For Each Other - ANZAC 2016 Address

Julie delivered the 2016 ANZAC Address at the Mt Roskill Civic service, at Mt Roskill War Memorial Park.  Thanks to David Slack's Sunday Star Times column for the inspiration.

ANZAC

From the initials of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp

Throughout the years the use and meaning of ANZAC has changed, evolved, from a simple short hand reference to a group of soldiers formed in Egypt in 1915.

Biscuits and poppies.  Friendly yet serious rivalry on the sports field.  At times a justification and even a glorification of war, at others a firm rejection of conflict and violence.  A frigate, a bridge, a square, a town, a movie.  A date on the calendar – a public holiday, a ceremony, a day. 

A cove on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey.

So much now that goes into those five letters ANZAC.

The ANZAC spirit is considered to represent the unique Trans Tasman relationship, a shared commitment to endurance, courage, comradery, service and sacrifice, forged in the brutal violence of the first World War, when we were the invaders not the defenders, fighting as part of a clash between empires now long gone. 

Australians and New Zealanders have fought many times in the same wars. The first time Australian troops fought on the same battlefields as New Zealanders was in fact over 50 years before Gallipoli, during the Taranaki Wars, an assault on Te Atiawa.  At Gallipoli along with the Turks there were also soldiers from India, Britain and France. 

Many families from all over the Pacific sent sons, fathers, brothers, via New Zealand, not least those of Niue.  It is a great honour to have now in Mt Roskill War Memorial Park a stone to the soldiers of Niue, building on the intention that this area become a place of remembrance and peace for our community.   I thank the Niue RSA for their hard work to bring this important project to fruition.

I acknowledge the descendants of those who have served, from many countries and in many times, who live in Mt Roskill now, alongside those who have themselves served directly, our veterans, and those who have come here from places of conflict as migrants seeking peace.

While war is synonymous with violence, for many of those who went, for those who served at home and abroad in so many vital roles, wartime was not without bright spots. 

And much of that brightness was about comradeship.  Friendship, goodwill, service to others, solidarity.That most Australasian of terms “mateship”.

The ANZAC spirit is woven through with ideas of mateship, yes initially between New Zealanders and Australians, but also, as many visitors to the memorials of Gallipoli will know from first hand experience, between Turks and those of the Antipodes. 

Some of those who fought did so no doubt for King and Country.  Yet when the trenches were dug, and the bullets flew, they fought for their mates, they fought for each other. 

At home women took on new roles, keeping farms and businesses running, families as whole as could be, for each other.  For those with them and those far away, they fought, in a different way, and they served too.

The nurses and medical staff, the stretcher bearers and truck drivers, all gave in their own ways, perhaps for some larger concept of answering the call of Mother England, but also, certainly, out of care for the humanity, the people, around them, in need of their help, for each other.

Even for those who refused to fight, who objected to New Zealand’s involvement  in that war, they did so for the children of those here and there, they went to jail for each other.

That is mateship, the sense that we are greater than the sum of our parts, and that we will give, we will sacrifice, we will serve, for each other. 

If, as we build and shape the Mt Roskill of today and the future, we keep in mind that ANZAC spirit of mateship, of solidarity and service, we will leave our community better than we found it. 

As today we commemorate together and pledge to remember, so we shall leave this place together, and carry with us a piece of this day and our collective commitment to service, as the ANZACs did,

For each other.

Public meeting: Pylon Pollution - what next?

Where to now in the battle against pylon pollution?

HAVE YOUR SAY AT A PUBLIC MEETING ON SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER AT 2PM

AT SAINT DAVID'S IN THE FIELDS CHURCH  202 HILLSBOROUGH ROAD

Speakers:            

Hon. Phil Goff - MP For Mt Roskill

Jim Jackson – Chair of the Manukau Harbour Restoration Society, CEO of Jackson Electrical

David Holm - Member of the Puketapapa Local Board

Simon Randall - Chair of the Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board

In August 2013, Roskill Community Voice, a team contesting the Puketapapa Local Board Election,launched a petition aimed at progressing the undergrounding of the high voltage electricity transmission and removal of pylons which blight many areas of Auckland and some other urban areas. This followed from a discussion document by the national electricity grid operator Transpower  in April 2013 on undergrounding.

