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.

Media Statement: Monte Cecilia 'Blank Cheque' needs review

“A new Council is an opportunity to look afresh at the divisive issue of Monte Cecilia School. We have written to every incoming Councillor to put the issues in front of them and to urge them to urgently review the situation”, says Roskill Community Voice member of the Puketapapa Local Board Michael Wood who is campaigning against the old Auckland City Council’s plan to pay for the demolition and re-building of Monte Cecilia School because it is too close to a new art gallery.

“We know that the incoming Council is keen to open the books, and ensure that all expenditure is prudent. In the case of Monte Cecilia School there are serious questions to be answered. Estimates of the cost of the total project vary between $30-$100 million”, continues Wood

“Most importantly there has been no public scrutiny of this planned expenditure. There is not a single publicly available document that can tell a ratepayer how much might be spent on this project. Effectively the old Auckland City Council signed a ‘blank cheque’ with the expectation that the new Council will pick up the tab”.

“Expenditure of this magnitude makes Monte Cecilia a regional issue. If the project proceeds, then other open space projects around the region will not be able to occur because the budget will be drained”.

“The project was rammed through in the months before the old Auckland City Council was dissolved and consultation was minimal We are calling on the new Council to do the right thing by ratepayers and the local community by opening the books, reviewing the project, and looking at alternative options that meet everyone’s objectives while saving millions of dollars of public money”, concludes Wood.

ENDS

Puketapapa Local Board inauguration

Michael and I were sworn in as Local Board Members on Wednesday November 3rd at the Fickling Centre, in front of a crowd of around one hundred locals.  Many thanks to our families, friends and supporters who came along to celebrate with us.

Richard Barter (previous Chair of the Mt Roskill Community Board, C&R) was elected chair unanimously, and there was an election for Deputy Chair, between Nigel Turnbull of Citizens and Ratepayers and Michael.  Nigel was successful with four votes to our two, after speeches from both candidates.

There was also some controversy at the end of the meeting, around the removal from the agenda of an item to call at Extraordinary Meeting of the Board on November 9th to discuss Monte Cecilia School.  Michael and I moved and seconded a motion to hold the meeting as previously agreed but it was voted down four votes to two.  The discussion will now take place at the next Business Meeting on December 16th. 

Here are some pics of the event, many thanks to Arna for taking them.  Oh dear, can't currently upload the shots to the website, so here's a link to them on Facebook instead.

You can also read thecoverage of the inauguration meeting in the Herald and Central Leader (in print edition today,will put up here once online).

Herald coverage of Puketapapa Local Board inauguration

Part of an article covering a number of Local Board inaugurations, published in the print edition of the NZ Herald on Thursday 4th November 2010.

The inaugural Puketapapa Local Board meeting got off to a rocky start in Three Kings.

The swearing-in of its six members and the election of Richard Barter as chairman went smoothly in front of a crowd of more than 50 people.

Peter Muys even sang a modified Fred Dagg song before he read his declaration. He said he was inspired after seeing the city's new councillors sing at their inaugural meeting on Monday.

The tension began when both Nigel Turnbull and Michael Wood were nominated for the role of deputy chairman.

Both gave impassioned speeches about their commitment to the local community, with Mr Woods saying it "has been targeted by liquor and pokie merchants ... and yes, the eviction of Monte Cecilia School continues to cause division."

Mr Turnbull won the vote 4-2 - a division among the members which was a trend for the rest of the evening.

After the meeting was formally closed, Mr Wood was allowed to bring up an "extraordinary meeting" about Monte Cecilia School which was meant to take place next week.

However, the board ruled - once again 4-2 - that discussion of the matter be held over until next month.

This decision was met with outrage from some of the audience, with one man yelling "corruption" and having a heated argument with another man, who yelled, "Democracy works! Get over it!"

Click through for the full original article, with the reports on other inaugurations.

Media Statement: Monte Cecilia School first on agenda

"The election of two Roskill Community Voice Members on to the Puketapapa Local Board has brought the fate of Monte Cecilia School to the top of the local political agenda," says Roskill Community Voice member of the Puketapapa Local Board Michael Wood.

"We campaigned hard on this issue and now we have made it our first order of business. We have called for an extraordinary meeting of the Board on Tuesday 9 November, at which a motion will be put urging the Council to review the current proposal to uproot Monte Cecilia School, and to consider other more cost effective options to re-locate the school within the park," says Wood.

"The local community remains furious about the way they have been treated, with consultation throughout the process being farcical. More broadly, Aucklanders are concerned about the massive unfunded cost of this pet project. Cost estimates of between $50 - $100 million mean that ratepayers from around the region will be stung, and there will also be less money available for other open space projects across Auckland."

