had an opportunity to make a submission on behalf of our council and community.

A lot of the discussion leading up to the Select Committee hearings centred around the potential for the region to unite particularly in two or three areas relating to representation and local councils.

Unfortunately the region was not able to achieve unanimity although it has come very close on a number of key issues relating to the proposed change.

The issues we concentrated on are those that have been subject to most of the debate in our council chamber. They related to the representation of councillors and second-tier power and the number of local councils to be established under the Auckland Council.

We very nearly got to a consensus on the issue of whether it is appropriate to have at large councillors as well as ward councillors.

Right from the initial discussions on the Royal Commission's recommendations, our council has been solid on the issue of having ward-only representation. We highlighted the importance of bringing all the communities together under the Auckland Council umbrella. We also believed that it was essential - under this umbrella - to get as good a representation from around the region as we could achieve. The best way to achieve this would be through ward-representation.

We also focused the Select Committee on the diversity of our city and the importance of reflecting that diversity around the Auckland Council chamber. Our view has always been that the best way to achieve this was through ward representation on the basis that wards such as Otara, Mangere and Manurewa could deliver on the possibility of cross-ethnic representation. We also touched on the importance of empowered second tier local boards or community councils as we would like them to be called.

The community councils need to have delegated authority so they can continue to deliver services, policy and strategic development to local communities and give communities a sense of ownership.

During all of the public meetings we have had since the Royal Commission's report was announced, the community has invariably talked about the potential for loss of ownership and identity. As a council we believe we can go some way towards allaying these concerns by having good sized local community councils. We have maintained that the best number is between 12 and 17 for the region. Those final numbers ofcourse will be determined through the government and the local government commission's deliberations on boundaries.

The submission was also a time of reflection of how far our community has come.
I expressed our appreciation for the extraordinary work, passion and commitment carried out by our former leaders, Hugh Lambie, Sir Lloyd Elsmore and Sir Barry Curtis and our councils including chief executive officers and staff over the life of our city. We have inherited a place we should be very proud of and we must now move forward with the new structure for the local community councils for future generations to build on.

Walkways
I spent a cold, windy but pleasant Saturday morning with the residents of Grantham Rd in Papatoetoe. The whole street turned out for a street meeting to discuss the potential closing of a walkway that connects their road to Reagan Rd.

This walkway, it appears, has been used by those who ought to know better, including people who have sometimes been caught riding motorbikes down it. Its continued use is a matter of concern for the local community. I understand that there are about 340 walkways in and around Papatoetoe designed to connect the walking public to their various destinations. What I am hearing is that these walkways are sometimes used to access property and to enhance the activities of the criminally-inclined. This is an issue I will bring up at the Papatoetoe community board. One of the positive things about this occasion is that it also highlights the importance of organisations such as Neighbourhood Watch and Neighbourhood Support and the good work they do in bringing communities together, to ensure issues of local concern are dealt with.

Ducks
I had a pleasant evening at the Pakuranga Community Board meeting recently and one of the issues that came up there concerned a problem in one of the reserves.

Tiraumea Reserve is on the western side of Pakuranga and in recent times they've been blighted by a duck problem, which has not been helped by neighbours feeding the ducks. It has given rise to the problem of an unwanted presence of ducks on a daily basis as well as the unwanted excrement. The local neighbourhood were represented and were in full voice at the meeting, urging council and the board to deal with the issue. The board's now looking to arrange meeting with appropriate parks officers and neighbours to finally clip this issue's wings. Our neighbourhood parks, particularly those bordering the coast are brilliant and our burgeoning duck, pukeko and peacock populations need to be managed as best we can to ensure their enjoyment of our parks doesn't compromise that of the local residents and citizens.

Enjoy your week.

Len Brown
Mayor of Manukau

ENDS

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