Includes a 5,000 person survey

 

Today the Governing Body meets to adopt the draft 2015-2025 Long Term Plan for consultation early next year. The podcast gives a quick summary what we are up for:

In case the embed does not show up: Governing Body December 14

Twitter feed for live Tweeting: @BenRoss_AKL

Reference Material

 

The Consultation We are to Expect (unless changed today)

The Methods of Feedback to be made available to us:

Phase Two: Collecting Public Feedback

18. The LTP Summary document will be delivered to Auckland households by 23 January which is when public consultation period begins. Public consultation runs until 16 March 2015.
19. The Summary will include a feedback form and a local insert setting out the priorities for the relevant area. It will also encourage Aucklanders to go online to read the consultation document and other supporting information or to complete an online feedback form.  The Summary will also be available in the following languages online and in hard copy: Maori, Chinese, Samoan, Korean, Hindi and Tongan.
20. The table below summarises the different ways council will collect public feedback.  Written feedback will be collected from 23 January to 16 March 2015, while the feedback events will take place between 14 February and 14 March 2015.
21. Table Two sets out the four broad feedback channels for LTP consultation.  Feedback will be consistently collected and processed across all channels.

 

Table Two: Feedback channels for LTP consultation

Audience	Written feedback	In person		Digital engagement activities	Survey on transport options
		Have Your Say (HYS) events	Other community feedback events
General Public	All Aucklanders	25 events held across the region to capture verbal feedback on regional and local matters. Available to all Aucklanders.	Additional events with local communities on local issues (local board driven)	·  Available to all, but specifically aims to engage youth and online communities·  A weekly blog·  3 – 4 themed online forums	A survey of 5,000 Aucklanders will be undertaken on transport programme and funding  options
Businesses and key stakeholders		·      1 key stakeholder event·      1 transport-focused event for key transport stakeholders
Maori		·    2 hui (west/central & south)·    Interpreters will be available at any HYS event if required·    Te Waka Angamua staff will attend all HYS events
Hard to reach audiences e.g. Youth/Seniors, People with disabilities, Ethnic & Pacific		·    4 events for hard to reach audiences	Local boards will target some of these groups through community networks
Co-governance / co-management		·    Event focussed on Maunga Authority operational plan

Written feedback

22. The LTP feedback form is expected to be the primary mechanism Aucklanders use to provide their feedback on the LTP.  Feedback forms will be attached as part of the Summary sent to all households, attached to the consultation document and available online, in libraries, service centres and local board offices.
23. Feedback forms can be submitted via freepost, email or completed online.

 

 

In person feedback

24. Public feedback will also be collected at a variety of LTP events scheduled from February 14^th to March 14^th. The primary purpose of these events is for council staff, elected members, AT board members or their delegates to listen to the views of Aucklanders.  Staff will ensure public feedback is accurately recorded.
25. There are two types of events where Aucklanders can provide feedback in person – Have Your Say events (HYS) and local community feedback events.

 

Have Your Say (HYS) events

26. HYS events will hear public feedback on both local and regional matters. These events replace traditional hearings and will require strong attendance from the governing body, local boards and the Auckland Transport Board (or their delegates) so that the views of the public are heard by decision makers.
27. 34 HYS events are planned across the region, made up of the following events:

• 25 events across the region – at least one event in each local board area with two events scheduled in large geographic areas (Franklin and Rodney) and two in areas with high population (Henderson-Massey and Howick).
• six events will be tailored to meet the needs of specific audiences.  These include:
  • two events for Maori (west/central and south)
  • one event tailored to reach each of the following hard to reach audiences –specifically people with disabilities, ethnic communities, pacific and seniors/youth.

• one event tailored for key stakeholders (including businesses)
• a dedicated Transport event will be held (invite only) to engage specifically with key transport stakeholders.  This event will be strongly supported by the Auckland Transport Board.  Feedback collected will support both the LTP and the RLTP.
• one event focused on Maunga Authority operational plan (attended by Maunga Authority members including Councillors on the Maunga Authority board)

28. The role of elected members (and delegates) at these events is to listen to the views of Aucklanders.
29. Each Have Your Say session will run for approximately two hours, however there could be more than one session held at an event depending on the number of people who register.  Public feedback will be collected across three broad areas:

• The key LTP issues i.e. Balancing affordability with progress; Fixing transport, Your rates; a more active development role for the council..
• Local priorities and proposals
• Other regional matters (if provided)

30. A range of options are available for the structure and format of these events, with the most likely approach being forum-style hearings.  This flexibility will enable events to be tailored to account for logistical variations in the number of Aucklanders who attend, what they would like to talk about, and the number and mix of elected members available.
31. To help manage this, Aucklanders will be asked to register their attendance for these events online through the Shape Auckland website. It would be at this point where they would request a sign interpreter or Māori interpreter if required.
32. To ensure there is fair representation of governing body members at each HYS event, to enable local board members to formally hear and have spoken interaction with the public on general LTP issues at HYS events, and to manage risk by ensuring there is a sufficient number of people able to formally hear from the public where there is large attendance at HYS events, we recommend that delegations are made to all councilors, local board members and staff to hear feedback.
33. Attachment C provides a draft Have Your Say Events Schedule. The events schedule will be confirmed shortly.

