Final Campaign Post

There are just 24 hours left to cast your votes in the 2013 Auckland Council elections.

We are urging all local people to make the effort to vote. At this late stage you will need to take your completed voting papers to the Mt Roskill (or any other library) and deposit them in the ballot box before 12noon on Saturday.

The Roskill Community Voice team has thoroughly enjoyed the campaign. We've done everything that we can to engage the local community, focussing on important local issues and running an energetic campaign on the streets of Puketapapa/Mt Roskill.

Our campaign has been focussed on a number of key issues:

1) Winning a Fair Share for Mt Roskill
We say that it is simply unfair that our community receives just 74c of funding from Auckland Council for every $1 spent elsewhere. This legacy of neglect must be turned around and we are the team who will fight for a fair deal.

2) Bury the Pylons
The Pylons that march across our communities and harbour are a blight on our neighbourhoods and Harbour. They would not be accepted in the eastern suburbs and the Waitemata Harbour. We have a responsible plan to underground the pylons and our campaign is building momentum.

3) Looking after our environment and restoring our cones
We are the team who has put real energy into looking after our Foreshore, streams, and maunga over the past term. If re-elected we will have a strong focus on restoring Puketapapa/Mt Roskill and Big King/Te Tatua-a-Riukiuta.

4) Reducing harms in our community
The Roskill Community Voice team has consistently stood up to reduce harms in our community and we will push to reduce the harm caused by pokies and corner liquor stores in our community.

Further to this we are the only team to produce comprehensive policy so that voters have transparency ahead of the election. We've also run high energy local campaigns to engage with local people and involve community in local issues, including Bury the Pylons, A Vision for Three Kings, and Fairness for Wesley.

We have been able to achieve a lot with two RCV members on the Board over the past term and we know that a full RCV Board will have the skills and vision to provide Puketapapa/Mt Roskill with real leadership in the next term if voters give us that mandate.

Stand up for a Fair Share for Mt Roskill: Vote Roskill Community Voice for Puketapapa Local Board and City Vision for Ward Councillors.

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 campaign marches on

Following on from reaching our first 1000 signatures on the Bury the Pylons petition, the campaign is

pushing on to build  even greater momentum.

At last week's gathering at Taylor's Bay, the Roskill Community Voice team handed over the first 1000 petition signatures to Phil Goff MP. The petition will be formally tabled for consideration in Parliament - an important part of getting our case heard. At the gathering we announced the next steps in the campaign:

1) We are aiming for 5000 petition signatures by the end of 2013. We have a solid start and a lot of community interest. Achieving 5000+ signatures will make it much harder for the issue to be ignored.

2) Establishing a community working group to oversee out campaign and petition collecting. This will simply be a small group of local people who will work together to ensure we reach our goals and plan our activities. If you are interested please contact us.

3) Setting up a Facebook page as a source of promotion and contact for the campaign. Coming soon!

The Bury the Pylons campaign has generated huge community interest. The pylons need to go, but it will take a strong campaign that combines community pressure with political leadership to achieve our objective. We have made a great start - let's keep going!

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 Transport

We must ensure that people are able to move around our community safely and efficiently. There must be a greater focus on public transport, safe walk and cycle routes, and making existing roads safer for all users.

Specific local policy includes:

• Ongoing support for better public transport including better bus stop facilities along the successful Dominion Rd and Mt Eden Rd routes, and advocacy for improved cross-town routes. 
• Investigation into local park and ride facilities 
• Ongoing support for advancing the Puketapapa Greenways Network so that people have safe and pleasant routes to walk and cycle around the community. 
• Strong advocacy for Rail to Roskill to be the next major regional project after the Central Rail Link as part of building a congestion free network. 
• Work to review pedestrian safety issues, particularly around known problem areas such as Mt Roskill Campus and Mt Albert Rd at Three Kings.

Media release: Bury the Pylons Petition Cracks 1000!

“We have been overwhelmed by the supportive response of the community to our Bury The Pylons campaign and petition,” says Garth Houltham, Roskill Community Voice candidate for the Puketapapa Local Board.

“We never dreamed we would collect over 1000 signatures in just six weeks, for what started as a small local campaign for us in Lynfield, Hillsborough, Roskill South and White Swan.”

Roskill Community Voice launched the Bury the Pylons campaign with local MP Phil Goff, on July 20th, with a packed out public meeting of over 120 concerned locals. Petition signatures have since poured in from around the community and further afield, amassing over 1000 as at the start of September.

“We thought it was a good idea to acknowledge the huge contribution the community has made to get us to the first 1000 signatures, and so we are going to have a celebration at Taylors Bay Reserve on September 21st. We will also outline the next steps in this community campaign at this gathering”, says David Holm, Roskill Community Voice candidate for the Puketapapa Local Board.

“Petition signatures collected to date will be presented to Phil Goff MP at the gathering at 2pm and we hope that other members of the community concerned about this issue will come along to mark the occasion”, says David Holm.

