Upper Harbour Local Board
OPEN MINUTES
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Minutes of a meeting of the Upper Harbour Local Board held in the Upper Harbour Local Board Office, 30 Kell Drive, Albany, Auckland 0632 and via Microsoft Teams on Thursday, 11 May 2023 at 9:32am.
Te Hunga kua Tae mai | present
Chairperson |
Anna Atkinson |
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Deputy Chairperson |
Uzra Casuri Balouch, JP |
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Members |
Callum Blair |
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John Mclean |
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Kyle Parker |
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Sylvia Yang (via Microsoft Teams) |
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Upper Harbour Local Board 11 May 2023 |
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The Chairperson A Atkinson opened the meeting with a Karakia.
2 Ngā Tamōtanga | Apologies
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3 Te Whakapuaki i te Whai Pānga | Declaration of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
4 Te Whakaū i ngā Āmiki | Confirmation of Minutes
Resolution number UH/2023/49 MOVED by Deputy Chairperson U Casuri Balouch, seconded by Member J Mclean: That the Upper Harbour Local Board: a) confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting, held on Thursday, 27 April 2023, as a true and correct record.
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5 He Tamōtanga Motuhake | Leave of Absence
There were no leaves of absence.
6 Te Mihi | Acknowledgements
There were no acknowledgements.
7 Ngā Petihana | Petitions
There were no petitions.
8 Ngā Tono Whakaaturanga | Deputations
There were no deputations.
9 Te Matapaki Tūmatanui | Public Forum
There was no public forum.
10 Ngā Pakihi Autaia | Extraordinary Business
There was no extraordinary business.
11 |
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The Eke Panuku Development Manager, Peter Johnston, and the Eke Panuku Director of Development, Allan Young, were in attendance to support the item. |
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Resolution number UH/2023/50 MOVED by Chairperson A Atkinson, seconded by Deputy Chairperson U Casuri Balouch: That the Upper Harbour Local Board: a) whakaae / approve the vesting of an additional 1,000m2 of land at Te Onekiritea / Bomb Point as a reserve on the south-eastern portion of the site to offset the land required for the wastewater pump station as set out in Map 2 of this 27 April 2023 agenda report. b) tuhi ā-taipitopito / note concerns in relation to wastewater pumpstation as follows: i) risk of discharge to the Waitemata Harbour, while Watercare have noted these risks minimal, the local board are of the view this should not be a permitted activity ii) concern regarding sea level rise and coastal inundation in relation to the location of the pumpstation iii) concern regarding the size and capacity of the pumpstation to continue to deliver service with increased development in the area iv) concern regarding the time delays to get a generator onsite should there be a power failure. c) tuhi ā-taipitopito / note the current design of the wastewater pumpstation exceeds the current Watercare standards and are of the view these standards should be reviewed to reflect the landscape of the next 100 years including impacts of climate change and intensification.
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Note: Under Standing Orders 1.9.7 Member K Parker and Member J Mclean requested that their dissenting votes be recorded.
