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Waitākere
Ranges Local Board
14 December
2017
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Waitākere
Ranges Local Board supporting information
Each year we plan the projects and initiatives we will
deliver in your local board area. These are based on our 2017 Local Board Plan,
which sets our three-year direction for the local board. We are seeking your
input on our priorities for the 2018/2019 financial year.
a)
3.1
Waitākere Ranges Local Board
b)
Message
from the Chair
The key regional issues in Auckland Council’s 10-year Budget are
really important for our local area this year and I encourage you to make a
submission.
Kauri dieback is a clear and present danger. Overall funding levels for
Auckland’s environment will also be a pressing concern for many local
people, especially the question of ‘how much’ for the
Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area.
In 2018 we expect the second Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area
Monitoring Report to once again highlight challenges for our area. Locally we
see visible benefits from council and communities working together to address
local issues, for example weed buffer zones and the ‘My Backyard’
climbing asparagus eradication project. However, last year our regionally
funded dedicated heritage area budget reduced by $100,000 to 132,000. This has
had a flow on effect to some programme activities and has impacted how we
allocate our locally discretionary spending as we struggle to fill these gaps.
There is a regional proposal in the 10-year Budget to significantly
increase overall budget for the environment. We support this happening, and we
will continue to advocate for a proportion of environment funding to be
specifically allocated for the local board for use in the heritage area.
It was clear from our local board plan consultation that upgrading and
reinvigorating Glen Eden town centre is important to you, and it remains
important to us. We will
advocate to the Governing Body to have funding included in the 10-year Budget
for development of the Glen Eden urban design framework and implementation plan
to improve the look and feel of our public spaces.
Whatever the outcome, we will plan to make changes to the town centre
over the next few years using our existing budgets.
Ngā mihi
Greg Presland
c)
What
we propose in your local board area in 2018/2019
This year, we are not proposing to make any major changes to what was
signalled in last year’s annual plan.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $2.6 million to renew and develop assets
and $10.1 million to maintain and operate these assets in your local board area
as well as provide other local initiatives you’ve told us are important.
Other local initiatives include:
· Continuing advocacy to seek an
increased level of funding to be made available for heritage area programmes
under the local board’s decision making control.
· Finalising a Waitākere Ranges
‘greenways’ plan’, that will identify a network of local
walking and cycling connections, and prioritising investment areas for improving
these opportunities to get around without a car.
· Making improvements, such park
benches, to some of our small Glen Eden parks so that they are more
user-friendly.
d)
Our
key advocacy project
This year, we have advocated for the Glen Eden Urban Design
Framework and Implementation Plan to be fully funded in the 10-year Budget.
This plan, created in 2013, proposes streetscape
improvements, better walking and cycling connections throughout the town
centre, and creating social spaces for events and people to meet.
We have a clear commitment to improving the Glen Eden town
centre, and community feedback on tells us that this is strongly supported.
Once we know the outcome of the 10-year Budget process we
will be able to make more specific plans around the town centre. While we wait,
we will continue to support activation of the town centre, through local events
such as the business improvement district’s Wheels Out West, the
community Christmas parade, and arts activation through our arts partners.
e)
What
do you think?
Have we got our priorities right?
Do you support advocating for a regional increase to the dedicated
Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area budget for locally driven projects?
To help us as we finalised and implement the Waitākere Ranges-wide
greenways plan, what could be done to make it easier for you to walk and cycle
more?
To help us improve small urban parks in Glen Eden, what would make you
spend more time in them?
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Waitākere Ranges Local Board
14 December
2017
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Portfolio Report update
– Deputy Chair Saffron Toms December2017
This is a
brief report covering some of the activities that the Waitakere Ranges Local
Board funds or supports in our area. It focuses specifically on youth and young
people as well as the area of environment, among other things.