Bury The Pylons petition cracks 400 signatures!

Between the online petition and the paper one we now have over 400 signatures supporting Bury The Pylons.  Great stuff! 

The campaign is getting picked up by other areas of Auckland too - there is a Bury The Pylons public meeting in Onehunga, 3pm at St Peters Church, corner Onehunga Mall and Church St, this Saturday, to launch the petition in the Maungakiekie-Tamaki area.

We've also had a lot of donations for Bury The Pylons signs and hope to have those organised soon. Plus coverage in the Central Leader several times now.

Thanks everyone for your support.

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 Online Petition Now Available.

Following on from the launch of the Bury the Pylons petition over the weekend, we have now also
posted the petition online:

http://www.change.org/burythepylons

Please sign the petition and forward on to people who you think also support this issue. Just make sure that you only sign once, on either the paper or online version of the petition.

The huge response at Saturday's public meeting means that it has taken a few days to process all the offers of help. An email has now gone out to all people who offered help, and we will be in touch to provide petition forms, and offers to have Bury the Pylons signs on people's fences.

If you want to support the campaign but are not yet on the Bury the Pylons email list then please let us know at roskillcv@gmail.com.

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.

Media release: Campaign & Petition to "Bury the Pylons" Launched

Campaign & Petition to 'Bury the Pylons' Launched

"Ugly", "Intimidating", and "Over bearing" are just some of the ways that Mt Roskill residents describe Transpower's huge high voltage transmission lines that despoil local neighbourhoods and the ecologically sensitive Manukau Foreshore. This coming weekend the Roskill Community Voice team will be holding a public meeting to launch a campaign and petition to 'Bury the Pylons'.

"Fundamentally, we don't think that our community is being treated fairly. Three separate lines of these large steel monsters cross the Mt Roskill area. They ruin views, lower property values, despoil the beautiful Manukau Harbour, and degrade the quality of our neighbourhoods. We know that this would not be accepted along suburbs bordering the Waitemata Harbour, so why along Mt Roskill and the Manukau Harbour?", says Roskill Community Voice candidate and Hillsborough resident Garth Houltham.

"Our campaign calls for central government, local government, and Transpower to advance plans to 'Bury the Pylons'. We accept that this is a big job, but there is a clear solution. Over the next three years Transpower will pay $542 million in dividends to central government. It is only fair that a portion of Transpower's profits be diverted to solving this problem, rather than subsidising other government services", says Roskill Community Voice candidate and Roskill South resident David Holm.

"This Saturday we will be holding a public meeting to launch our campaign and petition demanding action. Residents can get directly involved by signing our 'Bury the Pylons' petition that will be launched at the meeting. We know that local people are sick of being taken for granted and we already have lots of support from the community on this issue. We encourage local people to get involved so that we can win our campaign to 'Bury the Pylons', says Garth Houltham.

Contact:

Garth Houltham - 027-236-7777

David Holm - 627-9433

Facebook event with map, more photos and background information.

'Bury the Pylons' Public Meeting Details:
Saturday 20 July, 2pm - 3.30pm

St Davids in the Fields Church, 202 Hillsborough Rd, Hillsborough

Guest speaker: Phil Goff MP

Public and media welcome

Roskill Community Voice is the progressive team contesting the Puketapapa Local Board for the 2013 Auckland Council elections, and is currently represented on the Board by Julie Fairey and Michael Wood.

Media Statement: Supercity an opportunity to end neglect of Manukau

“The signing of a new funding agreement for coastal restoration across Onehunga Bay is most welcome, but further steps are needed to end the neglect of the Manukau Harbour”, says Garth Houltham, a spokesperson for Roskill Community Voice, a ticket contesting the Puketapapa Local Board.

“With the removal of the sewerage ponds from Mangere, there is a real opportunity to revitalise the Manukau Harbour. The Supercity must be a catalyst for real action. If elected, the Roskill Community Voice team will work hard to improve access for our residents to the harbour, and for the ongoing revitalization of the Manukau”, he continues.

“For this to happen we need to push for the new Auckland City Council to recognize that Auckland has two harbours and that equal funding needs to be allocated to both. For too long the Manukau Harbour has come off second best to the Waitemata.”

“Mr Houltham said the establishment of the Auckland Waterfront Agency once more, will see huge amounts of ratepayers money being spent on the Waitemata. However within the new supercity 572,200 voters live in the nine local board areas that have Manukau Harbour foreshore. These voters and their communities deserve a fairer share of the cake”, he says

“A Roskill Community Voice Board will approach the other eight Local Boards, iwi and user groups to set in place a management plan to cover the entire harbour and it’s associated foreshore. We will develop a long term plan that covers beach management, restoration, mangrove control, navigation, passenger ferries, wharves, ferry car parking, haul out areas, all tide ramps, and marinas. We will end the neglect of the Manukau”, he concludes.

ENDS