Viewpoint – Time is running out

The local board has nine focused and passionate board members who are prepared to listen to the people. They are committed to their communities and put in long hours on the communities’ behalf. As one of the longest serving members of the board, it is heartening to see the end of the Rodney First coalition’s stranglehold and see these members working as independents, achieving better outcomes for all constituents.

After 13 years in the Supercity, Auckland Council still doesn’t understand the two most important requirements of the rural communities – safer roads and drainage. It shouldn’t take a weather event like Cyclone Gabrielle or Bola to address our already under-resourced infrastructure. Auckland Transport does, however, need to be acknowledged for the clean-up effort during Cyclone Gabrielle, bringing in extra grading teams. This needs to be the norm and not a short-term fix.

After seven years, the Te Arai and Okahukura drainage boards have been reinstated. Auckland Council discontinued them when they joined the Supercity. Drainage boards provide these communities with a management role to conduct the drainage requirements pursuant to the Drainage Act 1908. I appreciate the support of the Healthy Waters team and the drainage communities to finally get this resolved.

I would like to thank the efforts of Marja Lubeck and Tania Hamilton in arranging the visit of the Minister of Transport to assess our local roading network. After a tour of the area, he was not impressed with the roads. He experienced first-hand, the potholes, poor road surface, lack of drainage and the reduction in legal width of the roads.

The Katoa, Ka Ora three-year speed management plan aims to meet Waka Kotahi’s requirement for safe and appropriate speeds outside all schools by December 2027. Speeds on many rural roads in Rodney that are currently 100km/h will see reductions to 80, 60, 40 or even 30km/h. The community can have their say through the submissions process which closes on August 28. Further information is available online or at your local library.

Speed reductions aside, Auckland Council is focused on urban areas, while rural road maintenance and drainage get neglected. Rural people are fed up with the lack of service after numerous complaints about roading. Rural communities pay hundreds of thousands of dollars on rates that are intended for our roads, but get reallocated to Auckland urban projects.
When do rural communities get their share?