The Green Party has today launched a submission guide to help Aucklanders give crucial input and prevent potentially disastrous Auckland Council budget proposals.

“It’s not just the arts, climate action and community programmes under threat. It’s pretty much every single thing we value about life in our city,” says Auckland Central Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick.

“In 2019, Auckland Council declared a climate emergency. In 2023, that climate emergency arrived on our doorstep.

“Just weeks later, Mayor Brown has released a Budget proposal completely contrary to Council’s own Climate Plan, Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri.

“Mayor Brown is proposing to not only permanently cut hundreds of buses a day, but increase the cost of catching those buses. He is proposing to raid the Climate Action Targeted Rate, which passed with overwhelming public support just last year and was supposed to increase frequency and routes.

“Transport remains the highest source of climate pollution for Tāmaki Makaurau and the fastest growing cause of emissions nationally. Forcing car dependency isn’t just a huge step backwards, it’s head in the sand stuff.

“Thousands have already signed our petition to stop the climate cuts. Now we’re organising for thousands of submissions directly on the budget, which are crucial for showing Council directly that the people of Tāmaki Makaurau value each other and our planet. They simply cannot make these cuts without the mandate to do so.

“Politics doesn’t just happen every three years with an election. It happens every day with decisions made by people in power.

“Aucklanders have seen the power of our communities in the flood and Cyclone response. It’s high time we use that power to change the system which so clearly failed us,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.

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