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.

Fairness For Wesley

The below is from our Fairness For Wesley campaign - a leaflet we have been sharing around Wesley for the last fortnight.

We are speaking up for fairness, for the whole Mt Roskill community, and especially here in Wesley.

Fairness means that people in our community have equal opportunities, support when it is needed, and a fair go.

Unfortunately, over a long period of time we have not been treated fairly. Did you know that for every $1 that Council spends in other communities on facilities and services for people, only 74 cents gets spent in Puketapapa/Mt Roskill? That isn’t right and we are here to fight for a fair deal.

Roskill Community Voice is your local team standing for the Puketapapa Local Board, working with City Vision candidates for Ward Councillor positions, at the Council elections. We are running a ‘Fairness for Wesley’ campaign to ensure that local people get a fair go.

Below you will find our policies to win Fairness for Wesley. We are the only team presenting a complete set of policies about local issues to the people of Wesley this election.

Our campaign to win Fairness for Wesley means a Local Board and Ward Councillors who will work with the community to achieve:

• Better library services - We need to instill a love of reading and learning in our young people, but Wesley has some of the poorest access to library services in Auckland. We will fight to bring better library services to Wesley. 
• Education and jobs for our people - We believe that Council can play a more active role in helping our young people into education, training and work. We will work actively to try and attract a tertiary education provider into our community, and develop pathways for young people to move through into apprenticeships, training, and good paying jobs. 
• A Living Wage - It is a matter of justice that people get paid enough to live on. With good incomes we can ensure that our families can afford good food, healthy housing, and adequate healthcare. We are the only team in Mt Roskill that is fully committed to the Living Wage. 
• Upgrading our Parks - We will take action to advance the upgrade of Walmsley/Underwood Park to better meet community needs. Members of the Roskill Community Voice team are also leading work to upgrade the Mt Roskill War Memorial. 
• Fair treatment for Housing - New Zealand tenants and neighbours Housing New Zealand is looking to make major changes to its housing stock and may look to intensify Wesley. We need to ensure that the voice of the local community is heard and that we retain public housing in our community for local people. 
• Rail to Roskill - We are the team who is leading the charge to bring Rail to Roskill. A train line from Avondale to Dominion Rd, with a station at Stoddard Rd would bring huge convenience and opportunity for our local community. 
• Traffic safety - It is time to take action on traffic safety issues in Wesley. We will back the local community and push for changes to improve safety on Sandringham Rd, O’Donnell St, and other areas of concern.

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 Town Centres and Economic Development

We need a focused local policy on economic development issues that provides jobs, supports local enterprises, and revitalises our run-down town centres.

Specific policy includes:

• Bringing a greater focus on to the development of an integrated high quality town centre at Stoddard Rd, including development of a Precinct Plan. 
• The development of retail strategy for local and town centres to support the development of a clear retail identity for each area, and a strategic approach to growth. 
• Working with the Mt Roskill Business & Community Groups Association on initiatives to encourage local people to ‘buy local’. 
• A strong focus on improvements to Roskill Main Street, including establishment of a trial dollar for dollar subsidy scheme to improve the appearance of shops. 
• Development of a local economic development plan that builds on Roskill’s strengths and focusses on local high-wage jobs. 
• Support for the Living Wage, which will put more money into the pockets of local people to spend in our community. 
• Fostering local young people into training and apprenticeships, and advocating for a tertiary education provider to provide services in Roskill

A full index of our policy can be found here, updated regularly as we release policy throughout the election campaign.

RCV Policy on Planning

Our community has been the victim of a lack of planning and vision for too long. We want to see thriving neighbourhoods, exciting town centres, quality urban environments, and appropriate affordable housing for our families. This will only happen through wide-ranging community involvement and strong local leadership.

Specific local policy on planning issues includes: 

Three Kings Issues The implementation of our comprehensive ‘Vision for Three Kings’ policy platform, including: 

• Creation of a dedicated 3 Kings planning spokesperson on the Board. 
• Removal of the reservoir on Big King to return our maunga to a more natural state. Prior to this, the restoration of an attractive mural on the reservoir such as ‘Grumpy Cat’ 
• Advocating for the quarry development to include: 
• Restoration of Maunga and better open space as priorities 
• Affordable housing and social housing 
• High quality housing integrated into open space and town centre 
• A reduction in the proposed 8 storey height limit. 
• Protection and promotion of Three Kings heritage. 

Unitary Plan Issues 

• Providing appropriate capacity for growth around our town centres and key transport routes, while ensuring quality development and protection of open space and heritage. 
• A stronger focus on affordable and social housing for our community. 
• Advocating for well-considered intensification in Wesley, and Roskill South, with more distribution along main transport routes. 
• Strongly advocating for community input and better notification of developments. 
• Dealing with flooding. Advocacy for improved stormwater infrastructure, and better planning rules to prevent inappropriate development. 
• Strong protections for our local environment, heritage, and volcanic cones (including viewshafts)

An index of our released policy can be found here, we are continuing to release policy through-out the campaign.

