Tag: Auckland

Jostling Over Roading Projects

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So This One or This One

 

Cruising through the media outlets this morning I saw this pop up over the East-West Link verse the “Holiday Highway.”

From the NZ Herald

City business lobby prefers freight route

By Mathew Dearnaley 5:30 AM Wednesday Feb 26, 2014

Group says Onehunga-East Tamaki truck corridor more urgent than Govt’s pet road.

Auckland’s main business lobby says a freight corridor through the industrial belt from Onehunga to East Tamaki is far more urgent than the Government’s $760 million “road of national significance” to Warkworth.

But the Auckland Business Forum has admitted erring in a submission on the extension of the Northern Motorway from Puhoi, for which it says predicted economic benefits are far below what a freight road beside the Manukau Harbour would deliver.

The submission claims incorrectly that there are estimated benefits of $4 to $6 for every $1 which the freight link may cost to build – even though a route has yet to be determined, and a likely price is unknown.

That compares with just 60c to $1.10 which the Transport Agency expects to gain from the motorway extension from the Johnstones Hill toll road tunnels to the northern side of Warkworth.

When questioned by the Herald about the southern freight road estimate, business forum project co-ordinator Tony Garnier said it appeared to be incorrect and would need amending in evidence to a board of inquiry hearing in April into the agency’s planning applications for the northern project.

…

You can read the full article over at the Herald site.

 

I am wondering though if there is simmering tension with the allocation of limited funds and resources to large road projects.

That said we could make the limited funds stretch further with some more sane projects such as these two here:

In other news the combined Governing Body and Local Boards are meeting in the Aotea Centre today to ‘set the scene’ for the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan – the master Council budget document

 

 

News from Auckland Transport

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Some News from Auckland Transport

 

Two releases from Auckland Transport, one on customer service and the other on public transport patronage:

 

From AT on the Customer Service Group:

‘Customers the focus’ at Auckland Transport

Tuesday, 25 February, 2014 – 16:53

The Board of Auckland Transport today established a Customer Focus Committee (CFC), which will drive continuous customer service and customer experience improvements throughout the business.

Mark Gilbert (pictured), who has a background in senior management that incorporated marketing and customer service roles, will Chair the committee.

He says it will provide oversight and advice on a range of initiatives from project planning and market research to implementation. A major priority is an increase in public transport patronage. “Our overarching vision is to put an excellent customer experience at the heart of everything we do” he says.

“We aim to provide outstanding customer service, every time and be a trusted and positive contributor to the lives of all Aucklanders.“That means a greater emphasis on customer needs and wants no matter what part of the organisation or its services they are engaging with.” The CFC is a full committee of the Board, with all AT Directors invited to attend. It will meet monthly, beginning in March.

—-ends—

 

And on the Public Transport Patronage (AT’s report is below the presser):

Jump in Auckland public transport patronage

Tuesday, 25 February, 2014 – 16:40

January saw a jump of three point three per cent in the number of people using public transport in Auckland. The number of trips on rail was up seven point six per cent in January compared to the same month last year.

Auckland Transport’s Group Manager, Public Transport, Mark Lambert says the increase for rail is pleasing considering the disruption to services in January because of on-going work to electrify the rail network.The Northern Express bus service saw a rise in patronage of seven per cent, while the number using all other bus services was up just under five per cent compared to January 2013. Auckland Transport has been running promotions to encourage more people on the North Shore to use the Northern Express. Ferry patronage was down in January. One of the reasons for the drop in the numbers using ferries was the poor weather over the holiday period.

On an average weekday some 236,000 trips are taken on public transport in the region and Aucklanders are now travelling on more than 200,000 AT HOP cards.

 

The Accompanying Report

 

Council Submission to Unitary Plan

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You Can Hear Those Deliberations This Thursday

 

As I made a brief note in the Main Council to Review CCOs this morning as well as in Unitary Plan Update last week, Auckland Council is preparing its submission to the Unitary Plan.

From Auckland Council:

Council to finalise submission on Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan

 

Auckland Council’s submission on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan will be finalised in open council meetings this week.

A draft of the submission will be discussed at the Unitary Plan Committee tomorrow. Committee chair Alf Filipaina says the scale and size of the proposed plan, and the new legislation that guides the submission and hearings process, meant a council submission was appropriate.

“Following notification, the next step was to go back and review everything in the proposed plan. Our submission covers the corrections and refinements found in this review, but not policy changes, as it is up to Aucklanders to have their say on the proposed plan and make their own suggestions for changes.”

All submissions on the plan need to be in by 5pm on Friday 28 February. These will then be coded and published online by the end of May, along with summary reports of the decisions requested in them.

There will then be a round of further submissions in mid-2014, where people will have an opportunity to address any of the points raised – including those raised in the council submission – to say whether or not they agree.

Councillor Filipaina says, “The further submissions phase is all about people having a chance to look at what others have said and respond. It’s especially useful if someone has said something that affects your property – it’s then your opportunity to get what you think across to the hearings panel.”