Youth and
young people
We are
looking forward to an estimated 25-30 young people (aged 14-24) taking part in
a four-day youth workshop in Glen Eden in January. Delivered by the Going West
Trust, young people living in the local board area will be encouraged to attend
through a targeted promotional campaign including street signage and posters,
and a registration booth sited in Glenmall Place managed by participants of the
program. Involvement in this program could lead to participants having further
opportunities in the next going west theatre production, likely to be with
Massive Theatre Company.
This
summer’s Movies in Parks will again be held at Hoani Waititi. “Hunt
for the Wilderpeople” will screen on February 23rd, at 7:30pm
with pre-entertainment at 5:30pm. This free entry event is great for the whole
family. And will also feature short films made by WRLB youth in the Outlook for
Somedays program (see below) before screening the feature film.
The
Local Board has funded local workshops for young people to learn the process and
how to make short films, ultimately entering their creations in the Outlook for
Someday competition. Focused on sustainability, young people are encouraged to
come up with their own interpretation of sustainability to tell their story
through the film medium. Every year participants produce awesome and original
short films which are online to watch. Films produced by young people from
Waitakere Ranges Local Board will feature at the beginning of our Movies in
Parks event (see above).
Last
year’s Glen Eden parks activation project led by Sport Waitakere was a
great success with great participation and feedback from the community. We look
forward to this happening again soon. In response to some of this and other
community ideas about parks we have initiated a stock-take on our park
facilities to inform how best we can utilize and/or develop parks within the
parameters of our budgets. Member Sandra Coney has oversight of this work which
is well underway.
EnviroSchools
WRLB is
fortunate to be have the majority of our primary schools involved in the
enviroschools programme. I was honoured to present Woodlands Park School with
their Enviroschools Sign. Congratulations to principle Liz Manley and lead
enviroschools teacher at Woodlands Park, Mica Haughton.
This year’s
annual Enviroschools event also recognized Henderson Valley School’s
commitment to sustainability with a certificate. Member Steve Tollestrup and
myself attended and were delighted to present the school their certificates.
Huge thanks
and awhi to all the students and the wider community who’ve all
contributed to making their schools and community sustainable. We will be in
good hands with our young enviroschools people being the leaders of tomorrow.
Kauri
Dieback
Te Kawerau a
Maki have placed a rahui on the Waitakere Ranges in reaction to the very
sobering report on Kauri dieback recently released by council. The Board
completely understands the motivation for the rahui and the frustration felt my
many in the community, including frustration that it took so long for the new
report to be released. In essence, infection rates of kauri have doubled since
the last monitoring report data five years previous.
On 5th
December, the council’s Environment and Community committee meeting
considered a report on kauri dieback which included a sliding scale of options
from doing nothing (option 1) to complete closure of the Waitakere Ranges
(option 5). As a board we advocated for an enhanced version of option 4.
Below is an excerpt from the committee’s agenda:
“In response to calls from mana
whenua and communities to do more to support the protection of kauri in the
Waitākere Ranges, ahead of any Long-term Plan 2018-2028 decisions, staff
have developed the following options for the committee’s consideration:
· Option One. Do nothing - cease
management of kauri dieback disease in the Waitākere Ranges and focus
investment on non-symptomatic kauri areas.
· Option Two. Continue with status
quo - the existing work programme of education, hygiene station upgrades, some
track maintenance and surveillance, and progressing the proposed responses in
the draft Regional Pest Management Plan and Long-term Plan.
· Option
Three. Continue with the existing work programme plus undertake some further
targeted closures of tracks and areas within the park over 2017/2018.
(Recommended)
· Option
Four: Close all medium and high risk tracks within the Waitākere Ranges
Regional Park, with the option of progressively reopening them as the risk is
reduced.
· Option Five. Close the Waitākere Ranges Regional
Park using the council’s ability as the landowner or by seeking the
Ministry of Primary Industries support to implement a Controlled Area Notice
under the Biosecurity Act, and give statutory effect to Te Kawerau a
Maki’ request for a rāhui.”
