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Resolution
number WTK/2022/42
MOVED by Deputy Chairperson G Presland, seconded by
Member S Coney:
That
the Waitākere Ranges Local
Board:
a) receive consultation
feedback on the proposed
Waitākere Ranges Local Board priorities and activities for 2022/2023.
b) receive consultation
feedback on regional topics in the Annual Budget 2022/2023 from people and
organisations based in the Waitākere Ranges local board area.
c) express concerns with
the methodology and results of the consultation process and seek an
opportunity to have input into the process before the next annual budget.
Question 2 in the consultation material was particularly ambiguous and
difficult to glean direction from.
d) support the previously
agreed general rates increase for 3.5 per cent for 2022/2023.
e) provide the following
input on the climate action regional topic in the proposed Annual Budget
2022/2023 to the Governing Body:
i.
support a
whole-of-system approach to reducing carbon emissions in Auckland, and
broadly supports the climate action package, but does not believe that it
goes far enough to meet the Council’s climate commitments.
ii.
note this function
is core to the practical operation of Auckland Council and is concerned about
its separation out as a regional targeted rate, although it supports the
principle upon which it is being collected. There are mixed views.
iii.
believe that the
rating system should reward actions that contribute to carbon sequestration,
such as enhancement of Special Ecological Areas or indigenous restoration of
areas.
iv.
believe that an
important response to climate change is the development of more and existing
footpaths and greenways, improved additional and hard to achieve connections,
and more active mode links (scooter, pedestrian and cycle).
v.
note that
significant planning has already been done across the region and it is
essential that the targeted rate should support local boards and Auckland
Transport in the delivery of these projects.
f)
provide the
following input on the budget pressures regional topic in the proposed Annual
Budget 2022/2023 to the Governing Body:
i.
support the
approach, excluding asset sales, which the local board opposes and does not
believe is a sustainable approach.
g)
provide the
following input on the operating spending prioritisation regional topic in
the proposed Annual Budget 2022/2023 to the Governing Body:
i.
support the
operating spending prioritisation on how council will choose which services
to reduce, stop or change.
h)
provide the
following input on the waste services standardisation regional topic in the
proposed Annual Budget 2022/2023 to the Governing Body:
i.
while the local board broadly
supports waste service standardisation across Auckland, it does have some
concerns about what ‘equity of service’ looks like in the
Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area, where many communities are rural rather
than urban. As such, ‘easy access to services’ may in practice
look different to more accessible locations.
ii.
in addition, what works in an
urban area may have unintended consequences locally, where household
occupancy over the course of a week is often not consistent – for
example, the un-stored bins of bach owners put out one day and collected
another will advertise that there is no one home.
f) provide its advocacy initiatives for the Annual Budget 2022/2023 to the Governing Body:
i.
Council to realise deeds of acknowledgement between Council and Te Kawerau a
Maki and Ngati Whatua as stipulated in the Waitākere Ranges Heritage
Area Act 2008 and requested by mana whenua. This includes dedicated staff
resource:
As in 29(1)
‘A deed of acknowledgement will acknowledge the particular historical,
traditional, cultural, or spiritual relationship of tangata whenua of the
heritage area, namely Ngati Whatua and Te Kawerau A Maki, with any land in
the heritage area.’ Delivery to be in 2022/2023.
ii.
Funding to implement the
Waitakere Ranges Greenways Plan. The local board is committed to deliver
selected projects using the Capital Transport Fund budget, but this is
limited:
Active commitment from the governing body is needed to
enhance connections into the regional network, for example the western line
shared path to extend beyond New Lynn to connect through to Glen Eden and
Sunnyvale. Implementation
of the Greenways Plan could augment the Council’s draft cycling and
micro-mobility programme business case.
iii.
Dedicated (and
increased) funding for the West Coast Rock Fishing Safety Project and
increased funding to enable a longer period of service for the Paid Lifeguard service:
The rock fishing project focuses on interventions to
reduce rock-fishing fatalities and promotes a safety culture among high-risk
groups of fishers (particularly those from Asian backgrounds). The most
recent death was April 2022. This includes extending the project into the
Manukau Harbour to enable interventions to reduce the high number of deaths
of those fishing or gathering kai in the Manukau. The Paid Lifeguard service
currently ends at the first week in March but with climate warming, people
are swimming later in the season and over longer daylight hours. The Board
seeks increases in the RAFA funding to enable an expansion of the service.
iv.
A flexible regional budget
which can be dedicated to local board work on community resilience:
Our communities need enhanced financial and practical
support to prepare and respond to climate change and extreme weather events,
i.e. flooding, sea-level rise, and warning systems. Its allocation should
reflect the isolation, physical and environmental risks to communities in the
Waitākere Ranges and the risks in Auckland in general.
v.
Commitment from
Auckland Transport and Auckland Council to developing a PT network service
offering in the Waitakere Ranges.
CARRIED
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