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Waitākere
Ranges Local Board
25 February
2016
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Chairperson's
Report - February 2016
File No.: CP2016/02789
1. The Board is
hard back at work preparing for consultations on what is now called the Annual
Budget, what formerly was the Annual Plan.
2. The public of
Auckland is being asked what it thinks about a number of regional issues, while
citizens of our Board area are also asked what they think of our priorities and
how we spend the Local Board’s money.
3. At a regional
level people are being asked:
· Whether they think the Uniform
Annual General Charge or UAGC of $397 is the right amount. The UAGC is the
fixed part of rates. Everyone pays the same amount. A high UAGC hits low value
properties, while a modest UAGC like Council’s current one, is fairer for low
value properties, which are usually owned by people on low incomes. This Board
supports the current level.
· Whether the Interim Transport Levy
should remain at $114 for residential properties (and ($183 for businesses), or
be decreased to $90 for residences and increased to $407 for businesses. People
have made the point that a household in Glen Eden currently pays not a lot less
than Sky City, which clearly benefits a great deal more from transport
developments. This Board is not very keen on the transport levy at all, as it
is a flat tax with the burden falling more on low-income households, and it is
paid by everyone, regardless of the transport services a particular area
receives.
· Whether they support a proposal to
reduce the rates for large over 50 ha farms with the rates burden shifting to
residences. While the amount per household is small, rural ratepayers already
have an 80% rate differential, and they can claim back GST and treat rates as a
business expense for tax purposes. The Board has opposed this proposal.
4. At
the local level, the Council is asking people on septic tanks in our outer
areas whether they support piloting a scheme to provide loans to upgrade and
replace old septic tanks, to be paid off through the rates’ bill. There is a
similar scheme for home insulation. The pilot would occur in our Board area and
Waiheke Island.
5. The
Board is also asking what people think about the way we propose to spend our
budget. Among the activities we propose to fund are:
· Works on improving the town centre
in Glen Eden
· Continuing delivery of the Waitakere
Ranges Strategic Weed Management Plan
· Developing information about the
Heritage Area and living in the Area
· Continuing cycle and pedestrian
pathways from Oratia to Parrs Park and through to Sunnyvale
· Increased emphasis on the marine
environment
· Working with Swanson community on a
heritage survey and design guide
· More interpretation around parks and
public places
· Design guidelines for parks
· Waste minimisation policy for parks
and public places in the Local Board area.
6. There
is more detail that can be seen at shapeauckland.co.nz, or in any local library
or at the Local Board office.
7. You
can write a submission or come to a drop-in Have Your Say event at the Local
Board office on Thursday 3 March, 7-9 pm. You can just turn up and talk.
Transport
programme in local board area
8. The
Board has a capital works fund to undertake various transport improvements that
are not priorities for Auckland Transport. After looking at a number of
potential projects, and facing steadily rising costs as detailed design is
carried out, the Board is considering two projects:
· Footpaths/walkways in Mountain Road,
Henderson Valley. A proposal for this was brought to the Board in Public Forum
in about early 2014. This is a gravel path where the terrain is flat with
concrete in steep areas.
· Oratia shared path. This has
streetscape improvements in front of the community hall, better road crossings
by the school, and a walking/cycling path all the way the Parrs Park
roundabout. We hope in the future to be able to continue this on with a good
crossing over West Coast Road, through Parrs Park to Sunnyvale Station.
9. We
are also looking into streetscape improvements at Captain Scott Road in Glen
Eden.
10. Over
the summer Auckland Transport has been consulting on a possible new
shuttle/feeder service from outer areas into transport hubs. They have started
with surveys of visitors to Piha to see whether holiday makers, beach goers,
bach owners, Nippers and the like would use a service like this to get to the
beach. Surveys of residents to ascertain their needs will be starting soon too.
Waste minimisation
11. Rubbish
collection in our area is set to undergo some changes.
· All households are entitled to a
free inorganic rubbish collection. These can be booked online. Households are
notified of the dates for collection in their street.
· From 1 July fortnightly recycling is
changing. Bins are bigger – 240 litre up from the current 140 litre and paper
and cardboard can be put in the bin. You can request a smaller bin.
