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New board chair Phelan Pirrie, centre in blue shirt, flanked by fellow board members and members of Ngati Manuhiri, who conducted a welcoming ceremony during the inauguration. Warkworth Primary Schools kapa haka group also performed.
Incoming Rodney Local Board chair Phelan Pirrie used his inaugural speech to deliver a broadside against Auckland Council and Auckland Transport (AT).
Mr Pirrie said AT was particularly challenging and a source of frustration in Rodney.
“In a democracy, you cannot have an organisation that does not communicate or engage with the communities that fund its activities,” he said.
The remarks were made during a ceremony to inaugurate the new Board held at the Warkworth Town Hall on November 5.
Afterwards, Mr Pirrie said AT’s lack of engagement and transparency over the troubled Hill Street intersection in Warkworth was a glaring example of what he meant, and he could find similar examples throughout Rodney.
“I have yet to come across a project that AT has been involved with where the community has come out of it feeling excited, satisfied and energised by the process,” he said.
Mr Pirrie said the one area where there had been an improvement in relations with AT was over the Board’s introduction of a targeted rate to fund transport improvements in Rodney.
He said, the fact, that the Board had control over the funding for the improvements had meant AT was more responsive. So far, the targeted rate had funded additional bus services, bus stops, new footpaths and preliminary work on park and rides.
During his town hall speech, Mr Pirrie also criticised Auckland Council for failing to act on recommendations made by the Local Government Commission (LGC) regarding the amalgamation of north Rodney into the Auckland Supercity.
Whereas the LGC had recommended more engagement and transparency by Council, the behaviour of AT illustrated that this was not happening.
The LGC also recommended that the Rodney Local Board be based in Rodney to better connect with the community.
Afterwards, Mr Pirrie said despite the previous Board calling for action on this, it was still based outside Rodney in Orewa – the only local board in Auckland not to be based in the community that it served.
“These recommendations were made for very good reasons. As long as they are not addressed,
Northern Action Group and the general community will continue to be annoyed and frustrated about it,” he said.
Elsewhere in his speech, Mr Pirrie noted Rodney was the second fastest growing ward in Auckland and the growth was set to continue.
“The Board must ensure we are focused on meeting the needs of our growing towns, while not neglecting our rural residents. This requires thoughtful balancing,” he said.
Mr Pirrie, a Rodney First member, was unanimously elected to chair the Board at the inaugural ceremony following a vote by the newly sworn in members.
Former chair and Rodney First member Beth Houlbrooke was elected deputy chair after fending off a challenge from new Board member and independent, Steven Garner, 6-3.
All the Rodney First members on the Board voted for Ms Houlbrooke. All the independents voted for Mr Garner. Rodney First hold a majority of six seats on the nine-member Board.
