Viewpoint – Reflecting on past year

With the end of the year fast approaching I wish everyone all the best for Christmas and New Year. At Auckland Council, the last 12 months have been a mixed bag – uncertainty over the ferry, Gulf Harbour golf course, and development generally. There was also the nonsensical attempt to demolish and sell off North Harbour Stadium, ultimately thwarted by a strong public campaign. 

There’s been plenty of good news for our area this year as well – over $10 million in flood relief works fixing roads and slips (largely finished) on the Coast, the $12.5 million Ōrewa seawall starting construction, the move to outsource pool and leisure centres like Stanmore Bay kicked for touch, and substantial investment into our sports fields and community facilities.  

With the Coast’s largest infrastructure project, Penlink, it’s been a bit of both – disappointment over the delayed completion date due to bridge ‘design issues’, but the rest of the works along the seven-kilometre route proceeding at real pace, ironically enough. 

Similarly with our endeavours to expose the extortionate payments to overseas consultants in the sale of Auckland Airport shares (the proceeds of which have long since disappeared into the debt ether) and a major success in preventing the privatisation of the Ports of Auckland, the council-owned asset which facilitates business across the region and returns substantial dividends to ratepayers.

In amongst all this there’s been a proposal floated just recently to undertake ‘CCO reform’ – in essence absorbing back into council obscurely named CCOs (council-controlled organisations) like Eke Panuku and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (with further discussions on the future of Auckland Transport). 

Polling over the last decade has made it clear that this corporate structure hasn’t gained the trust or confidence of Aucklanders. These moves are promising but it must also be said in the same breath that the same CCO/Council establishment has become more entrenched and powerful under this mayoralty than any other previously, despite the apparent occasional utterance to the contrary.

Finally, a big thank you to all those individuals in our community who do so much to help people – local community groups, trusts and churches, organisations like KWGS and Hibiscus Coast Ferry – all who’ve taken up the mantle on behalf of others. The same goes for our sports clubs who contribute so much to the fabric of life on the Coast.

We live in a beautiful part of the world and in the scheme of things are indeed most fortunate to have the environment and facilities we have. We also have people prepared to stand up for what they value, not always the case elsewhere in Auckland. So as the Scots say, Lang may yer lum reek! Enjoy your holidays everyone.