Premier skatepark on the way

Work has started on one of the most ambitious projects we’ve undertaken – the construction of a premier skatepark at Barry Curtis Park south of Ormiston Bridge .

I am excited about this skatepark project which will include a modern plaza area, classic bowl, skateable structures and a lot of socialising space. It will also provide our young people with a place to enjoy and have fun.

I have been listening to young people in the Botany area who, for sometime, have been talking about their need for a skatepark or simply a place to “hang out” on the weekends and during the school holidays.

A lot of hard work has gone into making sure we get things right and for this we are thankful to the technical advisory group, including advocate Owen Williams, Cheapskates Manukau’s Mark Finlay and Tim Guy from Boardertown Botany who have all worked with the Isthmus Group to develop the ideas based on the feedback received from local skateboarders.

Once completed this skateboard will be a magnet for young (and the young at heart). It’s fantastic to see that this construction is finally underway and I look forward to the end result.

Family Violence – It’s not OK in Manukau

Next week will see the launch of the Family Violence – It’s not OK campaign here in Manukau.

Our council has been working with the Ministry of Social Development and the Families Commission to give the campaign a Manukau focus.

The campaign is a long-term programme aimed at changing attitudes and behaviour to family violence.

I am a strong supporter of this localised campaign which follows similar campaigns throughout Auckland , Waikato and the Bay of Plenty .

I am proud of our communities here in Manukau and proud of the approach that is being taken with regards to violence. We need to take a stand on this issue, not only for our families but for our community. There is no room for family violence in our homes.

The message is simple. It’s not OK.

Locals will see billboards, posters, banners and newspaper advertisements featuring local families and community groups who have agreed to put a Manukau face to the campaign.

For more information about the It’s not OK campaign visit www.areyouok.org.nz.

The passing of a matriarch and stalwart of education

On a sad note, it was with great sadness that we noted the passing of a great Matriach of Tainui and a stalwart on education within Manukau.

Earlier this week saw the passing of Tainui icon, Raiha, Lady Mahuta.

Lady Mahuta was instrumental as a co-negotatior of the Waikato River Settlement for Waikato-Tainui, and her contribution to Tainui was substantial. She was one of a kind.

Manukau has a very special relationship with Tainui and the respect that Lady Raiha commanded, within Tainui, Waikato-Maniapoto and Nga Puhi, her ancestral home, was immense.

She was prepared to stand up after the loss of her husband, the late Sir Robert Mahuta, and always worked to ensure the future on behalf of the iwi she represented. She will be a huge loss.

Last month, we lost Allen Chang of the Counties Manukau Education Trust. He was very much a part of the COMET family, working to deliver quality educational opportunities within Manukau’s communities.

Over the past three years, Allen was Executive Manager for COMET, and worked through many levels of society. He was a Justice of the Peace, a leader of the Chinese New Zealand community and a board member of the Auckland Region Migrant Services Trust. People like Allen are the backbone of communities everywhere. Allen was a man of humility, a family man, proud of his Chinese heritage and of his family.

Our thoughts go out to Lady Mahuta’s whanau and to the Chang family at this difficult time.

Manukau’s first university

After years of planning, and blood, sweat and tears, we will herald a new era in education at the end of the month, with the opening of Manukau’s first university campus.

The AUT university on Great South Rd is due to be officially opened on 27 March and I, along with other leaders including Prime Minister John Key, community leaders, educationalists and supporters will be on hand to witness this wonderful occasion.

I am a big believer in education and know that it is the key to ensuring that our young people and our communities move forward.

The new university provides an opportunity for locals to study close to home, and already offers a variety of courses. The opening is also a chance for prospective students and their families to get more information on the programmes being offered at the campus.

Congratulations to AUT and its supporters for ensuring this very important educational facility becomes a reality. I am confident that the university, along with the Manukau Institute of Technology, will continue to enhance Manukau’s reputation as not only an important economic base, but a key education provider.

Celebrating Pasifika

March is a big month for our Pasifika communities as we celebrate pacific diversity with festivals, exhibitions, film, dance and much more.

Manukau is home to more than 65 ethnic groups, and our Pacific population is among the largest. I am proud of the fact that more than 88,000 Pacific people call Manukau home – that’s some 28 per cent of our population of 330,000.

Council’s Arts and Libraries teams are hosting a range of free activities for Celebrate Pasifika and I’m delighted that we get a chance to see Pacific culture getting its share of the limelight.

I love the strong, vibrant cultures that make up this city and I certainly look forward to getting to some of these events, including the first ever Pacific Youth and Sports Conference, which will be held at TelstraClear Pacific Centre, starting next week, and the 2010 ASB Polyfest which is now into its 35th year. This fantastic festival never disappoints. I am awed by the atmosphere and know that those who are planning to go along either as performers or supporters will enjoy the festivities.

Westpac Manukau Business Excellence Awards

It’s that time of the year again. The hunt is on for Manukau’s best businesses with last week’s launch of the Westpac Manukau Business Excellence Awards. The awards showcase the talent of local businesses and has been part of the council calendar since 1994. We are proud to be one of the major sponsors and I look forward to seeing who puts their hand up for this year’s honours.