· General rubbish collection will
remain as user-pays in the orange bags which are available in two sizes, with a
plan to more towards bins for household rubbish and composting food waste.
Eventually, in 2019, rural areas will have the choice of a bin or bag.
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Recommendation/s
That the Waitākere Ranges
Local Board:
a) Receives the
Chairperson’s report.
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Attachments
There are no attachments for this report.
Signatories
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Authors
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Tua Viliamu - Democracy Advisor
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Authorisers
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Glenn Boyd - Relationship Manager Henderson-Massey,
Waitakere Ranges, Whau
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Waitākere
Ranges Local Board
25 February
2016
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Portfolio Update: Member Sandra Coney
File No.: CP2016/02790
Purpose
1. This
report provides an opportunity for Member Sandra Coney to give an update with
regards to activity within her portfolio areas.
2. Portfolio
holders are responsible for leading policy development in their portfolio area,
proposing and developing project concepts, overseeing agreed projects within
budgets, being active advocates, accessing and providing information and
advice.
3. Member
Coney has lead for the portfolios of Historic Heritage/Character and Parks
area.
Executive Summary
Heritage and WW1
4. The main
activity I’ve been involved in is preparations for the first Waikumete
Cemetery Open Day on Sunday 28 February 2016.
5. A good group
has come together from across Council, including the local board, regional
events team, cemetery staff, comms and libraries, joined by Friends of
Waikumete, the Urupa Committee, Ancestry.com, western RSAs, Museum, New Zealand
Society of Genealogists, and Waiouru Army Museum. A lot of hard work has been
put in, but it has been a pleasure to work with this group who are so
enthusiastic about the event.
Some of the working
group outside the main chapel
6. There are
walks and talks and interp sites about the heritage of the cemetery, and a
research hub where people can find out about relatives and friends buried in
the cemetery and where their graves are.
7. You can also
find out how the cemetery works, with grave digging, explanations of natural
burials, Muslim burials, mausoleums and how to clean old graves.
8. The cemetery
will be closed to traffic but buses will be taking people from place to place.
9. The main
chapel and cemetery offices are where the research hub is located, while The
Chapel of Faith in the Oaks will host a sitting, eating, listening to music
area.
10. I particularly
like the cheery branding our Comms team developed for the day, all turquoise
and pink, not at all what people expect for a cemetery!
11. We now await
the crowds rolling up!
WW1
12. IT was a
relief on 18 February when the Governing Body voted to support the WW1 memorial
project going ahead with the Wriaght/Athfield proposal Te Takuahi – the Hearth
being chosen to work with on the final design.
13. There has been
a huge effort from elected members and staff to assess the five short-listed
proposals, look at public feedback from a period when they hung in the Museum,
and hear from stakeholders such as RSAs.
14. The memorial
is not a war memorial, that is the role of the Museum and cenotaph, but a
centenary memorial, with the role of considering the impact on Auckland and
Auckland communities of the War, and also the returning soldiers.
15. The process of
carrying this out went to the WW1 Centenary Memorial Working Party which I was
on, and which reported to the WW1 Commemorations Political Steering Group which
I chair. However, it needed to be agreed to by Council as a whole, which
occurred on the 18th.
16. A proposal now
has to go to the Lotteries WW1 grants with the hope it will attract a
good-sized grant. The Council has allocated 1 million in the Long-Term Plan for
the project, but the total budget will be around 3 million.
Other
heritage matters
17. We are still
getting together a plan and people to lead the Swanson heritage survey, but
hope to get it going in the next few months.
18. I hear that
the Exhibition Drive history book, which the Board contributed to funding, will
be out any day now. Looking forward to seeing it.
19. We were also
pleased to hear the project to restore the windows of the WW1 Soldiers’
Memorial Church in Park Road, Titirangi, is completed. The Board contributed
$2000 towards the writing of a history on the church to ensure the works were
historically accurate.
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Recommendation/s
That the Waitākere Ranges
Local Board:
a) Receives the Portfolio Update
from Member Sandra Coney.
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Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
Signatories
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Authors
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Tua Viliamu - Democracy Advisor
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Authorisers
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Glenn Boyd - Relationship Manager Henderson-Massey,
Waitakere Ranges, Whau
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