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Local board consultation feedback and input into the Annual Budget 2023/2024 |
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The Local Area Manager, Lesley Jenkins, the Senior Local Board Advisor, Heather Skinner, and the Local Board Advisor, Robert Marshall were in attendance to support the item. |
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The Chairperson A Atkinson advised that clause d) xx) and d) xxi) would be voted on separately. |
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The Chairperson A Atkinson put the motion, excluding clause d) xx and d) xxi), to the vote. |
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MOVED by Chairperson A Atkinson, seconded by Deputy Chairperson U Casuri Balouch: That the Upper Harbour Local Board: a) whiwhi / receive consultation feedback on the proposed Upper Harbour Local Board priorities and activities for 2023/2024 including proposed local activities to discontinue, reduce spending on, or increase fees, to meet the reduction in local board funding proposed by the Governing Body. b) whiwhi / receive consultation feedback on regional topics in the Annual Budget 2023/2024 and related policies from people and organisations based in the Upper Harbour local board area. c) recognize the difficulty in balancing the Annual Budget 2023/2024. There are extremely challenging financial issues and no-one is going to be satisfied with all of the proposed outcomes. It is important to follow principled decision making when making the cuts, principles for consideration in decision-making include: i) which services are most valued by the community. For residents who took part in the Annual Budget 2023/2024 process in Upper Harbour these were environmental restoration and protection, community connections and the importance of frequent, reliable and efficient public transport. Dissatisfaction with current public transport provision was a strong theme. ii) which services can be on hold for one financial year without being damaged irrecoverably. iii) which services can council partner with the community to provide iv) long term planning is a core component of Auckland Council v) factors such as cost of living crisis and ongoing effects of climate change. d) whakarite / provide the following input on regional topics in the proposed Annual Budget 2023/2024 and related policies to the Governing Body. Operating Spending Reductions i) note the local board has mixed views on the operating spending reductions with differing views regarding the proposed cuts. Operating Spending Reductions – Public Transport ii) note a large number of submitters in the Upper Harbour area told us how important efficient, frequent a reliable public transport is to them. Many residents are extremely frustrated by the current unreliable bus service and would like the bus services increased to the previous level. iii) recognize the importance of a reliable, frequent and affordable public transport network to encourage higher usage and uptake and the impacts increase usage makes on Auckland’s climate action goals iv) note concern of the climate impacts of reduced investment in public transport and increased reliance of private vehicle usage v) request that Auckland Transport focus on reducing to zero the number of cancelled busses and then reviewing the public transport network to ensure that all areas have adequate and reliable public transport. vi) are of the view Auckland Transport should seek to find operational savings from this proposal in other areas and invest more in public transport outcomes including a focus to attract and retain bus drivers. Operating Spending Reductions – Tataki Auckland Unlimited vii) do not support the proposal to reduce funding to Tataki Auckland Unlimited to save $27.5m as we do not support a service reduction in economic growth and visitor activities. viii) request that Tataki Auckland Unlimited promote their services to ensure greater understanding of their role on a local and regional level Operating Spending Reductions – Other Regional Service ix) provide views on the proposal to reduce regional services to save $20m as follows: A) do not support reduction in funding for services that deliver on homelessness or youth initiatives B) do not support reduction in funding for the Citizens Advice Bureau C) support a one-year reduction in funding for regional events D) request Auckland Council staff seek opportunities for private partnerships to fund regional events Operating Spending Reduction - Local Boards x) do not support the reduction of local board funded activities across all local boards to save $16m noting the value these locally delivered initiatives provide to our communities xi) note that the majority of local board expenditure is in long term contracts and cannot be altered in the short term xii) recognize there is a budget shortfall and every area within council will need to find savings however cuts to local board funding will be hard on the community as every service we provide impacts the communities’ amenities, wellbeing, climate and environment xiii) consider the impacts of reduction in local board funding to our community and request that the Governing Body reduce the budget cut in the Mayors proposal by only 50 per cent resulting in an overall reduction of $8m for one year as this will allow local boards more ability to determine the outcomes for their communities Operating Spending Reductions – Regional Contestable Grants xiv) do not support the reduction of regional contestable grants to save $3m as this will have long term impacts for the liveability and health of Auckland and our residents. Operating Spending Reductions – Early Childhood