A look back at our Governing Body In this podcast I look back to the year that was with Auckland Council’s Governing Body. While not a great year for … Continue reading The Weekend Analysis: The Year That Was At Auckland Council
Tag: Auckland Council
Coming Up on The Weekend Analysis
End of the Line?
For my last Weekend Analysis for 2014 I was going to look back at the City Rail Link debate that happened on Tuesday. Well Kane from All About Auckland who was there when the Governing Body failed in their one job (Council: You Had ONE Job! UPDATED) delivered this promotional piece for his show on Monday:
The End of the Line?
The Governing Body convened for an Extraordinary Meeting on Tuesday to debate the City Rail Link for the 7th time. Quite why they were required to perform yet again remains unclear.
Most likely reasons being that a letter arrived on the Auditor General’s desk from some Councillors which may have had an unsettling effect on her.
Another reason being that the last meeting to discuss the CRL, at the Budget debate, saw a spilt decision on allowing a road tolling option to be included in the Transport Funding consultation document.
Len could not afford the political risk inherent in a decision that saw the far left and far right join forces against the centrists so when the opportunity for another vote loomed up in the form of the Auditor General rejecting the Budget while it included Central Government funding for the CRL, rather than quietly negotiating through it, he used the chance to improve his mandate.
The debate, which was a good one, marks the sorry end to Len’s political career as the Mayor with the Mojo. The Mayor in waiting said it all when, part way through the debate, she took careful aim and explained to him exactly how he should do his job. And all the while those on the left and the right giving him the benefit of their advice
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Ouch!
Kane’s piece certainly delivers enough material to work on as does Bob Dey’s piece as well.
So tomorrow on The Weekend Analysis I look back at the CRL debate as well as my picks for Councillor(s) of 2014 – both good and bad!
Promo piece
All About Auckland Show
On This Week’s Show:
The End of the Line?
Episode 47
SkyTV Channel 83 FACETV
Monday at 9pm – repeats Tuesday 12.30pm
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Update on the Pocket Park in Manukau City Centre
Investigation to begin Yesterday I blogged on an idea someone gave on Twitter about establishing a pocket park in Manukau City Centre. From Talking Auckland Pocket Park in Manukau? … Continue reading Update on the Pocket Park in Manukau City Centre
Funding for Whau Environmental Projects
$14,000 granted
From Auckland Council
$14,000 for Whau environmental projects
Two Whau-based projects have been awarded a combined $14,200 from Auckland Council’s Environmental Initiatives Fund to help care for the area’s environment and protect its heritage.
The Whau River Catchment Trust receives $11,700 went to support the rehabilitation of the coastal bush found at the Kurt Brehmer Walkway in Rosebank Peninsula next to the Whau River estuary.
And $2,500 was awarded to the West Lynn Garden Society Inc. providing a contribution towards an audio/visual system to enhance the community education facility.
Whau Councillor Ross Clow says the awards were well deserved.
“It is clear that there is real passion for preserving our natural environment and heritage in Whau. These two projects will make a real difference to the community, and were worthy recipients of the funding.
“Empowering the local community to help benefit the areas they live is an important part of what Auckland Council does, and I am delighted to see these two deserving projects being recognised by the council.
“I am really excited about them and can’t wait to visit them to see how they are getting on,” he says.
The council’s Environmental Initiatives Fund awarded a total of $634,000 in funding to 133 projects across Auckland with an average grant of $4000.
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Pocket Park in Manukau?
Maybe A fellow Tweeter had read my commentary on the Manukau and Otahuhu Transport Interchanges facing six-year delays (see: Updates on the Manukau and Otahuhu Transport Interchange Situation) and asked: … Continue reading Pocket Park in Manukau?
Updates on the Manukau and Otahuhu Transport Interchange Situation
Story has appeared in the Main Stream Media I have noted both from Transport Blog, and the Manukau Courier (online) that there is indeed a situation with both Otahuhu … Continue reading Updates on the Manukau and Otahuhu Transport Interchange Situation
OIA Request Back from the Auditor General
And we learn something new
After Councillor Cameron Brewer was flinging around assumptions about correspondence between the Auditor General and Auckland Council I decided to file an Official Information Act request with the Office of the Controller and Auditor General to see if there was any correspondence that could be found to substantiate Brewer’s claims.
This was the OIA I sent:
From: Ben Ross
December 09, 2014
Dear Office of the Controller and Auditor-General,
I am aware that Audit New Zealand audited the Auckland Council
Draft Long Term Plan 2015-2025 in which Audit NZ through its audit
has stated: that owing to circumstances it would be prudent of
Auckland Council to push back the City Rail Link start date from
2015/2016 to another date owing to uncommitted funding by
Government prior to 2020.
My information act request centres around correspondence between
Auckland Council and your Office in relation to the audit of the
2015-2025 LTP and/or the City Rail Link start date situation.
What if any correspondence was had between Audit New Zealand, the
Office of the Controller and Auditor-General, and Auckland Council
before and after Audit NNZ carried out its audit of the Long Term
Plan draft.
If there was any correspondence can it be released into the public
domain please as we have confusion coming from Auckland Council
specifically our elected representatives on whether there was
correspondence that either lead to or came as a result from Audit
NZ auditing the draft Long Term Plan.
Yours faithfully,
Ben Ross
……
And this is the reply I got back today (which was very fast):
From: Tamar McKewen
Office of the Controller and Auditor-General
December 10, 2014
Kia ora Ben,
Thank you for your query. Auckland Council and Audit New Zealand’s correspondence is part of an ongoing audit process. On 18 December an audit opinion will be issued concluding this process.
