Newmarket Business Association

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

Newmarket calls for ‘pro-business’ Council vote

The Newmarket Business Association is calling on its 1,800 members, and their staff, to vote for Candidates who are ‘pro-business’ in the upcoming Council elections.

There are 20 Candidates standing for 7 seats on the Waitemata Local Board, 5 Candidates standing for one position as Waitemata Ward Councillor on the Governing Body and 17 people standing for Mayor – and Association CEO Ashley Church says that it is essential to the future of Newmarket that there be a strong showing by those who are ‘business-friendly’ to Newmarket and other business centres within the ward.

“These are challenging times for businesses and it’s important that we’re represented by people who not only understand business, but who are also prepared to do the things that are necessary to support it”.

Mr Church said that his Association has had an excellent working relationship with the current Local Board members – all of whom have been very supportive of their needs - but he is urging his members to pay close attention to what candidates are promising – particularly as it relates to doing business in Newmarket.

As a guide he has proposed a 7 Point Checklist of initiatives that he believes members should be looking to candidates to support:

1. Upgrading and redevelopment of Teed Street
Mr Church says that Teed Street is in ‘a shocking state of repair’ and requires urgent work to bring it up to an acceptable standard – but stresses that this is an opportunity to create something both practical and visually stunning. The Association wants urgent action on this important retail thoroughfare.

2. Re-opening of Kingdon Street
Mr Church says that Kingdon Street, in Newmarket, was closed to traffic in 2009 while the rail line was upgraded as part of the redevelopment of Newmarket Railway Station. At the time, assurances were given that the road would be re-opened – however, this promise was later reneged upon and businesses in the area are suffering due to the drop in traffic caused by the closure. The Association is pressing for the street to be reopened

3. A share of the revenue generated by parking meters
Mr Church says that there is currently an uneven playing field which means that some business centres within Auckland have parking meters and some don’t. He believes that Auckland Transport should either apply a consistent policy across the region – or should share parking meter revenue with the Associations in those centres which have them to enable it to be reinvested back into those centres.

4. Development of a public Meeting Venue / Conference Centre
Mr Church says that Newmarket is virtually alone in not having a council owned facility for public meetings, conferences and seminars. He says that, given Newmarkets size, this is scandalous and is a barrier to the growth of the precinct. He believes that Association members should support candidates who will commit to addressing this problem.

5. Development of a Broadway entrance to Station Square and the Train Station
Mr Church says that the current placement of the entrance to the Newmarket Railway Station, on Remuera Rd, was a mistake and that the entrance should be on Broadway and pass through Station Square so as to maximise the flow of foot traffic which comes through the station. He says that the current Local Board have been working hard to fix this problem and that members need to support candidates who will continue the current push for a new entrance way.

6. A moratorium on council investment into new commercial and retail centres
Mr Church says that businesses are concerned at the degree to which Council is an active partner in new ‘greenfields’ commercial developments and says that the focus should be, first, on fixing issues within existing centres (who are also major contributors to rates). He is urging members to support a moratorium on council investment in new commercial projects pending a full review of the commercial infrastructure in the city.

7. A reduction in bureaucracy
Mr Church says that the amount of bureaucracy the average business faces when trying to deal with Council has become unsustainable and is calling for a reduction in this and the development of a customer service culture and a ‘One Stop Shop’ approach to dealing with businesses.

Mr Church stresses that there is no priority order to this checklist and that all initiatives are equally important to Newmarket. He is urging members to exercise their vote to ensure that the centre does not get overlooked during the next term of Council.

Ends

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