Roskill Community Voice

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Media Release: Seeking Big Ideas for Mt Roskill Town Centre

For immediate release

“It is time for action to turn the Mt Roskill Town Centre from a scruffy strip to an inviting hub – a place that is safe and inviting, supports our local businesses, and reflects the vibrancy and diversity of our people,” says Bobby Shen, architectural designer and Roskill Community Voice candidate for the Puketāpapa Local Board.

“It’s one of the top issues constituents raise with me,” says Michael Wood, Member of Parliament for Mt Roskill. “There’s a real frustration that our town centre is so much less than what it could be, and so I’m working with Roskill Community Voice to host a public meeting on the matter, Sunday 28th July, 3.30pm at Winstone Park Tennis Club.”

“Mt Roskill Town Centre has faced many years of decline owing to the pulling power of the malls, the loss of major businesses that generate foot-traffic, uncertainty over transport planning, and a lack of private and public investment. The forthcoming footpath and streetscape improvements due to happen later this year will help the town centre, but a more comprehensive and planned approach is necessary to really revitalise it and give it a future as a people-place in our community,” says Harry Doig, current Chair of the Puketāpapa Local Board.

Roskill Community Voice is seeking “Big Ideas for Mt Roskill Town Centre” through a local postcard campaign, where people can drop their ideas into Copies Plus in the main shops, Foxie Hair at 887 Dominion Rd, or give their thoughts online at www.roskillcv.org.nz/bigideas.

“We need some community ideas and community action to turn our town centre around, and make it a real heart for our people. I’m looking forward to hearing what locals think and working together to make a real difference,” says Bobby Shen.

Contacts:
Bobby Shen – ph 0211725235
Email bobbyshenpuketapapa@gmail.com

Harry Doig – ph 0272412209
Email Harry.doig@gmail.com

Michael Wood MP – ph 0226506360

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RCV Policy on Transport

We must ensure that people are able to move around our community safely and efficiently. There must be a greater focus on public transport, safe walk and cycle routes, and making existing roads safer for all users.

Specific local policy includes:

  • Ongoing support for better public transport including better bus stop facilities along the successful Dominion Rd and Mt Eden Rd routes, and advocacy for improved cross-town routes. 
  • Investigation into local park and ride facilities 
  • Ongoing support for advancing the Puketapapa Greenways Network so that people have safe and pleasant routes to walk and cycle around the community. 
  • Strong advocacy for Rail to Roskill to be the next major regional project after the Central Rail Link as part of building a congestion free network. 
  • Work to review pedestrian safety issues, particularly around known problem areas such as Mt Roskill Campus and Mt Albert Rd at Three Kings.

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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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ARC Chair acknowledges hard work of Garth Houltham advocating for rail

Extract from Mike Lee’s speech at the opening of the Onehunga Train Line & Station, posted on his website September 19th 2010.  Picture shows Mike (with plaque) with Campaign for Better Transport members, including Garth to the right of Mike (the one with the beard!)

…Over the summer of 2005/2006 CBT members led by Garth Houltham worked to gather over 8,000 signatures in support of reopening the line, mostly from local residents. Garth is now running for the local board on the Roskill Community Voice ticket.

His slogan is: “He’s Houltham, and he’s good for you!”
And I have say he’s proven that to be true.
Garth’s petition was formally presented to the ARC by Cam Pitches in 2006. However by that time operational responsibility for public transport had been placed in the hands of a new agency – ARTA. So I went along to the ARTA Board and presented the petition along with what I hoped was a rousing speech in support…
Picture and extract from Mike’s website, click through for the whole article and more photos.