(Open
Agenda Tuesday 5th December, Environment and Community Committee,
Auckland Council 2017, page 14, paragraph 25) source:http://infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Open/2017/12/ENV_20171205_AGN_6835_AT.PDF
There is
still some confusion over the implications of what the Council voted[i]
on and the Board is getting lots of queries from members of the community.
While there has been an increase in kauri dieback ambassadors and 6 more tracks
closed, the substance of option 4 (“Close
all medium and high risk tracks within the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park,
with the option of progressively reopening them as the risk is reduced”)
has not eventuated.
This board
advocated for a number of other conditions and considerations, including:
· Urgent
work on tracks to improve drainage and increase number of boardwalks as well as
rerouting away from Kauri.
·
Install more hygiene stations along tracks, not just at track entrances.
·
Install DOC designed high quality stations at key sites.
· Check
station coverage. For example there are no cleaning stations at Beveridge Track
even though it is considered to be a high risk track.
·
Provide maps and brochures (including online)with up-to-date information about
kauri PTA and closed tracks. · Promote non-kauri tracks on and off
regional parks.
· Stop
all sporting events through the Waitakeres.
· Work
with concessionaires to re-site tourism activities.
· Work
with ATEED to halt all promotion of the Waitakeres.
· At a
minimum double kauri ambassadors in the Waitakeres from 6 to 12 and extend
their period of employment.
· Work
with local communities to identify low risk areas for exercise and recreation.
·
Filming only to occur in non-kauri locations.
·
Develop a “good visitor” code of conduct for Waitakere.
·
Prohibit dogs anywhere in Waitakere Ranges off-leash.
We will continue to
advocate for these things and for the formation of a political steering group
to oversee council’s response to kauri dieback.
Ark in the Park
I’ve requested that the Ark in the Park Governance committee be
reestablished and am awaiting notice of when the group will meet again.
Manukau
Harbour Forum
The Manukau
Harbour Forum met for the first time in June this year to vote for the Chair
and Deputy Chair positions and to set the meeting dates. I am grateful to have
been voted as Chair of the Forum and congratulate David Holm from Puketapapa
Local Board, who is Deputy Chair this term. There is a good mix of experienced
members on the forum and new local Board members who bring enthusiasm and new
ideas.
To date, the
Manukau Harbour Forum has allocated some funds to create a new building sites
ambassador for key development areas in the Manukau catchment, to make up for
gaps in Council monitoring and compliance issues that currently prioritise very
large scale building projects. We are taking a break from the symposium this
year and will likely run one again in early 2019. We are reviewing the flagship
sites program and initiating a young leaders program on the Manukau loosely
modelled off the previously provided MAD Marine Program which was delivered in
the Hauraki Gulf.
Water
Quality
Unfortunately,
we have seen two more beaches in this local board area having permanent water
quality warning signs at them in the last few months; these are Armour Bay
beach in Parau, and Fosters Bay at Huia. The mayor’s decision to champion
the “safe swim” program is welcomed and we look forward to working
with staff as the project moves forward. In particular, substantial investment
in infrastructure upgrades and septic tank compliance enforcement will be
necessary to improve water quality for swimmers and other users of
beaches.
Big Blue
Waitakere
The Local
Board has commissioned a report on the state of our marine environment, with a
view to working with the community on broadening our knowledge of our beaches
and coasts so we may know how best to enhance and protect them. The report has
been a bigger project than anticipated but we hope to be able to provide
something to the public soon. Once the report is finalized, we will hold one or
more hui to work with the community on gaps and courses of action.
Piha
Library
Member Steve
Tollestrup and I met with representatives from the Piha Residents and Ratepayers
Association and the Piha Community Library Trust to discuss options for the
leasing arrangements for the library. Current lease arrangements between
Auckland Council and the R&R have thrown up some legal issues around the
current operating arrangements of the library. The meeting was productive and
both groups will take recommendations back to their members, including a
proposal the WRLB pay insurance costs of the building. We look forward to
getting new lease agreements in place within the next couple of months.
