RCV Policy on Community Development and Facilities

Council can play a key role in bringing our community together, providing facilities, resourcing, and expertise to help our community develop and grow. We support an active and engaging approach in which grassroots community determines local priorities.

Specific local policy includes:

• Heightened support for local community groups through better access to funding streams, appropriate and timely advice, provision of appropriate space, and creating functional partnerships with Council.
• Development of ‘Garden web’ type networks that bring people together around community projects
• Creation of new community space at Hillsborough/Monte Cecilia and in the restored Mt Roskill Municipal Chambers.
• Advocacy for library services to be provided in the Wesley area, which currently has some of the poorest library access on the isthmus.
• Advocacy for a Living Wage so that work is rewarded, local people can live with dignity, and spending power in our local economy is increased.
• Establishing a local children’s panel to ensure that we receive input from our youngest citizens.
• Provide more small scale community notice boards at local shopping areas to help keep the community connected.
• Supporting local events that fit with community priorities and support local groups to deliver them.

RCV Policy on Environment and Parks

We treasure our local environment. Our maunga, foreshore, streams, and network of parks give us space to roam, a sense of identity, and recreational opportunities. We will work to protect and enhance our environment and open space.

Specific local policy includes:

• A strong focus on environmental restoration including: 
• The Manukau foreshore 
• Our local streams particularly Oakley Creek and Wairaki Stream 
• Our maunga – Puketapapa/Pukewiwi/Mt Roskill and Te Tatua-a-Riukiuta/Big King. 
• Establishment of a dedicated Local Board budget line to undertake restoration initiatives on our maunga. We will work with iwi and community to ensure that the mana of our cones is restored. 
• Driving forward the vision for an Onehunga to Blockhouse Bay continuous walkway network and ongoing stewardship of foreshore, working with the newly formed ‘Friends of the Foreshore’ group. 
• Our campaign to Bury the Pylons. We will continue our advocacy to remove these unsightly lines that blight our neighbourhoods and harbour. 
• Development of a playground strategy that gives local communities the opportunity to help shape their local parks and provides a comprehensive approach to renewing our local playgrounds. 
• A strong focus on restoration of the Manukau Harbour including advocacy to keep Watercare honest, continuing to remove Pacific Oyster shells from our beaches, and resolving stormwater run-off issues. 
• Oppose further wasteful acquisitions around Monte Cecilia Park, and instead focus resources on quality development of the existing park. 
• Advancing stream naturalisation projects, and ensuring that naturalised areas have ongoing budgeted maintenance to ensure they are kept in good condition.

New Playground at Keith Hay Park

 The new playground at Keith Hay Park is now mostly open and well worth a look. It is tucked in behind the changing rooms at the northern end of the Keith Hay Park carpark so takes a bit of finding.

As these pictures show it is a real step-up from the standard module playgrounds we are used to, with many innovative features including an amazing climbing frame, in-built tramplines, and a fun astro-turf ramp leading up to the slides.

On the Board we strongly pushed for a more interesting design for this playground and it has certainly paid off. More generally, we have initiated a review of all upcoming playground renewals in Roskill to ensure that we get good outcomes that meet local community needs.

We are committed to building a child-friendly Mt Roskill.


Update:  You can see an album with loads more pictures (and lots of people using the playground) via our Facebook page.