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Resolution
number WTK/2022/94
MOVED by Chairperson S Toms, seconded by
Member M Clayton:
That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:
a)
welcome the
opportunity to provide feedback on the strategic direction for the Future
Development Strategy.
b)
support the
proposed focus on the following seven ‘big issues’ in the Future
Development Strategy with the addition of biodiversity and ecological health
outcomes:
i)
hapū and iwi
values and aspirations for urban development
ii)
climate change,
emissions reduction and urban form
iii)
inundation and
natural hazards
iv)
intensification
– dispersed or focused
v)
infrastructure
vi)
greenfields and
future urban areas
vii) business and employment.
c)
generally shares
and supports the view of the neighbouring Whau Local Board
Partnership with Māori
d)
support the focus
on iwi and hapū aspirations in urban development, alongside a general
approach focused on treaty partnership and elevation of the principles found
in Te Ao Māori around environmental management, including kaitiakitanga
and improving the mauri of both eco-systems and human wellbeing
e)
urge staff to
ensure that engagement with Māori has a strong focus on mataa waka in
addition to mana whenua, as it is critical that the needs of Māori in
the community be understood and addressed, noting that Māori are
disproportionately affected by deprivation, including in their housing and
access to essential services as well as economic, recreational and social
opportunities
Environment
f)
express its concern
that strategy should go further in its focus on climate change, and supports
bold changes which will enable us to meet our commitments under
Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri and our commitment
g)
note its commitment
to delivering on Aotearoa/New Zealand’s commitment to the Paris
Agreement, and Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland’s obligations as a C40
city, to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C above
pre-industrial levels and pursue all possible efforts to limit the temperature
increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels
h)
express its concern
about Tāmaki-Makaurau/Auckland’s growth and how this is managed
noting that, while there is a housing crisis, there is also a climate crisis
and biodiversity crisis which must be considered together
i)
support a
transition to a high-quality compact urban form, but is concerned to ensure
that emissions reduction is a key driver of policy direction around urban
planning
j)
support an approach
to urban development and associated infrastructure that is designed to meet
the challenges of climate in terms of resilience to extreme weather events
and sea level rise
k)
support
incentivisation of building to the highest possible green star or home star
rating, incorporation of passive principles for heating and cooling,
inclusion as a default of rainwater tanks, solar panels and waste
minimisation tools like bokashi buckets (particularly for apartment-dwellers)
l)
support an overall
increased focus on our environment including consideration of biodiversity in
our urban planning, with a much bigger focus on provision of parks and
publicly accessible green spaces, restoration of our urban ngahere (tree
cover), protection and restoration of our streams and waterways, and
limitation of impervious concrete surfaces where possible
m)
urge consideration
of all possible mechanisms to enable tree protection and increased provision
of publicly accessible green open space, noting that current resource
management rules are inadequate, and it is not clear whether proposed resource
management law reforms will adequately address these issues
n)
support the
reinstatement of much wider tree protection (removed in 2012) to reduce
carbon emissions, noting local government’s relative inability to
protect its significant trees and canopy cover under the RMA as it stands
o)
note its general
opposition to greenfields development, particularly in areas where
infrastructure does not already exist to support development, and supports
reconsideration of the status of land currently designated for future urban
growth, in particular in areas that are:
p)
at risk of flooding
or natural hazards
q)
a great distance
from the city centre or other metropolitan centres (unless located in the
immediate vicinity of current or future Rapid Transit Network connections)
r)
productive land
that is currently used for (or is particularly suitable for) food production,
noting the need to ensure sufficient growing land.
s)
express its concern
that some of Auckland Council’s key planning documents and strategies
(and those of the CCOs, in particular Auckland Transport) still assume
sprawling greenfields development as the default norm.
t)
consider that the
current Auckland Development Strategy should place more emphasis on retention
and enhancement of permeable surfaces to support biodiversity, amenity and
resilience and contribute to minimising the urban heat island effect.
Housing and urban development
u)
support a
transition to a high quality, compact urban form but is concerned about the
current focus on the National Policy Statement on Urban Development on
increasing housing stock with little regard for quality of housing
v)
support a strong,
directional and aspirational approach to urban development and town planning
is critical for supporting quality high density urban environments, noting
that Aotearoa/New Zealand has an unfortunate history of ad hoc, low-quality
infill leading to poor social, aesthetic, and environmental outcomes
w)
request that staff
consider what more could be done in respect of waste minimisation and focus
on the circular economy, in particular waste associated with the construction
industry
x)
support
incentivising the retrofitting of heritage buildings to meet modern standards
noting that there are relatively few heritage buildings.
y)
support in principle
council staff working with Kainga Ora and other agencies to enable housing
solutions to respond to economic deprivation and inequality
z)
note that there
needs to be a shift in our understanding of housing to be an integral part of
our social fabric and more than just an investment asset, and support
development of housing to meet diverse needs rather than housing that
achieves the highest yield for developers
aa) note its support for the development of new,
fit-for-purpose, social housing but at the same time express its concern
about the pace of development by Kainga Ora without the involvement of local
government in respect of open space and community/recreational facilities
planning
bb) support local government moving towards a much
stronger and more formalised relationship between Auckland Council and Kainga
Ora to ensure that community and green open space infrastructure are planned
for proactively and in a strategic way rather than having infrastructure
developed by multiple agencies in a piecemeal or reactive way
Transport
cc) support, strongly, intensive development
focused around key transport hubs but note the need for a focus should be on
proactive provision of transport infrastructure and services to brownfields
areas where growth is already taking place, including feeder buses to areas
of intensive development that sit outside walkable catchments
dd) support, strongly, improved walking, cycling
and micromobility connections that are safe, accessible and appealing
ee) support small improvements to key corridors like
planting more trees within the road reserve (thereby creating green
corridors) would create incentives to uptake of active modes but this would
also in itself assist in mitigating carbon emissions
ff)
support an increase
focus on technical innovation, including the development of new and
innovative approaches to demand management, to reduce carbon emissions
gg) support the development of new and innovative
approaches to demand management, to reduce carbon emissions including more
investment in high-speed broadband and telecommunications tools to reduce the
need for travel
hh) note its concern about the impact of parking
reductions (both off-street as a result of the provisions of the National
Policy Statement on Urban Development and on-street as a result of Auckland
Transport proposed parking strategy) in our neighbourhoods and town centres
ii)
reiterate ongoing
advocacy for a park and ride in New Lynn, and an increase in park and ride
capacity along the Western Line, to serve the population from parts of the
Waitākere Ranges and its foothills which are not
accessible by walking, cycling, or public transport
jj)
express its concern
that its advocacy on this matter has been ignored, and that the only advice
provided by Auckland Transport is to note that the Waitākere Ranges is not a future growth area, noting that this
is not an adequate response, and the logical conclusion of this approach is
that people living in the Waitākere
Ranges will drive the whole way into the city due to inability to park at
local Western Line train stations
kk) support incentivising uptake of not only EVs
but also micro-mobility devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters provided that
they are safe, and that regulation keeps pace with innovation, noting that
access to private EVs is out of the question for many
ll)
support expansion
of the Rapid Transit Network to ensure access to the places people need to
travel but is concerned about lack of public transport connection between the
southern and western parts of the Auckland Region, which are at risk of
severance
mm) support investigating opportunities for public
education around the carbon emissions associated with freight supporting the
moving of discretionary consumer goods and encouraging people to consider the
environmental impact of their purchases and to find greener ways of
fulfilling consumer demand.
CARRIED
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