Loan Sharks Bill

This week I attended in Mangere, the launch of a Stop the loan sharks campaign that supports List MP Carol Beaumont’s private member’s Bill, the Credit Reforms (Responsible Lending) Bill.

We have in our midst some of the most vulnerable communities targeted by Fringe Lenders. As the mayor of Manukau, I am pleased to support launch.

The two key points of the Bill is to require lenders to act responsibly when lending credit, and prevents excessive rates of interest from being charged.

For some time now, I have been concerned about the growth of fringe lenders within the Manukau community. These lenders more often than not, charge excessive interest rates and use unscrupulous business practices in lending and recovering debt.

This has been a problem particularly with the targeting of our Pasifika communities, by lenders.

This issue was brought before our council in November last year and we resolved that I write to the Prime Minister on behalf of the council to support the referral of this Bill to the appropriate select committee. I am proud of our communities and believe that our citizens deserve a fair go.

This Bill will go a long way, I believe, to addressing some or our key concerns. I will continue to follow this issue closely.

Yesterday I put out a statement welcoming the government’s intention to invest more in Auckland’s infrastructure.

It was good to hear the Finance Minister Bill English identifying the need to invest in a second harbour crossing for Auckland and more rail infrastructure.

You can read the full infrastructure plan here.

We need to be thinking 10-20 years ahead in how we plan for the development of our region because by that time almost two million people will be living here.

The new Auckland Council will need to do a lot of work putting together an infrastructure plan for the city which takes a look at the best option for the new harbour crossing – which is why the council should have control over transport and why it should not be a CCO.

I’ve blogged more about that last point here.

It’s pleasing that the government’s plan also identifies increasing demand in the Auckland rail network. We’re seeing exponential growth in the numbers of Aucklanders taking the train and our future lies in getting more people off the road.

Last year there were 58.6 million public transport passenger trips across the city last year – the highest since the mid-1980s. It’s good news that more people are using public transport, however it is disappointing that in 2009 public transport use is where it was in the mid 1980s.

In Manukau we’ve started work on the first extension to Auckland’s rail network since the 1930s. And this week I attended the first trip through the new New Lynn station. There is a lot happening and we have a chance to build on that.

Auckland needs to get on with developing the inner-city rail loop to open the network, introduce integrated ticketing and deliver our new electric trains.

I know that the success of the new Auckland Council will be judged on how it delivers improvements to Auckland’s transport infrastructure. It’s good the government also sees the need.

Today I presented my council’s submission to the select committee considering the third bill to set up the Auckland Council.

One of the key issues facing the committee is the role and functions of the local boards. My council believes much more work needs to be done to ensure local community interests are reflected in the new governance structure and that the local board powers should be enshrined in legislation.

We believe local boards will be best placed to understand the specific needs of the communities they serve. In order to do so, the boards need meaningful powers, funding and support, and they should be provided for in legislation.

The Discussion Document has provided some reassurance around the types of decisions local boards will make but what we really need to see is stronger legislation that enshrines the powers of local boards and gives them a true place shaping role.

The Local boards must have regulatory responsibilities and adequate resources to get things done. They should be responsible for local decisions on local roads, footpaths, crime prevention (where CCTV cameras should be sited, for example), beautification schemes, building consents, animal control, environmental health, local parks, recreation and sports facilities, libraries and pools, community houses and advisory services, town centre promotion, galleries and museums, beaches, camping grounds, liquor licensing, and more. I spoke more about this here.

While the Discussion Document is a start, we still have a long way to go.

I believe there is a chance that the new Auckland Council could end up in endless litigation, debate and conflict about what things the local boards should be involved in. My council is still advocating for the role and powers of local boards to be strengthened in legislation and I spoke about that today.

Manukau City Council’s submission also covered:

Local Boards

o The need to strengthen in legislation the principles for allocation of powers and functions of local boards.
o The ability of local boards to general additional revenue leading to inequalities in service delivery.
o The impractical timing for local board plans, with the adoption of Local Board Plans by 30 April following the triennial elections resulting in rushed consideration of board and community preferences. The council recommends a change to 30 September for adoption of plan, to allow the local board time to consult adequately with its local communities and other interested parties, and to assess if the existing local board plan needs amending.

Council controlled organisations

o The establishment of CCOs without political input or public consultation.
o The appointments to CCO board being made by Ministers. The council proposes that the legislation should allow for the relevant Ministers to appoint interim boards for CCOs for set time period only.
o The lack of requirement for integration with the Auckland Council’s strategic goals. One of the reasons stated for establishing the Auckland Council is to have the region working towards one strategic direction. The council proposes that the legislation should require CCOs to give effect to the strategic direction of the Auckland Council and reference the four well-beings.
o The potential disestablishment of existing highly successful CCOs without proper consideration of their potential benefit to the new Auckland Council.

Spatial Plan

o The lack of direct reference to sustainable development and the four well-beings in the Bill. The council proposes the Bill reflects the four well-beings of sustainable development.

Maori Advisory Board

o The lack of detail on the role and powers of the Maori advisory board.

Pacific and Ethnic Advisory Boards

o The discrepancies in the appointment process for these panels.
o The unnecessary requirement to disestablish the panels by 1 November 2013.