Roskill Community Voice

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RCV Policy on Community Development and Facilities

Council can play a key role in bringing our community together, providing facilities, resourcing, and expertise to help our community develop and grow. We support an active and engaging approach in which grassroots community determines local priorities.

Specific local policy includes:

  • Heightened support for local community groups through better access to funding streams, appropriate and timely advice, provision of appropriate space, and creating functional partnerships with Council.
  • Development of ‘Garden web’ type networks that bring people together around community projects
  • Creation of new community space at Hillsborough/Monte Cecilia and in the restored Mt Roskill Municipal Chambers.
  • Advocacy for library services to be provided in the Wesley area, which currently has some of the poorest library access on the isthmus.
  • Advocacy for a Living Wage so that work is rewarded, local people can live with dignity, and spending power in our local economy is increased.
  • Establishing a local children’s panel to ensure that we receive input from our youngest citizens.
  • Provide more small scale community notice boards at local shopping areas to help keep the community connected.
  • Supporting local events that fit with community priorities and support local groups to deliver them.

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RCV Policy on Environment and Parks

We treasure our local environment. Our maunga, foreshore, streams, and network of parks give us space to roam, a sense of identity, and recreational opportunities. We will work to protect and enhance our environment and open space.

Specific local policy includes:

  • A strong focus on environmental restoration including: 
    • The Manukau foreshore 
    • Our local streams particularly Oakley Creek and Wairaki Stream 
    • Our maunga – Puketapapa/Pukewiwi/Mt Roskill and Te Tatua-a-Riukiuta/Big King. 
  • Establishment of a dedicated Local Board budget line to undertake restoration initiatives on our maunga. We will work with iwi and community to ensure that the mana of our cones is restored. 
  • Driving forward the vision for an Onehunga to Blockhouse Bay continuous walkway network and ongoing stewardship of foreshore, working with the newly formed ‘Friends of the Foreshore’ group. 
  • Our campaign to Bury the Pylons. We will continue our advocacy to remove these unsightly lines that blight our neighbourhoods and harbour. 
  • Development of a playground strategy that gives local communities the opportunity to help shape their local parks and provides a comprehensive approach to renewing our local playgrounds. 
  • A strong focus on restoration of the Manukau Harbour including advocacy to keep Watercare honest, continuing to remove Pacific Oyster shells from our beaches, and resolving stormwater run-off issues. 
  • Oppose further wasteful acquisitions around Monte Cecilia Park, and instead focus resources on quality development of the existing park. 
  • Advancing stream naturalisation projects, and ensuring that naturalised areas have ongoing budgeted maintenance to ensure they are kept in good condition.

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Media Statement: Monte Cecilia ‘Blank Cheque’ needs review

“A new Council is an opportunity to look afresh at the divisive issue of Monte Cecilia School. We have written to every incoming Councillor to put the issues in front of them and to urge them to urgently review the situation”, says Roskill Community Voice member of the Puketapapa Local Board Michael Wood who is campaigning against the old Auckland City Council’s plan to pay for the demolition and re-building of Monte Cecilia School because it is too close to a new art gallery.

“We know that the incoming Council is keen to open the books, and ensure that all expenditure is prudent. In the case of Monte Cecilia School there are serious questions to be answered. Estimates of the cost of the total project vary between $30-$100 million”, continues Wood

“Most importantly there has been no public scrutiny of this planned expenditure. There is not a single publicly available document that can tell a ratepayer how much might be spent on this project. Effectively the old Auckland City Council signed a ‘blank cheque’ with the expectation that the new Council will pick up the tab”.

“Expenditure of this magnitude makes Monte Cecilia a regional issue. If the project proceeds, then other open space projects around the region will not be able to occur because the budget will be drained”.

“The project was rammed through in the months before the old Auckland City Council was dissolved and consultation was minimal We are calling on the new Council to do the right thing by ratepayers and the local community by opening the books, reviewing the project, and looking at alternative options that meet everyone’s objectives while saving millions of dollars of public money”, concludes Wood.

ENDS

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Media Statement: Monte Cecilia 'Blank Cheque' needs review

“A new Council is an opportunity to look afresh at the divisive issue of Monte Cecilia School. We have written to every incoming Councillor to put the issues in front of them and to urge them to urgently review the situation”, says Roskill Community Voice member of the Puketapapa Local Board Michael Wood who is campaigning against the old Auckland City Council’s plan to pay for the demolition and re-building of Monte Cecilia School because it is too close to a new art gallery.

“We know that the incoming Council is keen to open the books, and ensure that all expenditure is prudent. In the case of Monte Cecilia School there are serious questions to be answered. Estimates of the cost of the total project vary between $30-$100 million”, continues Wood

“Most importantly there has been no public scrutiny of this planned expenditure. There is not a single publicly available document that can tell a ratepayer how much might be spent on this project. Effectively the old Auckland City Council signed a ‘blank cheque’ with the expectation that the new Council will pick up the tab”.

“Expenditure of this magnitude makes Monte Cecilia a regional issue. If the project proceeds, then other open space projects around the region will not be able to occur because the budget will be drained”.

“The project was rammed through in the months before the old Auckland City Council was dissolved and consultation was minimal We are calling on the new Council to do the right thing by ratepayers and the local community by opening the books, reviewing the project, and looking at alternative options that meet everyone’s objectives while saving millions of dollars of public money”, concludes Wood.

ENDS

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Puketapapa Local Board inauguration

Michael and I were sworn in as Local Board Members on Wednesday November 3rd at the Fickling Centre, in front of a crowd of around one hundred locals.  Many thanks to our families, friends and supporters who came along to celebrate with us.

Richard Barter (previous Chair of the Mt Roskill Community Board, C&R) was elected chair unanimously, and there was an election for Deputy Chair, between Nigel Turnbull of Citizens and Ratepayers and Michael.  Nigel was successful with four votes to our two, after speeches from both candidates.

There was also some controversy at the end of the meeting, around the removal from the agenda of an item to call at Extraordinary Meeting of the Board on November 9th to discuss Monte Cecilia School.  Michael and I moved and seconded a motion to hold the meeting as previously agreed but it was voted down four votes to two.  The discussion will now take place at the next Business Meeting on December 16th. 

Here are some pics of the event, many thanks to Arna for taking them.  Oh dear, can’t currently upload the shots to the website, so here’s a link to them on Facebook instead.

You can also read thecoverage of the inauguration meeting in the Herald and Central Leader (in print edition today,will put up here once online).