The Auckland Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel, led by Judge David Kirkpatrick, will set out the process for the hearings once it has assessed the volume and extent of submissions, as well as the topics they cover.

 

Issues covered in the council submission include:

  • –       More accurately defining Public Open Space zones
  • –       Addressing inconsistencies in the zoning of some parcels of land based on flood risk data
  • –       Clarification of how provisions that protect sites of value to mana whenua should be interpreted
  • –       Amending some of the extent of Significant Ecological Areas, where these are found to no longer be appropriate
  • –       Including new precincts and/or rules  as a result of recent Environment Court decisions
  • –       Correcting areas of inconsistent numbering
  • –       Corrections to some heritage overlays
  • –       Correcting zoning errors for some individual sites

 

The council website – www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/unitaryplan – has a range of material Aucklanders can use to find out more about the plan and help them to have their say:

—ends—

Agenda containing the Council’s submission

 

My Own Submission

 

 

Main Council to Review CCOs

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Council Controlled Organisations to be reviewed

 

As Mayor Len Brown said in the elections last year, the Council Controlled Organisations (the CCO’s) were to be reviewed by the main Council. The CCO’s include (but not limited to):

  • Auckland Transport
  • Watercare
  • Auckland Council Investment Limited
  • Auckland Council Property Limited
  • Waterfront Auckland
  • ATEED

From Auckland Council on the review:

Council to review super-city organisations

24/02/2014

Auckland councillors will be asked to approve the draft terms of reference and timeline for a wide-ranging review of Council-Controlled Organisations (CCOs) at the next Governing Body meeting on 27 February, says Mayor Len Brown. The draft terms of reference can be found here (item 12, page 9).

Len Brown said: “Our CCOs deliver a huge range of services for Aucklanders, from water management, to major events, through to the big improvements we’re making in public transport. We need to ensure that as ratepayer owned and funded organisations, they are as lean and efficient as possible, with no waste and no duplication of effort.”

A key election pledge from Len Brown, the CCO review will aim to ensure Aucklanders are getting value for money from the seven council controlled organisations set up during amalgamation, and that they are fully accountable to ratepayers and elected representatives.

Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, Chair of the CCO Governance and Monitoring Committee said:

“Having had three years to work with the CCOs, we are at an ideal point to assess how well CCOs are performing on behalf of our communities, and to look at potential changes where they are needed across council. The review will assess what worked well in the first term and what we could do better going forward.
 
“It is very important that while the review is going on we continue to work with our CCOs to deliver for Auckland.”

Councillors, local board members, CCOs and the Independent Maori Statutory Board have all been given an opportunity to provide feedback on the review’s draft terms of reference. These groups have also contributed to the development of two CCO current state assessment reports that councillors will receive ahead of the Governing Body meeting.

The seven CCOs are Auckland Tourism Events Economic Development (ATEED), Auckland Transport (AT), Watercare, Auckland Council Investments Limited (ACIL), Auckland Council Property Limited (ACPL), Waterfront Auckland, and Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA).

—ends—

http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/newseventsculture/OurAuckland/mediareleases/Pages/CouncilToReviewSuper-CityOrganisations.aspx

 

The Governing Body Agenda which outlines the Terms of Reference for the CCO Review (and the Governing Body’s submission to the Unitary Plan)

 

Another post will be drawn up on the Council’s Unitary Plan Submission

 

Auckland Economic Performance Improving #1

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Auckland Council “Investments” Performing Well

 

The Mayor delivered a speech this morning to the Greater East Tamaki Business Association on Auckland’s Economy improving and set to boom. I will be getting a post up on that speech later. In the mean time you might have seen in the media this morning Port of Auckland, and Precinct Properties posting their results.

From Auckland Council on those results:

Waterfront businesses leading the way in Auckland’s economic transformation 

A boost in profits for two key Auckland companies shows the economic potential that the central city and waterfront can offer Auckland, say Mayor Len Brown and Councillor Penny Webster chair of the Finance and Performance Committee. The pair welcomed the Ports of Auckland announcement today that its half-yearly net profit after tax is up 70 per cent. It comes the day after Precinct Properties announced a 67 per cent lift for the same period.  Len Brown said: “These results reinforce the opportunities we are seeing for transformative growth in Auckland’s economy. Ports of Auckland has taken great strides to increase its productivity and output over the past year, and as a result ratepayers will benefit from an interim dividend of $20.94m.

 

“Precinct Properties is a great example of the private sector keen to work with the council in the transformation of the city – bringing significant new investments and an enthusiasm to align their developments with the CRL.” 

Penny Webster said: “I’m very pleased with the Ports result on the back of the Auckland International Airport dividend. The interim dividend is nearly double last year’s, with steadily increasing freight volumes as POA has begun to see the benefits of its restructuring. ” 

Both welcomed Precinct Properties’ discussions with Waterfront Auckland to be potentially involved in Wynyard Central, a key element of the regeneration of Auckland’s downtown waterfront.

—–ends—-

 

That Auckland still has a way to go before its economic performance is where it should be.