Category: Hot Discussion

An issue causing hot discussion either here in the blog or in the wider community

Let’s Try This with Manukau

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Start Small – Then Work to Large

 

As we know, Manukau is in the pipeline for receiving Te Papa’s Auckland facility after a joint announcement by the Minister of Arts and the Mayor of Auckland. Interestingly enough the harshest of critics towards the facility in Manukau would be the ones who would naturally support – although apparently they prefer Wynyard Quarter.

However, their claims can be easily refuted by either (or all of) one of three counter-claims:

  1. Perceived inaccessibility at Manukau compared to Wynyard Quarter– when they have no qualms in travelling to malls and beaches from far-flung places in the sprawling city. And travelling cross city should be efficient and seamless once the Congestion Free Network is up and running (also see Point Three in regards to independent tourists who love to explore entire cities – not just the CBD Tourist Trap)
  2. People seeing South Auckland in a negative light – e.g Auckland’s poor “ghetto.” Umm no. South Auckland is a culturally rich and diverse place with great people. Yes some are less well off than others monetary wise but the South as noted is one cultural melting pot. I also live in South Auckland and have no qualms being here.
  3. Concentrate everything in the CBD at the detriment of the suburbs. For heavens sake there is more to Auckland that the CBD and as both experience and Geography have taught me, Free Independent Travellers (locals and tourists) travel. So when they travel – they will naturally trundle down to Manukau to explore because that is what FIT’s do – EXPLORE! 

I have further commentaries on the positives of Te Papa coming to Manukau in my respective three posts:

  1. Te Papa Coming to Manukau – Auckland

  2. Te Papa in Manukau

  3. Why Te Papa North Should be In Manukau – NOT Wynyard Quarter

     

Just a reminder to readers that the Te Papa North Facility is not just housing Te Papa. It is in fact a joint facility with: Te Papa, Auckland War Memorial Museum, and The Auckland Art Gallery all operating out of the Manukau facility. I also believe there will be storage and research operations carried out at the facility as well.

So with Te Papa North on the way to Manukau this might be a good time to really start looking at restoring the love to the Manukau City Centre area.

 

Urban Renewal in the Manukau (Super) Metropolitan Centre – One Step at a Time

Those following the Manukau Super Metropolitan Centre concept commentary know that there are active efforts (from my end at least) to bring the Manukau City Centre out from its 1960’s auto-centric past, into a 21st Century people-centric city.

Te Papa North is another cog in the great machine to “restoring the love” (as Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse said) to the heart of Southern Auckland and my home (probably why some of the more astute readers can see an emotional attachment from me here).

But no amount of urban renewal in Manukau will work until we get the place flipped over from ‘Car-First’ to ‘People-First.’ By that I mean making the streets people (and cyclist) friendly.

To flip streets over into people friendly shared spaces can be done in small steps on bit at a time. Auckland Transport are already starting with Davis Avenue in making that pro-people (rather than pro-car).

 

The Auckland Transport Davis Avenue Project

Once Davis Avenue is done my next recommendation would be Ronwood Avenue that runs east-west through the heart of the Manukau City Centre Area.

This gallery shows what I am referring to:

You can see narrow lanes going each way with on-street parking and very wide grass centre medians on Ronwood Avenue. Traffic volumes vary depending what is going on at the two roundabouts at the west end and in the centre of Ronwood Avenue.

Basically what you do is transplant what Auckland Transport has done to Davis Avenue over to the entire length (except for the small piece at the Great South Road end which can stay as is) and drop the speed limit to 30km/h. If you go one step further you could turn the pieces of this upgraded Ronwood Avenue in to Shared Zones like Fort Street in the CBD. One thing though is that depending on the new bus routings from Auckland Transport, Ronwood Avenue might need one or two bus stops to allow buses to exchanges passengers who might not want to go to the upcoming Manukau interchange.

Once Ronwood Avenue is complete with its upgrade my next choice would be Sharkey Street that connects to Ronwood Avenue (and Cavendish Drive). After that then we can look at some of the rat-runner roads like Cavendish Drive and Lambie Drive and get them more transit and people friendly then they are now. After that I think we start hitting some of the existing building sites in the Manukau City Centre area and bring those sites into the 21st Century as pro people not pro car sites.

 

One small step at a time. While others might have abandoned Manukau for flights of (elitist) fancy such as Wynyard Quarter and dumping literally everything of worth and value in the CBD, small steps are being taken in restoring the jewel in the crown of Southern Auckland – the place its people call “home.”

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Not All Alone

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Unitary Plan Formal Notification is Decided Today

 

Bernard Orsman said in his article in the NZ Herald this morning that Mayor Len Brown (who is seeking re-election) was “Brown all alone in action on plan.” Taking stock on the last three years as well as the next three years I wonder if it will be parts of the Isthmus and North Shore that will be left all alone in their Snow Globes.

I have mentioned before how the South and the West are preparing to march into the 21st Century with urban development while the parts of the Isthmus and North Shore will remain our err 1950 Snow Globe pieces.

However, despite all the banter, gnashing of teeth, shilling of the minority and (to be fair) some rational intelligent debate the Unitary Plan is set for formal notification today.

Here is the Agenda and Addendum agenda

The Main Agenda

 

The Addendum (Containing the Unitary Plan)

 

So two major items on the agenda today:

  1. Setting the date for formal notification of the Unitary Plan
  2. Preparing for the Special Housing Areas – which needs the Unitary Plan to be notified for them to become “operative”

 

And so the next stage of the “Long War” to bring Auckland into the 21st Century is about to begin. This stage being a three year “campaign.” It will not be easy as our Snow Globes resist the advancement with everything they have but it will be done!

 

As for Orsman’s article well I was taught in my Liberalism papers that ‘democracy often caters to the lowest common dominator‘. It was implying to shill politics adherent to democracy – as a negative of that particular system (all systems have positives and negatives). Unfortunately I have no confidence in Palino having a grip on the Unitary Plan otherwise he would have not made those remarks comparing L.A to Auckland. Shill politics folks…

 

As the Governing Body prepares for Unitary Plan formal notification I will be drawing up my own thanks with regards to the Plan

 

TALKING AUCKLAND

Talking Auckland: Blog of TotaRim Consultancy Limited

TotaRim Consultancy
Bringing Well Managed Progress to Auckland and The Unitary Plan

Auckland: 2013 – YOUR CITY, YOUR CALL

 

Final Day of the Unitary Plan

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From Auckland Council

Because I am Utterly Exhausted From All This

 

Unitary Plan recommended for notification

 

Councillors today recommended that the revised version of the draft Unitary Plan be approved for notification and the formal submissions phase.

Auckland Plan Committee Chair Penny Hulse says the recommendation underlined the many important decisions made by elected members over the last two weeks.

“Today’s decision is a significant milestone in the Unitary Plan process. We now have a plan that prior to going out for public submissions has already been shaped and changed based on the feedback of thousands of Aucklanders.”

The proposed Unitary Plan which includes amendments to the maps, policies and rules will now go to Auckland Council’s Governing Body who will be asked to officially endorse the plan for notification.

Once approved, a date will be set for notification which marks the start of the formal public submission phase, and the next opportunity for people to have their say.

 

The Governing Body will meet on Tuesday 10 September.

Ends

 

As for the Southern Rural Urban Boundary Issue. Give me some time and I shall go clear any confusion up around that before we all go knock ourselves out.