Viewpoint – Restraint needed

With the new Auckland Council term now underway, I want to thank Rodney residents for the trust placed in me. It is an honour to represent our community, and I remain focused on the issues that matter most: fighting rate increases, stopping wasteful spending, returning council to its core responsibilities, fighting rate increases, and ensuring more of our rates are invested back into Rodney.

We have made meaningful progress in getting a greater share of local rates spent locally, but the imbalance is still evident. Too much funding continues to be directed toward the central city, while important issues in our communities wait for attention. Addressing this remains one of my top priorities.
In a challenging economic climate, council needs to show restraint. However, it has already signalled an average residential rates increase of 7.9% next year. A significant portion of that increase is driven by the opening of the City Rail Link (CRL).

The breakdown of the 7.9% rise is as follows:
• 2.0% for inflation maintaining existing assets and services
• 1.5% for maintaining the new assets built as Auckland continues to grow
• 4.4% for the CRL’s annual operating cost of $235 million, including interest, on the $5.5 billion project

Most Rodney residents will receive little to no benefit from the CRL, yet are still expected to contribute to its operating costs. I am fighting for Rodney to be excluded from this portion of the rates. Rodney’s rate increases would be significantly lower, while the average increase across the rest of Auckland would be slightly higher. The public will be empowered to have their say about this in February before the final voting decision via the Mayor and councillors in May.

Another option to fight rate hikes is increasing the Uniform Annual General Charge (UAGC) – the fixed charge every property pays for core council services such as libraries, roads and administration. Raising the UAGC would lower rates for most Rodney households while increasing rates across Auckland with lower property values. Reviewing this has been supported by the Mayor and most councillors, agreeing to make a decision about consulting with Aucklanders in time for the 2027 rating year.

There are still many bureaucratic difficulties within council. The Mayor has appointed me to a number of leadership roles, which put me right at the heart of being able to positively influence outcomes. To ensure Rodney’s interests are strongly represented, I have taken on several key leadership roles, including:

Chair of Budget (Finance) & Performance Committee
• Member, Transport & Infrastructure Delivery Committee
• Member, Policy, Planning & Development Committee
• Member, Value for Money Committee
• Member, Appointments & Performance Review Committee
• Member, Civil Defence Committee

These roles place me at the centre of major financial, infrastructure and policy decisions, giving Rodney a strong voice where it matters most.

My door is always open, and I’m readily available to help anyone with council-related concerns. Thank you again for your support and I sincerely wish everyone a safe, relaxing and very Merry Christmas.