"It is our hope that a new Council and a new Board can look at the whole project with fresh eyes, and arrive at a win-win solution that meets the needs of all parties, and saves Auckland ratepayers tens of millions of dollars. We are discussing the issue with elected members across party lines and believe that a reasonable compromise can be agreed upon," continues Wood.

"Our motion at the first business meeting of the Puketapapa Board is a moderate one that simply seeks to open the books on the current proposal and to look at the options. We strongly hope that the Board supports this reasonable approach and that it can be the start of a process that heals the rifts created by the Monte Cecilia project," concludes Wood.


ENDS

Media Statement: Roskill Community Voice straight to work

"The election of two Roskill Community Voice candidates to the Puketapapa Local Board represents an historic shift away from C&R dominance in Mt Roskill. We intend to use our two Board positions to speak up loudly on behalf of our community", says newly elected Board member Michael Wood.

"Our ticket was formed just six months ago, so to win two positions on the Board is a real achievement, and a testament to the hard work of our whole team of candidates and supporters. We would also like to thank the people of Mt Roskill for putting their trust in us. We will work hard on the issues we were elected on", says newly elected Board member Julie Fairey

"First off the blocks we will be taking the fight up for the Monte Cecilia School community. We campaigned to take all lawful steps to stop the wasteful and shameful forced eviction of the school, and that is what we will now do. There is a new Council and a new Board and we are confident that a solution can be found that maintains the school on the site while meeting the objectives of other parties. We will be taking steps on this issue within a week", continues Wood

"We will be fighting hard on many other issues too, including the spread of unwanted bottle shops, improved access to early childhood education, and ensuring that our community gets a fair share of the Supercity cake", says Fairey

"We will be pro-active Board members who will actively campaign on the issues that matter. We will also be constructive where we can, and plan to discuss a number of matters with our C&R colleagues over the coming weeks. We want all residents to be actively engaged in the new Board and encourage them to contact us with any issues", concludes Wood.

ENDS

Herald on Albert-Eden-Roskill ward in 2010 election

Published in the Herald print edition, Tuesday September 14th 2010, including the following:

...The vast Albert-Eden-Roskill ward is facing dissection by two new powerful forces.

They are not political forces, but transport corridors. The Waterview Connection and the proposed Dominion Rd upgrade both cut through the heart of the new ward, and are the biggest talking points heading into next month's election.

With one councillor to 75,000 people in Albert-Eden-Roskill, candidates for the two local boards (Puketapapa, Albert-Eden) say they will have councillor-like status if elected. The competition is stiff, with 42 candidates competing for 16 seats.

...Puketapapa, commonly known as Mt Roskill, is also Labour territory but has traditionally voted for Citizens and Ratepayers on the strength of the Hay family and their conservative Christian vote. The territory is no longer the Bible belt of Auckland, and C&R face a challenge from a new political ticket, Roskill Community Voice, aligned with City Vision.

Roskill Community Voice are challenging Citizens and Ratepayers on two controversial proposals - the removal of the Monte Cecilia School in Hillsborough and the proposed upgrade of Dominion Rd. The $30 million relocation of the Catholic school to create space around the Pah Homestead has been called a "shameful" waste of money by the group.

The council has also proposed to make Dominion Road a T2 highway, which would require the removal of parking spaces on the road. Businesses at the Mt Roskill end say it would ruin their trade.

Roskill Community Voice wanted an end to the "neglect" of Mt Roskill's shopping centre, which is in stark contrast to the Eden Village at the other end of Dominion Rd.

C&R felt the most important issues were giving a voice to the diverse communities in the Puketapapa region, and lifting young people out of unemployment...

Click through for the whole article.

From the City Vision website:

C&R’s plan to forcibly remove Monte Cecilia School has now exploded as a major campaign issue. This scathing Herald editorial accurately reflects the view of most Aucklanders – we’re happy to invest in the new gallery, but it is utterly unacceptable for the much loved school to be forcibly evicted at a cost of tens of millions of dollars of public money, when it just doesn’t need to happen.

On Saturday the dividing lines became very clear. The new gallery was opened with a ritzy function. The very important people of Auckland attended; many bussed to the venue in tinted MPV’s, no doubt paid for with more public money.

Just across from the gallery, the Monte Cecilia School Community gathered for a family fun day, and to mount a peaceful protest. The numbers swelled despite the bad weather, and the sense of total anger and grief at the potential loss of the school was visceral. Len Brown met with school leaders and expressed his concern about the cost to ratepayers, the impact on the school, and whether there is an on-site compromise option.