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.

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

Possible arson at Wesley Primary

Thinking of the staff, children and their families at Wesley Primary, which suffered a possible arson attack over the weekend.  An out-building has been destroyed, according to media reports.  You can read (brief) coverage of it at:

• Stuff - Destructive fire treated as suspicious
• Newstalk ZB - Arson suspected at Auckland primary school
• Herald - Auckland school fire 'suspicious'

Faulkner Collins relocation nearly sorted?

Article on BusinessDay.co.nz on 18th November:

Motorway dispute could be nearing resolution

A protracted dispute between an Auckland engineering company and the agency building a $40 million motorway interchange through its property could be nearing resolution.

Faulkner Collins, which manufactures wire, tube and sheetmetal products including shopping trolleys, leases premises in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill from the owner, the New Zealand Transport Agency.
Faulkner Collins (FCL) and its 50 staff have got to be off the site by January 3.

Faulkner's managing director Hadley Wright claims the Crown has ''probably spent close to $600,000 fighting us'' while its own costs have amounted to around $540,000.

The long-established company called in help from the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union. Discussions are ongoing but Wright and NZTA's regional director Stephen Town have agreed to not discuss the matter in detail with outside parties until they'd achieved an outcome. Wright is hoping that will be achieved by Monday.

The property is required for the construction of the Maioro Street Interchange project  a key component to support the construction of the $1.4 billion Waterview Connection...

Click through for the rest of the article via the Stuff website.  Previous news items on this website about the issue are Threat to 50 local jobs at Faulkner Collins and our media statement calling for the jobs to be saved and reporting on Michael's visit to the factory.

Fingers crossed a satisfactory resolution is announced in the coming day, to save these jobs and this business.

Media Statement: Local jobs must be protected in Faulkner Collins dispute say Local Board members

Michael Wood with Faulkner Collins worker and EPMU delegate Sue Turnbull

“The over-arching imperative of all parties involved in the Faulkner Collins relocation dispute must be the preservation of local jobs. At a time of economic recession it would be unconscionable for 50 local people to be put on the dole queue as a result of the actions of NZ Transport Agency”, says Roskill Community Voice member of the Puketapapa Local Board Michael Wood.

“In our community of Mt Roskill we simply cannot afford for this many people, and their families, to be thrown on the economic scrap-heap because of this issue. The employees in this business are often the main bread winners in their family, and with unemployment high they will face an uncertain future without these jobs.  The effect of the business going under would be devastating for them”, continues Julie Fairey, another Roskill Community Voice member of the Board.

“The property is being acquired by NZTA under the Public Works Act. We believe that this places an onus on the NZTA to behave in a way that is of assistance, rather than making demands and threatening jobs. While there are commercial matters to be discussed between the parties, we believe that it would be utterly unacceptable for the actions of a public body to result in the closure of the business and the loss of fifty jobs”, continues Wood.

“This is a very rough time for these workers and their families, and we hope the morning tea we supplied today will have brightened their day a little.  We pledge to do what we can to assist in ensuring that an outcome is reached that preserves their positions. We will also be consulting with our fellow Local Board members to see if there are steps we can take to help resolve the situation”, continues Fairey.

“We urge all of the parties to work out a solution that keeps the business and jobs intact. The actions of a state agency should not lead to a loss of jobs and the government should step in if needs be”, concludes Wood.

Threat to 50 local jobs at Faulkner Collins factory

Faulkner Collins is a wire manufacturer with a factory on Stoddard Rd in Wesley.  They are currently facing difficulties relocating the business, which needs to move as their land has been compulsorily acquired for transport needs by NZTA.  A media statement from the union representing the workers, the EPMU, provides background information here.

Media coverage:
One News - Auckland company fights eviction by NZTA - 10th Nov 2010
Radio New Zealand - Transport Agency seeks to resolve rent arrears issue - 11th Nov 2010

Youth photographic exhibition at Art Station

From the City Vision website:

Art Station held the opening of the youth arts project on 31 August. The photographic exhibition tells the story of the life in Wesley/Roskill through the lens of young people in the area.   The photographs provide an insight into what it means to be a member of the Wesley and Mt Roskill community.   The groups aim was to capture their own community as seen through their own eyes.

Mark William is a photographic artist and is pictured with next to his work, with Cr Glenda Fryer and Puketepapapa Local Board candidate for Roskill Community Voice Michael Wood.  ... The exhibition runs from 1 -11 September at Art Station, 1 Ponsonby Road.