Viewpoint – Getting our fair share

In my capacity as chair of the Parks, Culture and Community Development Committee, I have developed quite the enthusiasm for walkways and cycleways. Not the high-cost, gold-plated, super-engineered variety a la Auckland Harbour Bridge Skypath, but the simple gravel tracks laid through our reserves. These are nearly always community driven, provide health benefits to the users, offer transport alternatives between destinations, encourage higher utilisation of parks and playgrounds, open up opportunities for plant and animal pest management (usually by volunteer groups), give economic benefit by creating linkages between residential areas, natural attractions and town centre cafes and businesses, and promote tourism. Inexpensive to lay, they give great bang-for-buck. But Council can make these a costly and complicated exercise with health and safety, and engineering requirements. The recently-awarded walkway grants recognise the value of these amenities and the capacity of community groups to deliver them in a timely and cost-effective way.

The new Transport Levy was only ever in the small print of the draft Long Term Plan, and so the speed at which it was announced following the close of the submission process, smacked of a predetermined outcome. My preference would have been for a more user-pays collection of fees such as congestion charging and tolls. A levy does nothing to change driver behaviour. I feel for our elderly and those on fixed incomes many of whom do not drive further than the supermarket or church on Sunday. The extra $113.85 per year will be difficult for some of them to find. It is imperative that Rodney ratepayers get their fair share of this levy.

Despite small increases to capital and local discretionary funding, a further outcome of the LTP is a reduced operational budget for the Local Board. Cost-cutting by way of pared-back service levels to parks mowing, removal of rubbish bins etc. seems like penny-pinching when there is largesse occurring elsewhere e.g. public artworks, eye-watering salaries, and overseas placements doing what should be the work of central government. If Council wants to find savings it should look to its internal staffing and processes, reduce bureaucracy, and encourage local input. Risk is over-rated.

The Rodney Local Board has always had in its plan the desired outcome of “communities are empowered and plan for their own futures”. It seems Auckland Council is now catching up with the idea through their ‘Empowering Communities Approach’. Meanwhile, in Rodney, we continue to do what we have always done as small communities. Our recent workshop in Leigh will assist that community to focus, identify, create, and prioritise local projects that they can get on with themselves. Much has been made in this paper of the cost of the workshop. Let’s consider more its value, because in the long run having community groups working on projects that are important to them, using local contractors, volunteer labour and sponsored materials, will save money and time.