Roskill Community Voice

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Local Economic Development

Updated for 2019

We’ve built a focused local policy on economic development issues that will provide jobs, support local enterprises, and revitalise our run-down town centres.

What we’ve done:

  • Run the Big Ideas for Mt Roskill Town Centre campaign, bringing together over 400 ideas from the community gathered online, in sessions with local school children, by postcard, and at a public meeting attended by 110+ locals. This led to the Revive Roskill Town Centre vision.
  • Secured resources for streetscape improvements at the Mt Roskill town centre, construction now underway
  • Developed the first ever Local Economic Development Action Plan for Puketāpapa(from p97 at this link)
  • Invested in efforts to build a local business association through developing marketing initiatives they could take over, contracting Dominion Road Business Association to run local seminars and a newsletter, supporting the establishment of a network of small town centre hubs.
  • Supported the Living Wage, which will put more money into the pockets of local people to spend in our community. All Auckland Council direct employees are now paid at least the Living Wage.
  • Fostered local young people into training and apprenticeships, in particular through Youth Connections and large Council projects such as Te Auaunga Project in Wesley.
  • Supported local social enterprise initiatives for alternative employment pathways, in particular through funding Akina to mentor new entrepreneurs
  • Funded Young Enterprise Scheme in local high schools.

    What’s next:

  • Using the forthcoming Mt Roskill Area Planning process to develop integrated high quality town centre plans for Stoddard Rd and Three Kings
  • Implementing our Revive Roskill Town Centre vision to bring “Big Roskill” back to life over the next five to ten years
  • Review the 2015 Local Economic Development Action Plan (link above) with a view to tackling the difficult problem of building an effective local business association in particular, so that there is a voice for local businesses in Puketāpapa and a way for them to work together on common issues such as safety.

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Fairness for Wesley

Mt Roskill has not had it’s fair share over the decades, and Wesley has been particularly badly affected.

In 2013 we pledged to progress Fairness for Wesley through: (updates on each area since 2013 are in brackets):

  • Better library services (We are advocating for Wesley to be the priority for new library services on the isthmus)
  • Education and jobs for our people (Examples include supporting local projects such as Project PETER that focus on skills development in the area, advocating for local employment to be included in the Te Auaunga Awa stormwater programme contracts)
  • A Living Wage (We commited the Puketapapa Local Board to the Living Wage and seeking for all employees and contractors working on Puketapapa projects and work programmes to be paid at least the Living Wage)
  •  Upgrading our parks (Examples include major upgrades of Walmsley and Underwood Parks coming with the stormwater project, including a new playground; improved sporting facilities at Mt Roskill War Memorial Park including the resurfacing of the Lovelock Track)
  •  Fair treatment for housing (Examples include trying to work with Housing New Zealand to encourage good quality state housing, supporting Healthy Homes initiatives, investigating local Warrant of Fitness scheme for rentals)
  •  Traffic safety (Requesting traffic calming be put in on Wesley streets such as O’Donnell and Farrelly, new pedestrian refuge outside the Wesley Community Centre)
  •  Rail to Roskill (Advocating for this project to be on the priority list for Auckland Transport

In 2016 we are updating this list, watch this space!

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Fairness For Wesley

The below is from our Fairness For Wesley campaign – a leaflet we have been sharing around Wesley for the last fortnight.

We are speaking up for fairness, for the whole Mt Roskill community, and especially here in Wesley.

Fairness means that people in our community have equal opportunities, support when it is needed, and a fair go.

Unfortunately, over a long period of time we have not been treated fairly. Did you know that for every $1 that Council spends in other communities on facilities and services for people, only 74 cents gets spent in Puketapapa/Mt Roskill? That isn’t right and we are here to fight for a fair deal.

Roskill Community Voice is your local team standing for the Puketapapa Local Board, working with City Vision candidates for Ward Councillor positions, at the Council elections. We are running a ‘Fairness for Wesley’ campaign to ensure that local people get a fair go.

Below you will find our policies to win Fairness for Wesley. We are the only team presenting a complete set of policies about local issues to the people of Wesley this election.