Centres xv) support the proposal to no longer directly provide early childhood education services to save $1m as there are no direct benefits to the Upper Harbour residents and are of the view this should be a user pays service. Upper Harbour residents should not be paying for a service they cannot use where alternatives are available. Amending Auckland International Airport Limited Shareholding Policy xvi) the local board do not support the proposal to sell all of Auckland Council’s shares in the Auckland International Airport Limited. We are concerned that if the shares are sold and debt paid down, future councils can still increase debt and there will be no enduring benefit to selling the shares. xvii) request that: A) if a portion is sold there should be restrictions prohibiting offshore ownership B) Auckland Council investigate reducing the debt ceiling limit if shares are sold. Managing Rates and Debt xviii) note that the local board have mixed views on rates proposal xix) recognise the financial situation of Aucklanders with many costs rising. xxii) note that the local board have mixed views on the proposal to increase debt by $75m or more in order to pay for community services xxiii) support the proposal to increase rates by an additional 1 per cent to fund a storm response fund based on community feedback with 66 percent of individuals and 67 percent of organisations supporting this proposal Changes to Other Rates, Fees and Charges xxiv) support the proposal to introduce a one-off fee for residents wishing to change bin sizes for refuse bins only if the change is to a larger bin size xxv) do not support the proposal to introduce one off fee for residents wishing to change bin sizes for recycling bins as Council should be encouraging and incentivising households to increase recycling xxvi) support changes to which bus services are funding by the Climate Action Targeted Rate noting that the $10.5m will be redirected to ensure the Northwest bus improvements can be realised sooner xxvii) support the amendments to the Community Occupancy Guidelines noting that decisions on fees and charges are made at the local board discretion at a case-by-case basis Revenue and Financing Policy xxviii) do not support the proposal to pause the Long-Term Differential Strategy for one year as the intention of this strategy is for the share of general rates paid by business properties to be made fairer. Advocacy Initiatives e) hapahapai / advocate to the Governing Body on the following initiatives as part of the Annual Budget 2023/2024: i) appropriate funding to enable an improved and ongoing library service provision in Albany ii) appropriate planning and investment for infrastructure and quality open space and ecological outcomes in areas impacted by growth and intensification e.g. Whenuapai iii) funding for reliable, frequent and efficient public transport services be a priority as this is highly valued by the communities and a key lever for Auckland’s climate action goals iv) retention of the Local Board Transport Capital Fund v) increase in funding to Auckland Transport to go towards footpath improvements vi) adequate level of renewals funding to ensure existing assets are well maintained vii) fair and equitable funding allocations for Upper Harbour Local Board viii) appropriate long-term planning and associated funding for infrastructure in growth areas that supports Auckland’s climate goals ix) immediate long term risk scenario planning for the next 50 – 100 years to respond to climate impacts including council-controlled organisations x) regional funding to reduce sediment and contaminants from urban development and land use entering our waterways. xi) appropriate funding for compliance and education to ensure that minimising construction and demolition waste is a priority for all projects. xii) increase funding for improved compliance and enforcement of Auckland Council bylaws and legislative responsibilities under the Resource Management Act (1991)
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The Chairperson A Atkinson put clause d xx) and d) xxi to the vote |
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Resolution number UH/2023/52 MOVED by Member K Parker, seconded by Member J Mclean: That the Upper Harbour Local Board: d) whakarite / provide the following input on regional topics in the proposed Annual Budget 2023/2024 and related policies to the Governing Body. xx) note that a majority of board members support overall rates increase of 4.66 per cent as per the Mayors proposal to ensure council maintains a reasonable service level across the region noting this includes: A) general rates increase of 7 per cent B) two third reduction of the Natural Environmental Targeted Rate and Water Quality Target rate for 2023/2024. xxi) support a one-year reduction in the Natural Environmental Targeted Rate and Water Quality Target Rate for 2023/2024 noting: A) this reduction will offset the overall rates increase for rate payers B) the funding that has already been collected from these targeted rates is sufficient to deliver on the projects as planned for 2023/2024.
A division was called for, voting on which was as follows:
The motion was declared carried by 5 votes to 1. |
13 Te Whakaaro ki ngā Take Pūtea e Autaia ana | Consideration of Extraordinary Items
There was no consideration of extraordinary items.
10.52 am The chairperson thanked members for their attendance and attention to business and closed the meeting with a Karakia.
CONFIRMED AS A TRUE AND CORRECT RECORD AT A MEETING OF THE Upper Harbour Local Board HELD ON
DATE:.........................................................................
CHAIRPERSON:.......................................................