Two identical petitions, one centred on Onehunga led by Carol Beaumont and the other in Hillsborough and Mt. Roskill led by David Holm, now a Board Member, received widespread support with a total of 2816 signatures verified. It was presented to Parliament's Commerce Committee in December 2013 by Phil Goff , M.P. For Mt. Roskill.

The petitions sought a commitment to “undergrounding high-voltage transmission lines through urban areas over a reasonable period of time having regard to the resources this entails” using money set aside from Transpower's annual dividends to meet the long term costs. It also asked for  investigation of technology, planning requirements and resourcing to achieve cost effective solutions to undergrounding.

The Commerce Committee conducted hearings into the petitions in April 2014 and May and June 2015. Transpower responded to the petition in a letter dated 5 December 2014 which was provided to the petitioners for a response made in April 2015. The Electricity Authority and the  Commerce Commission also presented responses to the petitions.

The Committee Report on the petitions was released in Sepember 2015. The majority stated that “We do not believe that a Government inquiry could add much more value at this point.”  The three Labour members of the Committee provided a minority report stating that “Transpower and the Government majority on the committee ignore the overwhelming views expressed by local people. They do not want transmission lines and pylons over their properties or to damage sensitive environmental areas like Onehunga and Hillsborough Bays.”

WHERE TO NOW?

The recently opened  Onehunga Foreshore restoration and the tunneling of the Waterview Connection shows that concerted public advocacy for environmental restoration can persuade government infrastructure providers to invest in improvements.

Transpower has ceased using pylons for new projects in urban areas.There are opportunities to engage with their Environment Manager and the Transpower Community Care Fund which assists communities affected by Transpower assets or projects.

The petitions were supported by Chairs of five local boards and more are sympathetic.

The 2016 local elections offers opportunities to gain support for undergrounding through pledges from candidates for Mayor, Auckland Council and local boards.

The new Auckland Council development agency Panuku Development Auckland is keen on unlocking opportunities in Onehunga including the port area and may be encouraged to help investigate the benefits from more efficient land use without pylons.

Please come along and give us your responses to these suggestions and any other ideas for future actions. You can also reach us by email at roskillcv@gmail.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roskillcv

Lest We Forget - ANZAC 2015 Address

Julie delivered the ANZAC Address for the 2015 Mt Roskill War Memorial service, 25th April 2015, 100 years after the landings at Gallipoli.  

Those who have visited Gallipoli will have noticed there the many cemeteries, markers to the fallen.  These graves have a special international body that looks after them, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and wherever you find them you will find careful, thoughtful plantings.  Red poppies, of course, and also rosemary, the herb.  Rosemary for remembrance.

                                             

I want to focus in this address, on the 100^th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli, on the theme of remembrance, encapsulated for ANZAC Day with the three words “Lest We Forget”

Lest We Forget – a trio that call on us to bear witness, to always remember, to never forget. 

Lest We Forget
The 45% of the then adult male population of Aotearoa New Zealand who went to fight in World War I.  They were called by what was still then thought of as Home, Mother England, to fight for King and Country on land a very long way away. 

Lest We Forget
The 13 men from this community who never came home, who we remember this day with the 13 white crosses that bear their names, as part of the national Fields of Remembrance.  In 1915, a hundred years ago, Mt Roskill was a small mainly rural community.  You can see from the names some families lost several members, and the impact of these thirteen deaths would have been significant – lost brothers, fathers, sons, husbands; lost hopes for those left behind.

Lest We Forget
Those who did come home; the soldiers, the sailors, the airmen, the nurses; the injured, the scarred; those who shared their stories, those who could never talk of it. 

Lest We Forget
Those from other nations who fought at Gallipoli, hailing from Australia, France, the Pacific Islands and African colonies.  There were many Indian troops on the Peninsula, and some of our South Asian community who have more recently migrated to Mt Roskill will have had ancestors who fought with the other commonwealth troops.

Lest We Forget
The Turks, who were fighting on their own land, to defend their own country.  More than 80,000 Turks died at Gallipoli.

Lest We Forget
The spirit of grace and forgiveness that some can find after war. 

