Councillor can not reconcile owing to East West Link

 

I saw this yesterday from Councillor Denise Krum on her support of improving the health for the Manukau Harbour – the often forgotten harbour in Auckland:

Krum supports move to improve Harbour health

Councillor Denise Krum is delighted that Watercare have stepped up and will be working collaboratively with Auckland Council to improve the Manukau Harbour’s health. Krum has been a long-time supporter of a programme such as this, and back in May 2015, she worked to have funding included in the 10-year budget.

The councillor for Maungakiekie-Tamaki says, ‘For too long the Manukau has been seen as the poor cousin to the Waitemata. There’s a lot we don’t know so Watercare’s funding for a hydrodynamic model will be an essential tool to help us to better manage the Harbour’s health as well as recognising the Manukau’s environmental and ecological significance to Auckland’. Krum will be following the developments closely along with the Manukau Harbour Forum who advocate for sustainable management of the Manukau Harbour and it’s foreshore.

Krum’s resolution at the Governing Body sought to not only fund, but to direct an integrated programme of work for the whole-of-council . Krum says “I believe this modelling will bring all parties together around an agreed knowledge foundation. It’s just what we need!”

—ends—

 

I struggle to see how Councillor Krum can be in support of improving the health of the Manukau Harbour when she is rather too silent on NZTA’s latest mission to trash the Manukau Harbour by building a motorway along the northern foreshore of the Mangere Inlet (an extension of the Manukau Harbour).

The current option that was originally $200m and now an eye-watering $1.85 billion (and they worry about the City Rail Link blowing its budget) can be seen below:

Apparently this new highway is meant to help freight move across the Onehunga-Southdown industrial complex between State Highway 1’s and 20. Except it misses the core of the industrial complex entirely while severing Onehunga from the foreshore by a sea of asphalt. What is worse is that Councillor Cashmore and I predict that heavy industry will not exist in the complex within the next 30 years (it will be replaced by residential and commercial owing to increased pressure of land use and prices) negating the need for a $1.85b truck way.

 

That said an East West Link is needed to cater for both the current industrial use and the future residential/commercial use of the area. Hence why I support Option B:

 

Option B upgrades and optimises existing routes without touching the Manukau Harbour and Mangere Inlet. I believe Option B had the second highest Benefit to Cost Ratio (option A was the highest) while Option F had the lowest BCR (this Government seems to love going for the lowest BCR projects possible). Most of all Option B goes right through the core of the industrial complex while creating new connections to the Southern Motorway (which are currently missing) to serve the complex now and future residential/commercial land uses in the future. Simply put Option B gives the best connectivity for an East West Link.

 

So if Councillor Krum supports the health of the Manukau Harbour she would be saying very loudly even as a member of the National Party NO to Option F trashing the Manukau Harbour. Krum would be the flag bearer for Option B if she is serious about improving the health of the Manukau Harbour while improving connectivity in her Ward.

 

What will it be Councillor Denise Krum!