Tag: Auckland Council

Things That Really Matter

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Why Your Vote is Extremely Important

 

I open with this:

Things that matter:
Both Bernard Orsman and I (amongst others) were at the Unitary Plan briefing last week on what to expect with the Unitary Plan at notification stage and The Auckland Design Manual.

What do we see:
Bernard Orsman: Berms as the leading issue affecting a very select few on the isthmus of Auckland and absolutely nothing on the Unitary Plan that affects EVERY SINGLE AUCKLANDER and wider New Zealand

Ben Ross via Talking Auckland: Unitary Plan as the leading issue affecting EVERY SINGLE AUCKLANDER and wider New Zealand

Just to put a further emphasis there that Orsman has missed entirely is that in the 2014-2016 term of Council we see the Area Plans come up and into fruition. Area Plans are derived from the Unitary Plan and set urban and social planning for a localised area in Auckland. 21 Local Boards = Countless Area Plans – Area Plans that like the Unitary Plan affect a lot more Aucklanders than berms

So where do your priorities sit? Berms or Unitary/Area Plans?
I know where mine sit

 

I mentioned Area Plans, something of a major exercise that will be undertaken in the 2014-2016 Council Term.

As I said above:  Area Plans are derived from the Unitary Plan and set urban and social planning for a localised area in Auckland.  21 Local Boards = Countless Area Plans – Area Plans.

That is because Area Plans are doing through the 21 Local Boards alongside the Councillors and the Planners. Already I believe one Area Plan has been done with the Mangere/Otahuhu Local Board so 20 more to go by 2016.

Yet this absolutely critical aspect has been forgotten about in this election cycle but many (but not all) candidates vying for our vote!

 

THIS IS EXTREMELY UNACCEPTABLE IN MY EYES!

 

The Mayor will be looking at committing every single resource available for these Area Plans yet people like Orsman rather go focus on trivial issues like berms…

Without Area Plans as an election issue how do voter heck know what voters are voting for if the candidates are not quizzed on it in the election period?

 

So voters; ask the candidates what they will do for your community when the Area Plan process gets under way. I bet most candidates will have no clue – let alone a clue on what an Area Plan is.

 

I know what I am looking for in the respective Papakura and Manukau Area Plans and I voted for council and local board candidates who I know who could do a good job come next year when the AP process begins. Do and have you?

 

Your choice: Candidates focusing on the trivial like berms or candidates who think of both the long game and focus on things that affect you and your community for life – like Area Plans.

 

One last quip on real verse trivial issues – this one on transport:

Here is another one:
Bernard Orsman: Lets Focus on Berms

Real Issue: Orsman’s bus is usually late or does not show up at all when he wants to get to work or go home from work. Auckland Transport seem to ignore this day in day out.

What is the real issue here folks?

Coming Up with The Unitary Plan AND The Auckland Design Manual

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A Run Down in What to Expect from September 30

 

I attended the media briefing in regards to the Unitary Plan and The Auckland Design Manual which come out Monday – September 30th.

At the moment I am writing up my blog post from the briefing will have it up either tomorrow or Saturday morning.

As a teaser you can check the covers to some documents I received from the briefing today.

Update: I now have Scribd working – thus I can embed the “teaser” covers for you 😉

 

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

The Isthmus and Berm Mowing

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Compromise or Harden Up?

 

Must be election time in Auckland. Why? Apart from the fact in front of my keyboard I have my voting papers (for: Mayor, Ward Councillors, Local Board and District Health Board – and which make some depressing reading (the pamphlet of candidate choice is not that inspiring)), the Isthmus is still going on about their berms in front of their properties being mowed.

This stems from a decision on the 2012-2022 Long Term Plan deliberations (the LTP is now operative/in effect) that to save $3.2m from the Council budget, the former Auckland City Council area residents will no longer have their berms mowed by a Council contractor. The Isthmus like: Franklin, Papakura, Manukau, Waitakere, North Shore and Rodney will now have to mow the berm that is in front of their properties.

The rest of the City is wondering what is the Isthmus moaning about when for years if not decades everyone else just mowed their berms when they mowed their lawns. The most common reason I hear from the Isthmus is that the $3.2m of a service cut was not passed on in rates savings. Rather than parts of the Isthmus have been stung with a string of some of the highest rate rises in all of Auckland over the last three years.