Lest We Forget
The 1934 words of Ataturk, Turkey’s first president, carved in stone at ANZAC Cove:

“Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives!
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.
After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”

Lest We Forget
Those who remained at home; the invalids, the Home Guard, the providers of essential services, the women stepping into male roles for the first time, the conscientious objectors, those too young or too old to go.   The burden they must have borne, not only in keeping the home fires burning, but also the hope of the post and the dread of the telegram, the sense of uncertainty.

Lest We Forget
The conflicts before and since; among them the Second World War, the Land Wars, the Boer War, wars in Vietnam, Korea, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and more.

Lest We Forget
The 50 million people worldwide displaced from their homes by wars and conflict right now, particularly from Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine and Somalia.  

Lest We Forget
The people of Mt Roskill who have come here for generations to make a better life, some as refugees from conflicts in their homelands, others in the aftermath of wars that destroyed their homes and livelihoods. 

Lest We Forget

The 143 troops New Zealand has sent this week to Iraq.  My 7 yo son, who reads the newspaper, asked "will Daddy have to go to war?"  Followed by “what if war comes here?”

Lest We Forget
The horrors of war, the suffering of soldiers and civilians.

Lest We Forget
The Gallipoli peninsula as it is today, windswept, unwelcoming.  When I visited in 2006 the sense of loss was palpable.  It was cold and barren, the impression of trenches still clear, as if the land were so affected by the battles that it had not yet recovered nearly 100 years later.  Much as Gallipoli shaped our nation for decades to come.

Lest We Forget.

Championing the Manukau Foreshore

The Manukau Foreshore is an ecological and recreational gem. We love the native bush, the picnic spots, the track network, the hidden beaches, and the wonderful bird life.

On the Puketapapa Local Board we have been champions for the Foreshore, Michael has overseeen

work in this area as the Board's Parks and Open Spaces Portfolio-holder. He has also been a keen rat and possum trapper along the foreshore over the past eight years. 

We've been able to achieve a lot over the past three years, including:

• Overseeing extensions to the track network at Waikowhai, Hillsborough Cemetery, and Cape Horn.
•  Leading the project to develop a new coastal walkway linking Onehunga to Taylors Bay.
•  Developing a community-led vision for the Foreshore to guide our priorities in the years to come.
•  Securing a ten year funding programme to control weeds along the coastal reserves, now in action.
•  Pushing for the development of the new walkway through Lynfield Reserve (under construction).
•  Taking action to protect and preserve the historic Waikowhai changing sheds.
•  Launching the campaign to Bury the Pylons that blight our Foreshore and neighbourhoods.

In the next term we want to build on this work, and in particular we are keen to help support the newly formed Waikowhai Forest Restoration Network, and to make further progress on completing the track network, including the provision of useful, integrated signage, and appropriate facilities.

With your support we can further enhance this very special place in our community.

Bury the Pylons - First 1000 signatures handed over!

David Holm has written a short update on the Bury The Pylons campaign, reporting on the handover of the first 1000 signatures on the petition on Sautrday 21st Sept.  

The first 1000 signatures on the Bury the Pylons petition were presented last week to Phil Goff , M.P. for Mt. Roskill, at Taylors Bay near some of the most unsightly pylons in the Manukau Harbour. 

Phil told a group of local supporters about how his father, now aged over 90 had swum in the area when young. He pointed out that the $20 million plus improvements to the Onehunga foreshore would be hugely enhanced if the adjacent pylons were removed. All new Transpower lines in urban areas in New Zealand are now undergrounded.

At the latest count, petition signatures are well past halfway to the second thousand. The offer for places to display  "Bury the Pylons" signs is well in excess of the number of signs available. 

At a public meeting in Onehunga, Transpower representatives stated that they are receptive to opportunities to underground lines, provided funds are available from government or other sources. The petition points to the dividends being paid by Transpower to the Government which this year reached $295 million.

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.

Big Heritage wins for Roskill

Roskill’s heritage is rich and interesting. However, for a long time it has been neglected. We have lost

many significant buildings over the years, we have fewer heritage protected buildings than any other part of Auckland, there is paucity of heritage signage in place, and a very senior Roskill councillor was once quoted as saying “Roskill has no heritage”.