Our campaign to win Fairness for Wesley means a Local Board and Ward Councillors who will work with the community to achieve:

  • Better library services – We need to instill a love of reading and learning in our young people, but Wesley has some of the poorest access to library services in Auckland. We will fight to bring better library services to Wesley. 
  • Education and jobs for our people – We believe that Council can play a more active role in helping our young people into education, training and work. We will work actively to try and attract a tertiary education provider into our community, and develop pathways for young people to move through into apprenticeships, training, and good paying jobs. 
  • A Living Wage – It is a matter of justice that people get paid enough to live on. With good incomes we can ensure that our families can afford good food, healthy housing, and adequate healthcare. We are the only team in Mt Roskill that is fully committed to the Living Wage. 
  • Upgrading our Parks – We will take action to advance the upgrade of Walmsley/Underwood Park to better meet community needs. Members of the Roskill Community Voice team are also leading work to upgrade the Mt Roskill War Memorial. 
  • Fair treatment for Housing – New Zealand tenants and neighbours Housing New Zealand is looking to make major changes to its housing stock and may look to intensify Wesley. We need to ensure that the voice of the local community is heard and that we retain public housing in our community for local people. 
  • Rail to Roskill – We are the team who is leading the charge to bring Rail to Roskill. A train line from Avondale to Dominion Rd, with a station at Stoddard Rd would bring huge convenience and opportunity for our local community. 
  • Traffic safety – It is time to take action on traffic safety issues in Wesley. We will back the local community and push for changes to improve safety on Sandringham Rd, O’Donnell St, and other areas of concern.

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RCV Policy on Town Centres and Economic Development

We need a focused local policy on economic development issues that provides jobs, supports local enterprises, and revitalises our run-down town centres.

Specific policy includes:

  • Bringing a greater focus on to the development of an integrated high quality town centre at Stoddard Rd, including development of a Precinct Plan. 
  • The development of retail strategy for local and town centres to support the development of a clear retail identity for each area, and a strategic approach to growth. 
  • Working with the Mt Roskill Business & Community Groups Association on initiatives to encourage local people to ‘buy local’. 
  • A strong focus on improvements to Roskill Main Street, including establishment of a trial dollar for dollar subsidy scheme to improve the appearance of shops. 
  • Development of a local economic development plan that builds on Roskill’s strengths and focusses on local high-wage jobs. 
  • Support for the Living Wage, which will put more money into the pockets of local people to spend in our community. 
  • Fostering local young people into training and apprenticeships, and advocating for a tertiary education provider to provide services in Roskill
A full index of our policy can be found here, updated regularly as we release policy throughout the election campaign.

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RCV Policy on Young People

Shail Kaushal, one of Auckland’s youngest candidates for election has launched Roskill Community

Shail Kaushal

Voice’s policy on young people today. We believe strongly in the need to positively support our young people. Roskill’s young people are smart, creative, and community minded. We just need to create the right environment and supports to see them flourish. 

Our full policy follows and can be viewed along with other policy released to date here.

RCV Policy: Young People  
Our young people need to be seen as a strength in our community, not a problem to be ‘solved’. We need to provide support and resourcing to ensure that local young people have the opportunities they need to grow, develop, and contribute back to the community. 

Our 2013 policy on young people includes:

  • The ongoing development and support of a comprehensive Youth Action Plan that provides a framework for supporting youth leadership and aspirations.  

  • Working to deliver an empowered Puketapapa youth caucus, including joint meetings with the Local Board so that ideas and aspirations are shared.  

  •  A strong focus on linking our local young people to training, skill development, and apprenticeships. We must provide the means for our youth to move into productive, high wage jobs.   

  •  We will take advocate for a credible tertiary education provider to establish a presence in Roskill.   

  • Support a Living Wage so that local young people and their families can live in dignity and plan for the future

  • Actively support an expansion of the Council cadetship scheme that provides young people with opportunities to develop skills and careers in the Council organisation.

  •  Investigate the barriers to local young people participating in organised sport, and investigate a subsidised sports club membership scheme.