This week for our regular chat with Shane Henderson Casper spoke to the councillor for Waitakere about the city’s annual budget consultation and how and why people should get involved. They also discussed the cost of Auckland’s public transport which is becoming a topical issue with the mayoral election later this year.
For their final interview together for the year, Pippa and Ilena talked about the Mayoral Conservation Awards. The awards were held online last night and recognise and reward the commitment and work of those in our communities who take a leading role in the environmental space.
They also talked about a groundbreaking new poll that shows huge public support for measures to protect and restore the Hauraki Gulf, which the Hauraki Gulf Forum will be taking to the government.
This week, Ilena talked to Councillor Shane Henderson about Auckland Council’s and his own perspective on the Enabling Housing Supply Bill, which encourages intensification in single house zones in Auckland.
They also talked about the proposed Te Whau pathway, which will be open to public consultation from this Monday through to the 20th of December.
This week, Ilena talked to Pippa Coom about the Medium Density Residential Standards and what went down at Auckland Council's meeting about it last week. They also talked about Council services available at Level 3 Step 2 and new electric buses that will be replacing Auckland's diesel buses.
Ilena caught up with Councillor Shane Henderson about Auckland Transport’s Parking Strategy Review and how that figures into Auckland’s wider climate change plan. He discussed changes that are being considered for parking in central Auckland districts, as well as how things might change further out, and how public transport infrastructure needs to concurrently be made an accessible and convenient alternative if we want a greener future.
Ilena caught up with Pippa Coom about Council's recommendations for the Auckland Light Rail team which Cabinet will consider later this year. They talked about what the options are on the table for light rail, how it differs from heavy rail (such as the city rail link being built in Auckland CBD), and the need for rapid transport options in Auckland.
They also briefly spoke about Auckland Libraries’ and Council’s response to a petition asking for a click and collect system to be put in place. Since the interview, it has indeed been announced that Auckland libraries will be operating a click and collect service from November 2nd.
Ilena had her regular catch up with Shane Henderson, who this week talked about how water restrictions in Auckland will ease from tomorrow. Auckland has been under varying forms of restriction since May last year after a long period of drought, but recent rainfall events have had a positive impact on Auckland’s water stores.
Shane also talked about the new bipartisan Labour and National announcement which aims to make it easier to build houses and intensify close to city centres.
This morning, Ilena had her regular catch up with Pippa Coom. They talked about the Super Saturday national vaccination drive that is happening tomorrow, and how those who are unvaccinated or need another dose can take advantage of the day with its greater accessibility and added incentives. They talked about how those who have had two shots can encourage whānau and friends to be a part of the day.
Pippa also touched on what Auckland’s targeted rates are and how successful they’ve been. Lastly, she spoke about the upcoming, little known, but greatly important Entrust elections and why they matter.
Ilena speaks to Auckland Councillor Pippa Coom about plans for the rejuvenation of Auckland's midtown. They also discussed Auckland Council's response to the Three Waters proposal.
This week, Ilena and Shane talk about what moving into level three means for Auckland, and in particular, how level 3 does not mean ‘level free’. They talk about varying levels of compliance and enforcement in different suburbs and how we can ‘support local’ safely during this time.
They also addressed the felling of hundreds of non-native trees at Ōtāhuhu, following up on Ilena’s previous conversation with Shirley Waru. Shane outlined the scope of Auckland Council’s influence on the matter, and gave insight into the consultation process.
Disclaimer:
After the interview with Shane, Shirley Waru, the organiser of Protect Mt Richmond/Ōtāhuhu, had some clarifications on some of Cr. Henderson's points:
Cr. Henderson implied that Auckland Council has no say in Tupuna Maunga Authority’s work. He did not mention that the Authority is a co-governance organisation. It has six iwi representatives and six Auckland Council representatives (who, under the Treaty settlement legislation are there to represent “all the people of Auckland”). The Authority is a ratepayer-funded entity. Every year, Auckland Council’s governing body considers the Authority’s annual operational plan and votes on the budget. In other words, Auckland Council does have some say on what the Authority does.
He said that the public were consulted about the tree removal in both the Authority’s 2016 integrated management plan consultations and operational plan consultations. The Authority never specifically consulted about its intentions to remove all the exotic trees from all of Auckland’s maunga. The Authority’s chairman admits this in a Māori TV interview earlier this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDrCMAhL4tk&list=PLvwPLhmfEWgk8wZyFXdCLKV871TFlO1FN&index=4. The Authority has consulted in recent years on its operational plan, but, on the whole, ignored public input.
Cr. Henderson said that only some of the exotic trees will be removed from Mt Richmond. Yes, not all exotic trees will be removed under this particular resource consent, but supporting documentation clearly shows they intend to remove all of them in time. Protect Mt Richmond/Ōtāhuhu believes they split the removal process in two so as to get a non-notified resource consent through.
Cr. Henderson also says that tens of thousands of native plants are being planted in exotic trees' places. However, this is misleading: these are mostly small plants like flaxes, grasses and shrubs and not tree species, meaning that places that previously had tree cover would look very bare, covered with small plants rather than trees.
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