Over the last three years we have worked with the local community to turn that around. The achievements are now really stacking up, with Michael Wood leading work in this area as the Local Board’s heritage portfolio holder:

•  Took steps to protect and preserve the historic block changing sheds at Waikowhai
•  Secured $150,000 to advance the first formal survey of Mt Roskill/Puketapapa’s heritage with many key sites identified and proposed for protection under the Unitary Plan
•  Established an annual Heritage Forum to bring together local people with an interest in Roskill’s history
•  Co-ordinated local events for the annual Heritage Festival in Roskill 
• Organised 2012’s Heritage Art competition for local school students 
•   Secured the restoration and return of the much loved ‘Mayor Dick Fickling’ portrait to the Fickling Centre
•  Established a Local Board collection of Heritage images, some of which are displayed in Fickling Centre rooms 
•   Led the upgrade of St Andrews Reserve, ‘the home of local government in Auckland’ including heritage interpretive signage.
•  Secured funding for the installation of heritage interpretive signage around Roskill and ran a public vote to determine the priority sites. Installation commencing in late 2013.
•  Initiated and delivered the Suffrage Memorial in the Rose Gardens (corner Mt Albert Rd & Warren Ave), to be formally unveiled on September 19.

And then there’s the work of the wonderful Mt Roskill (Puketapapa) Historical Society, led by Garth Houltam. The Society was only formed in 2011 but has done a power of work to get heritage on to the local agenda, and provide the Local Board with good information.

Finally, we are thrilled that the community campaign initiated by the Historical Society and supported by the Local Board to save the historic Mt Roskill Council Chambers has succeeded. A delegation of Board representatives including Julie and Michael spoke to the Strategy & Finance Committee of Council on Friday and received the thumbs up for a $3.6 million restoration plan that will see the original 1957 building restored. This came on the back of a 1000 strong petition from the Historical Society. A great win to cap off a great term for Heritage in Roskill!

We are taking a comprehensive policy on local heritage issues into the 2013 election which can be viewed here.

Media release: Vision for Three Kings to be launched next week

Roskill Community Voice Media Release

8 August 2013

Vision for Three Kings to be launched next week 

“Three Kings was the birthplace of local government in Mt Roskill. One hundred years later it is time for local government to step up and deliver a clear vision for the future of Three Kings, as the community faces unprecedented change”, says Roskill Community Voice candidate for the Puketapapa Local Board Julie Fairey.

“The redevelopment of Three Kings quarry into a major residential sub-division, and proposed Unitary Plan changes mean that the Three Kings of the future will be different. We say that this change needs to be guided by a strong local vision to ensure that the needs and aspirations of the Three Kings community are met”, says Roskill Community Voice candidate for the Puketapapa Local Board Harry Doig.

“We have been listening to the Three Kings community and next week will launch our Vision for Three Kings as part of an integrated policy package about Three Kings issues. Our vision will cover key issues including: ·

• A plan to restore Big King, our neglected maunga. 
• Our vision for a quality quarry development with real public amenity 
• The Unitary Plan and how we ensure good community outcomes 
• Protection and promotion of Three Kings’ local heritage and character 

“A key part of our vision will be an exciting new campaign to ‘Restore Big King’. An announcement about this campaign will be made at the launch event”, says Julie Fairey.

“Our ‘Vision for Three Kings’ and ‘Restore Big King’ campaign will be launched on Saturday 17 August in Three Kings. Local residents can find out about the Vision by checking www.roskillcv.org.nz, contacting us to request a copy of our ‘Vision for Three Kings’ policy booklet, or attending the launch from 3pm on Saturday 17 August. Places are limited so people need to contact us ASAP on roskillcv@gmail.com or on 620-9257 to reserve a place at the launch. We are excited about our Vision for Three Kings and hope that the local community will be too”, says Harry Doig.

ENDS

Media welcome to attend launch event on Saturday 17 August from 3pm.   Please contact Julie or Harry for details.

Contact: Julie Fairey - 09 620-9257 and 027 285 7734 or
Harry Doig – 09 623 4920 and 027 241 2209

Official Campaign Launch today!

We're holding our official campaign launch today with our City Vision colleagues at the Wesley Community Centre at 3.30pm.  Please feel free to come along - we have Mayor Len Brown, Phil Goff MP for Mt Roskill (Labour) and Green Party MP Denise Roche speaking.  If you like clapping and you like awesome centre-left candidates for your local council then come along!  More info on the Facebook event page.

