Roskill Community Voice

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The Great Puketapapa Bus Survey 2018

The Great Puketapapa Bus Survey 2018

After the New (Bus) Network was rolled out in the central Auckland area by Auckland Transport, we were hearing a lot of concerns about how it was working. So we surveyed the local area and produced this report summarising the around 300 responses. It includes recommendations for Auckland Transport to consider, some of which are site-specific improvements and others are changes people would like to see to frequencies and so on.

On the whole people liked the increased frequencies, the simplicity of the network, and double decker buses. Concerns remained, after a few months of operation, about several changes in particular the loss of two express routes (267x and 258x) and the 299 link to Newmarket.

At the moment we are awaiting Auckland Transport’s response to the recommendations and report.

We’re also considering making the survey an annual campaign, so that we can see how things are improving (or not!)

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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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Children and Young People

Updated for 2019.

Our young people and children are strengths in our community, not problems to be ‘solved’. We see those aged 25 and younger as citizens now, to be valued and respected, encouraged to have a voice in civic processes and participate in community life, be it in local parks, schools, workplaces, town centres, community facilities, or their own homes.

What we’ve been doing

  • Supported the establishment of the Puketāpapa Youth Board, a great representative group of local 14 to 25 year olds who have organised successful annual Youth Summits to gather youth issues and ideas, and given valuable input to council.
  • A strong focus on linking our local young people to training, skill development, and apprenticeships, as local as possible, such as through Te Whangai Trust in the Walmsley/Underwood and Freeland Reserve projects.
  • Focused on support for local start-up businesses in particular social enterprises, for those young people looking to create their own jobs.
  • Pushed for Auckland Council to be a Living Wage employer, and from 1st September 2019 all Auckland Council direct employees have been paid the Living Wage or above, lifting the incomes of young workers and local families.
  • Funded Children’s Panel work in local schools to give children a voice in their community, and a say outside school and home.
  • Resourced children- and youth-focused activities at Roskill Youth Zone, with partners like Global Hope Missions
  • Supported public transport and active transport improvements to make it easier for children and young people to get around without relying on a car.

What’s Next?

  • Support the Puketāpapa Youth Board in their review of the Youth Action Plan, and their aspirations for the next iteration.
  • Better involve children and young people in local park design through trying new consultation methods, starting with the playground upgrade coming for Keith Hay Park South.
  • Investigate how to actively involve our citizens aged 25 and younger in the further development and implementation of the Healthy Puketāpapa Action Plan
  • Deliver on our Revive Roskill Town Centre vision to make the Roskill shops a great place for children and young people.
  • Continue advocating for more training and employment opportunities for local youth on large projects in Roskill like the Central Interceptor, HNZ developments.

 

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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.