The school community just cannot understand why John Banks, David Hay, and C&R are so hell-bent on uprooting the school at an enormous cost, when it is so unnecessary. The community has put forward proposals to move the school buildings to a small 1 hectare block of the park, out of the way of the gallery. This proposal would allow the park, the gallery, and the school to comfortably co-exist, and would cost about one tenth of C&R’s current plans.

At every step of the way however, any attempts to engage in a genuine discussion about alternative options have been shut down by Hay and C&R. Their arrogance was on full display on Saturday as first, Banks and Hay attempted to smile and wave to the protestors as if the whole issue was a joke, and then secondly as a stream of C&R candidates came to talk to the crowd as proceedings were winding down. Christine Fletcher, and Roskill Community Board member Nigel Turnbull attempted to soft-pedal the issue, promising more consultation after the election, and stating that they didn’t want to “politicise” the issue.

What they hadn’t counted on was the commitment of the Friends of Monte to the cause, and their unwillingness to be shrugged off. Politics is about how we make decisions in our community, and this is a political issue. The abuse of process, the sidelining of a whole community, and the enormous and as yet un-tallied cost of the project are all intensely political issues.

In Mt Roskill and across Auckland, voters have a chance to make their own political judgment. Back C&R who have forced this project through at $40 million and counting, or back City Vision for Council and Roskill Community Voice for Local Board, who have pledged to stand with the community against this madness.

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Herald on Roskill Community Voice & Monte Cecilia

In the Herald print edition, Tuesday August 10th 2010.

A political ticket has been formed to oppose plans by Auckland City Mayor John Banks and his Citizens & Ratepayers allies to spend millions moving Monte Cecilia School and Liston retirement village in Hillsborough.

Roskill Community Voice is contesting the Puketepapa local board and endorsing City Vision candidates Cathy Casey and Glenda Fryer for the two Albert-Eden-Roskill ward seats on the Auckland Council.

Roskill Community Voice spokesman Michael Wood said $30 million of public money was going to a "vanity project" for Mr Banks and his C&R deputy David Hay when other parks and facilities were being neglected.

Another candidate, Garth Houltham, said Mr Banks and the C&R-controlled Mt Roskill community board had ignored the community in forcing through their "grand plan" to relocate the school and Liston village to expand Monte Cecilia Park.

He said the ticket was concerned that pressure would come on nearby residents to sell their homes for further expansion, and would act as a "voice for the community on this issue".

The council has gradually been acquiring land for Monte Cecilia Park from the Catholic Church since 2000, but got offside with parents of the primary school and the local community for buying the 1ha site and planning to build a new school about 2.7km away on land at St John Vianney Church in Hillsborough Rd.

The plans have been opposed by City Vision councillors, including Dr Casey and Ms Fryer, who are standing against C&R's Christine Fletcher and Paul Goldsmith.

C&R councillors will be out in force at Monte Cecilia Park on Sunday for the opening of the Pah Homestead to house the $50-million art collection of businessman James Wallace.

The Wallace Arts Centre has been a pet project for Mr Banks...

Click through for the whole article.

Media Statement: New ticket will fight to overturn demolition

“The decision of the Auckland City Council to relocate Monte Cecilia School and demolish Liston Village, as well as the decision of the Auckland Transition Agency to support the Council’s actions are a disgrace”, say Garth Houltham and Michael Wood of the newly formed Roskill Community Voice team, which is contesting the Puketapapa Local Board election.

“The Monte Cecilia community and the broader community of Mt Roskill are shocked by the way the relocation of the school has been rammed through. Consultation has been a sham, and alternative proposals that would have saved the school, while giving the art gallery more space, have been ignored by the C&R Council”, says Mr Houltham who is a member of the Friends of Monte group.

"We are also concerned at the pressure being put on other nearby residents to sell their homes for further expansion of the park. We believe it is time the intentions of C&R candidates are made clear to the community. Owners of properties surrounding the park need to know just how many other homes could be included in this un-costed buy up", he continues.

“We cannot believe that $30 plus million of public money is being spent on this vanity project for John Banks and David Hay, while other parks and facilities in our community are neglected. If Roskill Community Voice wins control of the Local Board we commit to taking all lawful steps to stop the demolition of the school and to stop this waste of public money”, says Mr Wood.

“The community has been ignored on this issue. Our Mayor and our local C&R Councillors have forced their grand plan through, and our local C&R Board has failed to speak up for the community. Our team will be a voice for the community on this issue”, concludes Mr Houltham.

ENDS