Media release: Huge Public Meeting Launches Bury the Pylons Campaign and Petition

Roskill Community Voice Media Release

24 July 2013

Huge Public Meeting Launches Bury the Pylons Campaign and Petition

“Saturday’s Bury the Pylons public meeting in Hillsborough was so overwhelmed by support from the local community that the meeting room had to be changed to accommodate the crowd”, says Roskill Community Voice candidate and Roskill South resident David Holm.

“Over one hundred and twenty people filled St Davids in the Fields Church hall to hear about the campaign and have their say. People spoke up about the fundamental unfairness of our community carrying the burden of massive high voltage power pylons through our nieghbourhoods and across the Manukau Harbour. We know that this simply wouldn’t be accepted in suburbs along the Waitemata Harbour”, says Roskill Community Voice candidate and Hillsborough resident Garth Houltham.

“Working with local MP Phil Goff we have now officially launched the Bury the Pylons petition. It is a formal parliamentary petition that asks all of the relevant stakeholders to come together and develop a responsible plan to bring down the pylons. Over the next three years Transpower will give central government over $500 million in dividends, so we know that it can be done”, says David Holm.

“This campaign is fundamentally about fairness. Our community should have the same right to enjoy our properties and environment as any other. We believe that Roskill has been overlooked in many ways over the years, and we are saying that it is time for our community to get a fair go. We urge people to join the Bury the Pylons campaign and sign the petition”, says Garth Houltham.

ENDS

Contact: Garth Houltham - 09 624 2331 and 027-236-7777 David Holm - 09 620 4434 and 027 627 9433

'Bury the Pylons' Online petition.

Bury The Pylons campaign launched!

Today we launched our Bury The Pylons campaign and petition, along with Phil Goff MP, at St Davids in the Fields on Hillsborough Road.

We were quite overwhelmed by the turnout - over 120 people came along and many also volunteered to help further.

We heard from Phil Goff MP about the fairness issue behind it all; that this simply wouldn't be acceptable in St Heliers or on Takapuna Beach, and it shouldn't be in our area either.  He spoke about his intention to approach all the MPs who represent communities with pylons running through them to make this a national issue, but he will not forget that our area should be the priority, as one of the worst affected.

Carol Beaumont MP also spoke about the impact of the pylons on the Onehunga community, and her plans to have a similar public meeting there in support.  Jim Jackson talked about the more technical side of why and how it needs to be done, and his own experiences winning the restoration of the Onehunga foreshore.  Councillor Richard Northey addressed the impact the lines could have on people's ability to build on their own land, if proposed changes are adopted for the Auckland Council Unitary Plan.  Our own Michael Wood MC'ed and outlined the next steps for the campaign.

We'll be back in touch with the 50+ people who offered further help in the next week to make sure they have petition forms, know how to get more, and can return them for collation.  We're also looking into producing simple Bury The Pylons signs, so if you want one for your fence, can help out by sponsoring one, or want to help in other way please email us roskillcv@gmail.com to go on the campaign email list, or contact us in another way if that's easier.


More photos.

Supporting the Save Our Port campaign

On Saturday a number of Roskill Community Voice members and supporters attended the rally to Save Our Port, to show our opposition to the contracting out of port workers' jobs, and support the watersides and their families as they fight for decent working conditions. 

In the picture above are a number of Local Board members from across Auckland, just a sample of many who came on the rally and support this cause.  Above are (L to R):
Greg Presland & Denise Yates (Waitakere Ranges), Tricia Reade (Waitemata), Julie Fairey & Michael Wood (Puketapapa, Roskill Community Voice), Peter Skelton (Mangere-Otahuhu). 

Other Local Board members spotted on Saturday included Leila Boyle, Josephine Bartley, (Maungakiekie-Tamaki), Richard Hills, Viv Keohane, Grant Gillon (Kaipatiki), Shale Chambers, Christopher Dempsey, Tricia Reade (Waitemata),  Catherine Farmer (Whau), Peter Haynes (Albert-Eden) Denise Yates, Greg Presland (Waitakere Ranges), Lydia Sosene, Peter Skelton (Mangere-Otahuhu).  A number of Governing Body members were also in attendance to show their support, including Sandra Coney, Mike Lee and Roskill Community Voice-endorsed Cathy Casey (from Albert-Eden-Roskill ward, which includes Puketapapa).

