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.

RCV Policy on Heritage

Roskill's heritage deserves protection and recognition. Our heritage reminds us of where we have come from, and provides our community with heart and character.

We have fought hard to bring focus on to Roskill's rich heritage, which has been neglected for many years.

Our 2013 election policy on heritage issues includes:

• Ongoing advocacy to ensure that important local heritage sites are protected and recognised, either through formal scheduling, or the provision of information about the heritage value of the site.
• Development of a network of heritage interpretive signage to inform the public about our natural, cultural, and built heritage.
• Continuing to build a strong relationship with the Mt Roskill (Puketapapa) Historical Society to support their role in researching and publicising Roskill's history.
• Ensuring the sympathetic restoration of the Roskill Borough Council Chambers, ensuring that the heritage value of the site is preserved and enhanced.
• Working to ensure that the Unitary Plan provides adequate protection of local heritage, including scheduling of important local sites, recognition of heritage character zones, and demolition protection of important areas of early settlement.
• Development of a 'Three Kings Heritage Walk' that takes in key sites in this important heritage area.

Protecting Our Heritage: Identifying Heritage Sites and the People of Roskill 1840-1940

By Roskill Community Voice candidate Garth Houltham, President of the Mt Roskill (Puketapapa) Historical Society. 

With the encouragement of Michael Wood and the help of an amazing group of Roskill residents, I became involved in the setting up of the Mt Roskill (Puketapapa) Historical Society. It has been a great experience and a wonderful opportunity to get to know some like-minded local people. It has also given me a chance to learn more about the history of the community I have lived in for sixteen years.

Over the years heritage protection was not a strong point for the Mt Roskill Borough Council or the succeeding Community Boards following amalgamation. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard there were only four heritage sites listed within the boundary that makes up the Puketapapa (Roskill) Local Board area. Something had to be done about it and this became the number one priority for the newly formed Society.

When we heard the former Mt Roskill Fire Station in Mt Albert Road was up for sale we became concerned that it might be purchased by a developer. Realising without any listing it could be demolished we worked hard with Michael to have the building protected. We were doubly lucky as the young couple who purchased the building valued its heritage status and they have done a wonderful job restoring it. In fact it is looking better than it has done for many years.

Next came, the battle to protect the former Mt Roskill Municipal Chambers on the corner of Mt Eden Road. I really enjoyed getting out in the community helping to collect over 1000 signatures calling on Auckland Council to rule out demolition as an option. I like to think it was the petition that convinced our City Councillors to support the motion rejecting demolition. We look forward to work starting on the demolition of the black mould infected rear section and restoration of the original building to create a permanent home for our Local Board.

We came to realise these last minute rear guard actions were not the best answer to protect our built heritage. We needed to find a more permanent solution. Once more our champion on the Board Michael Wood stepped up and worked hard to get money allocated to have a survey completed to identify our heritage sites. This survey has just been completed with the involvement of the Historical Society and some hard work by local historian Lisa Truttman. We look forward to the publication of the report and seeing an increase in the number of protected buildings listed in the completed Unitary Plan.

Another project promoted by the Historical Society has been an upgrade for the Mt Roskill War Memorial precinct in May Road to coincide with the 100th Anniversay of WW1. One of the specific tasks of this project will be to include the names of those who lost their lives in WW1 and WW2 somewhere as part of the upgrade. I accepted the position as convenor of a community group working on the project and our first task has been to organise a design competition for university and college students. The competition will shortly close and we look forward to selecting the winning entry so we can move on to the next phase of the project.

Built heritage is just one aspect of the work of the Historical Society. We also recognise that recording the people of Roskill (Puketapapa) who made our community what it is today is equally important. The focus of this work has been the creation of a database recording the names of people who have lived in or were associated with Roskill for the first one hundred years of its history. Access to this database is now available on the facebook site Mt Roskill People 1840-1940.

The impact that this highly motivated group of local historians has had in protecting the heritage of Roskill (Puketapapa), in such a short time, deserves recognition. It has been a privilege being a member working with them. Credit must also go to Board Member Michael Wood whose encouragement and practical support made our undertakings so much easier

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.

Media statement: Support for free swimming pools

“Mayor Len Brown’s proposal to investigate the provision of free swimming pools across Auckland is a great idea and elected Councillors and Local Board Members should at the very least be open minded about the idea, rather than writing it off before a report has been produced”, says Julie Fairey, a Roskill Community Voice member of the Puketapapa Local Board.

“The Mayor’s policy on free pools was a centre-piece of his campaign and was widely understood by Aucklanders when they elected him to office. It is concerning that some Councillors are suggesting that the Mayor should not proceed with a proposal that he was elected to implement”, continues Fairey.

“Obviously the proposal needs to be carefully looked at first and that is why a feasibility study has been set up to look at the issues and the costs. Implementation of the policy will no doubt have some complexities, and it will cost. However, it is important that we invest in facilities that give our young people access to safe and healthy recreation opportunities”.

“Free universal provision of services like public libraries is a part of the landscape, and is part of living in a civilised community. There are comparable benefits in providing free access to public pools and we commend the Mayor for taking action on this issue”, concludes Fairey.

ENDS