 

At the end of the day we can keep going around in circles and most likely tell the Isthmus to harden up and join the rest of us in wider Auckland.

Or we could seek a solution. Councillor Casey and candidate Mark Donnelly both mooted an idea, one that I also submitted on to my submission to the 2012-2022 Long Term Plan. The Solution?

  1. Proper funding of the Local Boards for local services
  2. Allow individual Local Boards to pick whether they want contractors mowing the berms in their area

Basically if a Local Board wanted to pay a contractor of their choice to mow their areas’ berms rather than have the residents do so then they are free to choose. However, the cost would come out of the Local Board’s budget. This means the Local Board would have to decide how to raise the money for this service. The most obvious one would be a targeted rate to pay for the service.

But that way the Local Boards could choose whether they wanted the berms in front of houses mowed by a contractor.

 

While this does not address wider issues such as the 10-10-10 rate rise and loss of earlier berm mowing on the Isthmus it is a remedy to allow Local Boards decide local decisions.

What do you think? Leave your thoughts below

 

Related articles

Plans Plans Plans

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The Next Round of Consultation with Two Plans

 

All these plans and all the consultation that goes with it (although some would do Death by Consultation in the name sake “The People…”) would make most people go nuts. In saying that from September 30 we enter the three-year process of formal notification and hearing with The Unitary Plan.

If you want to get changes put into the Unitary Plan then be prepared to write and send in your formal submission between September 30 and February 24th, 2014. After that we have independent commissioners appointed by the Government who will conduct Hearings through to and inclusive of 2016. Again this is how you get your changes that you would like to see in the Unitary Plan, NOT by giving it back to Councillors to go waste time and money re-litigating until the cows come home before they finally send it back out to notification.

 

In the meantime this from Auckland Council:

Unitary Plan approved for notification

Thank you to those who provided feedback on the draft Unitary Plan. Auckland Council’s Governing Body has approved the proposed Auckland Unitary Plan for notification and a formal submissions phase, which starts on the date of notification, 30 September. The proposed plan will then be available online at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/unitaryplan as well as in hard copy format in libraries for those who don’t have access to the internet.

The plan includes amendments to the maps, policies and rules based on the feedback of over 21,000 Aucklanders and the decisions made by Auckland Councillors on what changes would be included.

The formal submissions phase, which includes further submissions and a hearings process will take place over approximately three years.

For more information on the unitary plan email unitaryplan@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz with any questions.

 

Sea Change – Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan

The Hauraki Gulf, known by many as Tikapa Moana and by others as Te Moananui ā Toi, is a national taonga (treasure). Over the next two years we’ll be creating a marine spatial plan, called Sea Change, to safeguard this treasure.

Ultimately, it’s about securing a healthy, productive and sustainable resource shared by all. The project is led by a partnership between mana whenua (local Māori who have customary authority over the area), and central and local government. Interest groups and users of the gulf, including recreational fishing and boating, environmental and community, aquaculture, fishing, shipping and tourism will have an opportunity to participate.

Sea Change will follow world best practice. This includes using an online decision support tool called SeaSketch. It will give everyone with an interest in this national taonga the opportunity to contribute towards creating a desired vision for it, including recommending:

  • which activities should take place and where
  • what areas and values are important and how to safeguard them
  • options to meet future needs.

A Stakeholder Working Group will take a lead role in developing the marine spatial plan and commence its selection process in October 2013. The group will consider all points of view by compiling and providing information, reviewing evidence, and analysing reports. The public will be able to have their say during 2014.

The non-statutory plan developed through this process will be used to modify district, regional and coastal plans and any relevant policies, rules and regulations.

Find out more at www.seachange.org.nz

How to stay informed and involved

Please pass this on to other people you think will be interested in council issues. Find out more on how you can have your say at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/haveyoursay
In the meantime, if you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing us at consultation@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

 

That last bit being rather relevant especially after somewhat of a mixed bag for me over the last three years in advocating for a #BetterAuckland.

 

October 4 I will have the blog reformatted and set up for the formal notification phase of the Unitary Plan as Talking Auckland will once again run its leading independent commentary on Auckland issues.

