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Growth, infrastructure and transport were among the strongest concerns raised during consultation on the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board’s draft three-year plan, despite broad support for its overall direction.
Auckland Council received 335 pieces of feedback during consultation from June 23 to July 23, including responses from individuals, organisations, mana whenua, young people and participants at engagement events. Twenty-three youth submissions were received through the Buzzy youth engagement platform. Of the 186 submitters who responded to the question of how well the plan reflected community needs and aspirations, 107 said “very well” or “quite well”, while 65 said “not very well” or “not at all”. All organisations that answered the question rated the plan positively.
However, support for the overall direction was frequently accompanied by calls for more detail about how projects would be funded, delivered and measured.
“The direction is right but the delivery language is vague,” one submitter said. Another was more direct, saying: “More detail needs to be given, rather than waffle.”
Growth was another recurring concern, particularly around Ōrewa, Silverdale and Milldale, with residents questioning whether roads, wastewater, stormwater, schools and other services were keeping pace.
“Stop approving mass amounts of houses without fixing the sewage first. And roads. And schools. And hospitals,” one respondent said.
The council’s summary identified infrastructure failing to keep pace with population growth and intensification as a strong theme, alongside parking pressures and concerns about development occurring before supporting infrastructure is available.
Transport was the most divided of the plan’s five focus areas. Of 196 submitters who rated it, 98 responded positively and 90 negatively. Public transport coverage and reliability, the Gulf Harbour ferry, transport safety and connections between communities were recurring concerns.
A noticeable cluster of Stillwater residents called for a bus or shuttle linking their community with the Hibiscus Coast Bus Station and the Penlink network.
“We are stranded. Even with Penlink and the likelihood of there being interconnecting buses, there is no thought of connecting Stillwater to these buses,” one respondent said.
Destination Ōrewa Beach also highlighted the lack of a direct and frequent public transport connection between Ōrewa and Whangaparāoa. It asked the board to advocate for improved services between the two centres and greater frequency and reliability across the Coast.
Environmental protection also featured strongly, particularly water quality, coastal erosion, biodiversity and invasive weeds, while residents called for more playgrounds, sports facilities and spaces for teenagers as the population grows.
While most submitters supported the plan’s overall direction, transport emerged as its most contentious issue. Underlying many of the concerns was a common message – that infrastructure and services need to keep pace with population growth, and residents want more detail about how and when improvements will be delivered.