The Auditor-General is not subject to the Official Information Act. But as noted above, you will not need it as the opinion will be made public when it is finalised.
Ngā mihi,
Tamar McKewen
Communications Advisor (media)
Reports and Communications Group
Office of the Auditor-General Te Mana Arotake and Audit New Zealand Mana Arotake Aotearoa
Communications Advisor (media)
Reports and Communications Group
Office of the Auditor-General Te Mana Arotake and Audit New Zealand Mana Arotake Aotearoa
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And there where have it in that I learnt something new insofar as I can not OIA the Auditor General.
In any case though my OIA was answered satisfactorily and we will see that opinion on the 18th – the same day the Governing Body meets for the final time this year.
My thanks to the Auditor General’s office for a very prompt reply 🙂
Council: You Had ONE Job! UPDATED
But no we go re litigate everything else. What should have been a 45 minute debate turned into a 2:30 hour joke that only proves: that again the Governing … Continue reading Council: You Had ONE Job! UPDATED
City Rail Link Start Date Set to 2018
Governing Body Agrees Finally
Just In:
After debating – well relitigating four years of previous debate the Governing Body in an extraordinary session of Council has agreed by a vote of 14-6 (one absent) for the main City Rail Link project to start 2018. That is Option Two of the recommendations per the agenda (below).
As for the Notice of Motions I called for well they didn’t happen (was to be expected but tried) so will try again in the Long Term Plan submission rounds early next year.
The debate itself which dragged from 1:30 to 4pm and should have realistically taken 45 minutes was absolute torture and shows the lack of capacity some of our elected representatives have in that Governing Body. The sole purpose of that debate today was to vote for Option Two and work out funding arrangements to satisfy the Auditor General’s concerns she has raised over the situation. NOT to push a personal barrow from the last four years and especially since the Government has agreed to the City Rail Link in the first place.
So yep again the Governing Body did screw up a debate and continue on its history path of being ineffectual as a collective. Which is a damned shame as we do have some fine and smart individual Councillors in there.
Bring on 2016!
Reference Post and link to agenda
Amendment to CRL Start Date in the Long Term Plan
Feedback Period Extended for Chamberlain Park
Extended until next year
From Albert-Eden Local Board
More time to have your say on Chamberlain Park
Albert-Eden Local Board is in the early stages of developing a masterplan for Chamberlain Park and wants to know what users of the park and local residents think.
The board has extended the survey period, which offers Aucklanders the opportunity to provide input into the early stages of the planning process, until 30 January 2015.
Local board chair Dr Peter Haynes says the board has been overwhelmed by the amount of community interest in the future of Chamberlain Park already, and wants to ensure that all groups have the opportunity to provide input.
“This is the first stage of a significant process for the future of the park and it’s important that we start with a clean slate and consider as many ideas as possible.
“Right now, we are faced with a dilemma – the Albert-Eden area has Auckland’s lowest levels of open space with only 2.8 hectares for every 1000 residents.
“We also have almost one third of the region’s capacity shortfall in sports-field provision – this means that, with no real scope to add or improve more playing fields, many players are missing out.
“Projected population growth, lack of suitable land and funds to buy and develop more parks, and the changing needs of our people demands that we make smart decisions about the future use of places like Chamberlain Park.
“We need additional parks and reserves to allow residents to lead active and healthy lives,” he says.
People can complete the Albert-Eden Local Board’s online survey at shapeauckland.co.nz until 30 January 2015. The survey is a first-look at all of the possibilities for the park, including the adjacent Rawalpindi Reserve and the Western Springs Garden site, and asks people’s views on:
- type of golfing activities – including six, nine, 12 and 18-hole courses, driving ranges, starting-new-at-golf and practice areas
- sporting activities, including cricket, football, multi-use artificial turf, all types of rugby and baseball
- passive recreation like walking, cycling, jogging, dog exercise and picnicking
- play spaces, from playgrounds to skate parks and playing courts
- cultural uses and community-based ecological restoration.
In keeping with exploring all options for the park, the survey asks for the public’s views on housing; however the board itself does not support this as a future possibility for the park.
“No decisions will be made on the future of Chamberlain Park until extensive consultation has been carried out. It will consider the interests of all users of the park and the wider community,” says Dr Haynes.
Dr Haynes points out that studies of golf trends indicate a preference for shorter courses with starting-new-at-golf facilities and driving ranges.
“Shorter courses are increasingly popular overseas, and learn-to-play facilities enhance the chances that we’ll see another Lydia Ko emerge in Auckland.
“The demand and market for golfing provision is changing. This is an opportunity to review facilities in light of current pressures for open space and recreation provision within the inner city.”
Once survey results have been collected, options will be developed for further consultation. This is likely to be later in 2015.
Further Information
On behalf of New Zealand Golf, O’Connor Sinclair prepared National and Auckland Regional Golf Facility Studies (2013). The studies identified the following golf course trends and issues. This summary is derived from: “Auckland Golf Facility Strategy New Zealand Golf”. Findings include:
- Increasing operational costs
- Lack of income diversity: golf courses have traditionally relied upon membership revenue as their main source of income
- Lack of diversity in golf experiences and player pathways: golf facilities are becoming less relevant to their surrounding community and not evolving alongside societal and technological trends or diversifying the golf experience enough to attract new participants
- Oversupply of rounds in Auckland and low utilisation of golf courses across Auckland is low at 23 per cent. There is an oversupply of relatively homogenous golf services and facilities and therefore an oversupply of rounds at these facilities
- Untapped target markets: Golf is currently meeting the needs of a relatively narrow part of the potential market and there is considerable opportunity for participation growth in new market segments.
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