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

 

Courage to Ask for Help – Things I look for in a leader

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Would you like me to help?

Or

Would you like to have a sook to the media (well try)?

 

I was going through the Auckland Council Shape Auckland website (that holds the Unitary Plan and e-maps) to get to the e-maps for another post when I saw these two tweets:

Bob Dey’s commentary at his own blog hits the nail on the head in regard to Palino crying foul over the Unitary Plan. You can see Bob’s commentary here. 

As for the Parking/Sleeping Tweet if I was to have a guess looking at it, it seem that particular person is either a Palino Sympathiser or an Anti Unitary Plan  person (usually a NIMBY). So best ignore whoever that person is.

As for Palino going: “When can I see the Unitary Plan?” this is where the difference between asking for help or having a sook to the media applies.

You see I was always taught “there is no such thing as a dumb question – as your dumb question is usually the same one everyone else is thinking but to chicken to ask.” And in life (and still do) I have asked some dumb questions. The thing is though is someone is lost I will always be compassionate and lend assistance (if they choose to accept it).

Even leaders like Mayors will ask the odd dumb question from time to time. And to that I am willing to lend assistance if they accept it. We are all equal in this and it shows me to that the leader actually has humility in them. Because and I also admit it does take a bit of squashing the pride down and plucking up the courage to ask that dumb question – at the risk of humiliating yourself in front of your peers (who should be themselves ashamed for not having the courage to ask in the first place too).

 

So humility is what I look for in leaders (civic, political, sports, business and military). Having a sook in the media over that “dumb” question will put me off you straight away. And Palino (although already having done so earlier in the piece) has put me (even further) off him with that article (sook).

Look if Palino had asked me nicely I would have done one of the following options (and I’ll also do so in reasonable request to others as I have done already):
1) Emailed a copy of the Unitary Plan Amended Clean Version
2) Linked to my blog site of the voting records on changes to two of the most pressing issues of the Unitary Plan – Density and the Rural Urban Boundary
3) Linked or asked Auckland Council nicely to the rest of the voting records with the changes – Auckland Plan Committee Agendas and Minutes (thanks to Auckland Transport Blog for reminding me there on that one)
4) Given him my Twitter handle where I have around 450 Tweets of “live” Unitary Plan happenings from the 5 days of APC proceedings

 

If I had the time available I could have even gone through the current version of the Unitary Plan with you. And I bet there will be something in there that will get me stumped resulting in me asking the planners what it means. Simple stuff folks.

I don’t want to delve into Palino’s sook too much more but Bob Dey did say this in his blog piece which is 110% correct:

The alternative to notifying the draft now for public submissions would have been to send it to a review by the second-term council, possibly resulting in different recommendations. Whatever the recommendations, post-notification the public has the formal opportunity to review the contents, and there will be many people, especially those with vested interests, who will do just that.

Meaning whatever new changes a new Council might throw in there might get equally rejected thus not show up in the operative Unitary Plan any how. Thus a waste of time and ratepayers money if Council tried to pull that (review) option. Oh and also the screaming hypocrisy to boot against the Conservatives who would try that stunt – after harping on about being financially prudent…

Formal submission time is YOUR time to submit YOUR requests on changes to the Unitary Plan. Not a second term Council going willy nilly on the false premise of a review – or Cup of Tea as Councillor Brewer said.

Oh and one other thing that I have to keep reminding people of and so put in this Tweet:

J. P. L. @yakmoose about 4 hours ago: next time you see a council candidate going on about the rushed unitary plan. remember, if they don’t get it through, government will decide

If that were to happen – pretty much all is lost for Auckland.

 

All in all though no one has been denied to the Unitary Plan. The version that will be used in the formal notification stage is still being compiled and assembled. It will be available (all going good) on September 30 for our consumption and reference point for our formal submissions. Those more keen on a bit of mouse clicking can read amendments that either did or did not go through here.

While the clean amended version before the amendments can be found here (warning there are adverts): http://www.filefactory.com/f/c610f210fe21fea0

 

So no one is being or should be denied access to the Unitary Plan. It is all there and the notified version will be with us at the end of the month. And no those trying to pull back the Unitary Plan for a “Cup of tea” are wasting effort and our money as we can put our changes through regardless in the notification stage.