A few more pictures to come over the next few days too.

Julie's February Board Report

In the interests of transparency and accountability, we've started putting our monthly reports to the Board up on this website. As time allows I'll go back and put the past ones up too. These reports are required for each ordinary business meeting (monthly) and should detail what we've been working on since our last report. If there's anything in a report that you are interested in finding out more about please contact us. We usually speak briefly to our reports at the relevant business meeting. Board members' reports are normally last on the agenda, so often we don't get to them until after 8pm at the earliest.

Portfolio: Community Development

Board workshops, meetings, and briefings
Participated in Board workshops (25th January, part of 8th February)
Board business meetings (Ordinary 26th January)
Attended cluster workshop on RTLP, By-laws and Procurement Policy (1st February)

Portfolio activities for the month – 19th January to 11th February 2012

Portfolio areas:
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:
Portfolio planning – Further work on writing this up with support from Local Board advisors. Follow-up meeting with Local Board services staff (26th Jan). Next steps: Meeting to confirm the plan (15th Feb).

Roskill Community Network –Attended monthly meeting at the Fickling Centre (9th Feb). Scheduled February catch-up with convenor, in addition to informal catch-ups at other events. The Network is entering a new phase as it seeks to investigate possibilities beyond networking, particularly around the three key areas identified in 2011; employment & education, families & health, crime & safety. The network continues to be very well attended by a variety of agencies and groups active in our community, and it is encouraging to see this progress towards perhaps setting up action groups on these key issues. Next steps: Continue regular catch-ups with Zena and attend future meetings.

Ministry of Social Development (MSD) Auckland Central Community Response Forum (ACCRF) – I have not heard anything further from this group since my last report, however will be contacting them myself shortly. Next steps: Set new time and date for meeting, circulate final report and recommendations to the Board once they are available.

Roskill Community Development Group (DIA project) - Attended meeting of the Roskill Community Development Group (2nd Feb). The group has received the draft report of the research stocktake and will receive the final report at the end of the month. A communications group has been established that will focus on ideas to update the wider community on what the group is up to. Once the report has been finalized the group will be examining the results and looking to identify a specific project, with community engagement a key part of that process. I remain involved in a supporter capacity and as a link with the Local Board, including providing secretarial support around keeping minutes at the meetings. Next steps: Continue to keep the Board informed of developments. Continue with minutes’ secretary role and other supportive tasks as they arise.

Public Meeting on the Pah Rd Warehouse Proposal

Tuesday 14th December, 7pm, Royal Oak Intermediate School, Trafalgar St.

All welcome to discuss and give feedback on the proposal to build a 'The Warehouse' store at 100 Pah Rd (where the Holeproof factory was).

This forum is organised by Roskill Community Voice, to seek the views of local residents and others who could be affected. Julie Fairey and Michael Wood will both be present to hear your feedback, as Roskill Community Voice members on the Puketapapa Local Board (part of Auckland Council).

Submissions for the resource consent closed on December 3rd. Our attempts to have this deadline extended, with the assistance of Councillor Cathy Casey, were unfortunately unsuccessful. However there may be other options to have local voices heard, which we will discuss at the meeting.

You can see the full resource consent application at the Mt Roskill Library (Three Kings). It's in a folder marked Eldamos Investments on the Auckland Council information stand - if you can't find it please ask the librarians for assistance.

There is a Facebook event set up for this, feel free to RSVP there and Share it with your friends.  We will also be leafleting nearby streets to let people know.

Refugees As Survivors NZ fundraiser at MR Intermediate

We popped along to this great event at the Mt Roskill Intermediate School Hall earlier today.  Great to see so many of Mt Roskill's cultures represented with dance performances, martial arts, craft stalls, hair braiding, and lots of different food from different refugee communities like Afghani, Iraqi and Burmese. 

Congratulations to Refugees As Survivors NZ for organising a wonderful day, and for all their hard work with refugees in our community.  We are keen to look at how Puketapapa Local Board can support their work in the future, and how we can encourage the communities they work with to have a voice in local government too.

Below are a few photos I took:

The hall filling up with people watching the performances