 

Additional community feedback events

34. Additional events may be set up by some local boards to support more tailored engagement on local issues in local board agreements.  These will be supported by the Local Board Services department and will tend to focus on continuing ongoing engagement within the local community on local priorities.  For example, these events may focus on engagement with migrant communities, young people, and community or business networks.
35. Public feedback will be recorded at these events.  A feedback session is also planned with mana whenua.

 

Digital engagement activities

36. Shape Auckland will be the digital hub for the Long-term Plan communications and engagement campaign. There are a variety of ways in which digital and social media channels will be used to support the LTP communications campaign. In terms of specific activities to collect feedback, social media (including Twitter, Facebook and ShapeAuckland blogs) and digital initiatives will be delivered, including online forums and blogs:
37. a)      Online forums:   Council will deliver up to four online forums to provide Aucklanders with an opportunity to have their say. These forums will focus on the primary issues for consultation and occur at a pre-scheduled date and time.  People would register to participate and each forum would be supported by a subject matter expert(s) from council.  Feedback received will be recorded and analysed.
38. b)      Blogs – One blog per week will be delivered and managed during the public consultation period. Shape Auckland content will also be shared through third party digital channels to extend the reach of our community engagement.

 

urvey on Transport options

37. A resolution by the governing body was made on the 27^th November 2014 to commission an independent statistically reliable quantitative survey to help inform choices about transport funding in relation to the LTP.
38. A quantitative survey of Auckland residents will be commissioned in early 2015 and will be completed by early April This survey will be based on a short 5 minute questionnaire that will be delivered to Aucklanders via telephone, online and by post. This hybrid approach will ensure the survey achieves maximum reach across the region which still being as cost efficient as possible.
39. Staff will work with the Chief Executive to finalise the survey questions and related matters prior to deployment of the survey in early 2015.
40. To ensure the survey sample is robust and statistically representative of the wider Auckland population, the sample size that is recommended for this survey is N=5000 Aucklanders randomly selected from across the region. At N =5000 the statistical margin of error on survey results at a regional level will be approximately +or – 1.4% at the 95% confidence interval.
41. An independent institution will be commissioned to conduct a comprehensive peer review of the technical end to end survey process in order to ensure alignment with best practice .

 

Reporting/deliverables will comprise of one report which will include analysis by key demographics and at local board level.  The report will also provide a comprehensive description of the method used, research limitations and margins of error on sample sizes. This will be available by 16th April 2015.

……

Source: http://infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Open/2014/12/GB_20141218_AGN_4577_AT_WEB.HTM

 

So what would take essentially 30 seconds to give the two options (and the rest of the 4:30 minutes to explain the context) the 5,000 will be asked the following thanks to the Mayor super imposing two false choices over us:

To fund the Auckland Plan Transport Network, Council needs to find other revenue sources to plug the $12 billion gap; otherwise we are limited to the Basic Transport Network which could compromise Auckland’s transport network by 2042 (end of the Auckland Plan). To help plug this $12 billion gap so YOU can get a world-class transport system for the World’s Most Liveable City which of the two funding options would you prefer:

1. An extra 0.9% rates rise ON TOP of any other rates increases, year on year for the next (X) years, plus a regional fuel tax that would add an extra 1.2% to the price of petrol for the next (X) years
2. A Motorway Toll of $(X) that you would be charged each time you use the Auckland Motorway Network

Now I have not put in the third option which should and might be in there if Council is true to itself over the survey:

• Do Nothing – that is none of the above two options

 

Note: That was not the actual survey from Auckland Council but what is most likely to be asked given the limited options the Mayor has given us for how we would like to fund our transport funding gap.

I am going to take a hunch that if the ‘Do Nothing’ option came up in the survey it would be the most picked answer by a virtual landslide. So it will be interesting to see if Council puts that third option in there.

 

I do also stress that if you do not take part in the survey you can still make your thoughts known about the funding options for our transport system via the other Long Term Plan feed back means. However, we get denied a referendum and Council is going to survey 5,000 instead. I can see the mass cynicism already especially as it will be alongside the standard consultation avenues.

………..

 

Governing Body Agenda December 14

 

Governing Body Addendum Agenda December 14

 

Governing Body Attachments for the LTP – Dec 14

 

Governing Body Agenda to Set LTP Consultation

Just 5,000 to be Surveyed on Transport Funding Options

More Projects as Political Weapons to the Long Term Plan?