Viewpoint – Alerting Auckland Transport

Auckland Council was established in 2010 with a very different system of local governance than prevailed under Rodney District Council. A decade on, there is still a lot of confusion about where Local Boards fit in. Local Boards are part of a co-governance arrangement.

On one side there are the 20 Auckland councillors and mayor that make up the governing body of Auckland Council. They set rates and bylaws, make decisions about regional facilities and allocate budget to council-controlled organisations, such as Auckland Transport (AT) and Watercare. On the other side are Local Boards. They are responsible for local parks and facilities such as halls and playgrounds. They also have a role advocating to councillors on behalf of the community.

Transport infrastructure is a top issue for our community, and the expectation is that the Local Board should be able to sort this out. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. Councillors set the strategic direction and budgets for AT, which is responsible for our local roads (but not State Highway 1, which is the responsibility of central government). How AT implements this is an operational decision the Local Board has little control over. We advocate to councillors for improvements, like an increased maintenance budget, but advocacy is very different from being able to control and prioritise budgets like we can do with our local parks.

By the time you read this, we hope that an increase in road maintenance funding will have been approved by councillors. So how might this change things on our roads? The system used for road maintenance is to a large degree reactive, so if particular roads have a lot of issues, they will be prioritised for renewal or maintenance. This means that quickly notifying problems such as potholes or safety issues with Auckland Transport is critical.

The system used directly reports issues to contractors for action. This should mean that, depending on the scale of the issue, something is done quickly. A simple pothole may be patched, however if there is an underlying issue, for example a problem with the road foundation, then a temporary fix may be used until a more complex solution can be implemented.

Whether it’s a damaged bus stop, footpath or road, the sooner someone logs an issue with AT, the quicker it can be sorted out. I have logged potholes that have been dealt with quickly, in most cases within 48 hours.

The best way to do this is online. Google “report a problem Auckland Transport” and the top hit will take you to the start of the reporting process. If you want to be notified of progress, make sure you provide your contact email address. Taking a few minutes to log problems will help AT build a picture of local problem spots and increase the likelihood of longer-term solutions to underlying maintenance or safety issues.

Phelan Pirrie, chair Rodney Local Board
phelan.pirrie@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz