IRD considers alternatives to Takapuna offices

Takapuna is at risk of losing another big employer, with the Inland Revenue Department reviewing its local premises.

The lease on the department’s North Shore offices in a Byron Ave building is up for renewal in 2024, prompting it to consider its options.

More than 350 staff are based at the Takapuna premises (pictured).

The review has sparked concern the operation might move north.

“I’d love them to stay in central Takapuna, obviously,” said Takapuna Beach Business Association chief executive Terence Harpur. “I don’t want them to move to Albany.”

He noted that some businesses preferred new purpose-designed accommodation.

An IRD spokesperson said reviewing office space and considering other options was “standard process” when a lease ended.

“That is what is happening with the Takapuna office right now and no decisions have been made.”

The department has also responded to an inquiry from North Shore MP Simon Watts, telling him that as leases expired and buildings aged, it would “consider opportunities to relocate into more modern office accommodation”.

Operationally, it had no plans to adjust the services it offered on the North Shore.

The highest-profile public service to move out of Takapuna was the police, these days based in Constellation Dr.

Insurance companies moved to new premises at Smales Farm, while the BNZ commissioned purpose-designed space in Corinthian Dr, Albany.

Harpur said that in the office sector, Takapuna was competing against a surplus of space now available in Auckland CBD, particularly mid-town, and that its prices were also generally higher than in Parnell and Albany.

But good spaces in central Takapuna were still sought after, he said. The area lacked enough large A-grade office space for some tenants, but its attractiveness and positioning near the city and motorway were drawcards. Add in its bus links, 4000 car-parks and intensifying local housing and he was optimistic.

The former council buildings on the Strand had recently been refitted, with Partners Life moving into offices there.

Future transport upgrades would only add to the appeal, he said. A second harbour crossing was desperately needed.

Harpur said Takapuna was in line for some big developments, with work going on behind the scenes for consenting on several high-profile vacant sites. Retail had its challenges, but sales data was now trending upwards.

Council cans plan to preserve walkway access

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transferred into public ownership.

Council this year conducted a review of the financial implications of the proposal, and the viability and cost of securing a permanent right- of-way easement over the property.

“That review has confirmed that the council is unable to progress the Memorandum of Understanding, nor does it now intend to seek a right-of-way easement over the property,” council specialist technical statutory adviser for community facilities Wendy Morrice said in an email seen by the Observer.

“All current informal access over the property via the council reserve will be fenced off.

“Officers will seek ratification of this review and these recommendations from the Governing Body in due course,” Morrice said.

Alex Witten-Hannah, lawyer for the estate of the Firth families, was shocked at the talk of closure.

“Notwithstanding that Auckland Council does not own the land over which the foreshore walkway crosses the Firth Estate property, it has advised that it intends to fence the access off.

“The loss of the walkway would be a loss to thousands of people who walk between Milford and Takapuna along the foreshore.

“The intention of Auckland Council to unilaterally close it is incredible,” Witten-Hannah said.

With an apparent end to negotiations with council, Witten-Hannah said the estates of the Firth families would “be delighted if a philanthropist would be prepared to purchase the property on the basis that the walkway would be retained for public use in perpetuity and for the Firth cottage to be restored and maintained, perhaps for ‘Writers in Residence’.”

The move to end negotiations is a surprise as, in June, council still appeared open to acquiring access via an easement.

An email from Morrice on 28 June tells of a recommendation to council’s finance and performance committee that council decline to purchase the property. “The alternative recommended option is that council pursues negotiations to only acquire a formal easement over the public walkway that currently encroaches over a portion of the property.”

It is understood half of the Firth beneficiaries want to donate the property to the council, for public use, while the other half want to subdivide it, with council purchasing the coastal edge for public use at a discount – half its market value.

Members of the previous Devonport-Takapuna Local Board had suggested the property could be purchased with funds from any sale of Takapuna community assets. The former library at No 2 The Strand is being readied for sale by Panuku.

A decision is also pending on what to do with the Takapuna Library, the neighbouring community sevices building and the Mary Thomas Centre.

The new board, elected last month, is expected to consider four options from Panuku in the New Year. These range from retaining some or all of these ageing buildings to using funds from selling them to build a new library and services hub in the Takapuna town square.

Closure looms... Auckland Council officers plan to fence off the informal public access in front of the Firth house (at left). A remaining wooden pile from the former bridge can be seen at right.

North Shore’s ward councillors are adjusting to new roles at Auckland Council after a post-election shake-up.

The younger of the pair, Richard Hills, has been put in charge of a super-committee, with responsibilities including those held last term by fellow Shore councillor Chris Darby.

Hills, who last term chaired the environment and climate-change committee, said he was honoured to take on what was a “pretty significant” new job. He will chair a merged planning, environment and parks committee, one of two that all councillors sit on.

The other is transport and infrastructure, covering issues on which former planning supremo Darby had been keen to take a lead role. New mayor Wayne Brown has instead made Darby co-lead of the smaller performance-and-appointments committee.

Darby is also lead councillor in dealing with council-controlled organisation (CCO) Eke Panuku, the council’s property arm, and Ports of Auckland. Both are in line for an overhaul as promised by Brown during his campaign.

The changes to the way the council will operate were put in place this month. Brown said he wanted to find useful work for all councillors, whatever their political leanings.

Among issues facing the council is a $270 million budget shortfall and rising costs.

How this will affect the amount of discretionary spending made available to local boards is yet to be determined.

The two North Shore councillors have worked closely on issues such as championing the Hurstmere Rd overhaul, water-quality drives, and fighting to retain funds for a Lake Rd upgrade.

But Darby expressed concern about the workload of the new committee chaired by Hills. “I told the mayor that the super-committee is unrealistic.” On top of existing workloads, resource-management changes loomed.

After being left “pretty exhausted” after two terms as planning committee chair – which included leading the response to housing intensification plans – Darby said he had asked Brown for a new challenge.

He said he had reiterated his interest in transport, having spent time as the councillor on Auckland Transport’s (AT’s) board.

Darby said advancing smaller town-centre improvement plans would be a new focus for him. Sunnynook was an area ripe for improvement. The metropolitan centre upgrade of Takapuna had more work to be done also, he said.

In an indication of his continuing interest in transport, Darby was at Smales Farm for Transport Minister Michael Wood’s recent announcement the government would firm up its plans for a second harbour crossing – bridge or tunnel – after public consultation, with the aim of work starting this decade. The project would have a cycle connection in the mix, Wood said.

Changing places... North Shore councillors Chris Darby (left) and Richard Hills at an event during the last council term, when Darby was chair of Auckland Council’s planning committee. Under new mayor Wayne Brown, Hills now holds a more influential position than Darby.

Budget shortfall focuses council on ‘efficiencies’

Huge challenges lie ahead for Auckland, says North Shore councillor Richard Hills.

“There’s a big gap to fill to protect services,” he said, referring to the council’s $270 million budget shortfall.

Options would be investigated before Mayor Wayne Brown proposes a budget to go out for public consultation in February.

“There will be things we will push back on,” Hills told the Observer. These included any plans to cut library hours or community facilities.

Public transport and continuing climate action were important. He had been encouraged by Brown’s response to date on climate change.

But the council would have to look for more efficiencies across the board, Hills said, with the aim of keeping rates rises in check.

“The mayor has said everyone has to look for savings, across CCOs, and all departments and local boards.”

Hills says he will push hard for water-quality work to continue, including in the Wairau catchment. The water-quality targeted rate was ring-fenced and had not been raised for review. Major works already under way in Milford and Castor Bay would continue.

Darby said the potential loss of talented council staff was a concern. “It’s not good to be suggesting a lot of people are going before you know what they do.”

He had highlighted this to Brown as a particular risk in the transport sector, where a shortage of bus drivers has forced the cancellation of services, including on the Northern Busway.

He cautioned the council against making too many cuts to works programmes that would jeopardise available transport subsidies.

The port and the airport were “two big levers” that needed looking at to release money for the council, Darby said.

He had repeated to Brown ideas he had put to former Mayor Phil Goff. “You don’t need to sell down either of them fully, but we do need to look at objectives [for the strategic assets].

Darby was previously involved in a port review led by Brown. “He’s a very different operator.”

The mayor had put out press statements leaving Darby wondering if he had received a good briefing. But he brought an energy for change, Darby said. He wanted to hear more from the mayor about his vision for the city, as this would inform budget settings.

Brown is taking a more direct hand steering council finances, having disestablished the finance committee. He has set up a separate expenditure control and procurement committee, chaired by former National Party MP Maurice Williamson, to look for savings.

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chair Toni van Tonder said the budget outlook was “pretty grim”. How this impacted on boards was yet to be spelled out. She hoped for more decision-making powers over local assets.

Staff shortages were challenging the flow of advice and delivery times. “We won’t be delivering any fancy new facilities,” she added.

Long-time member’s service acknowledged

Local-body veteran Jan O’Connor’s many years of service were recognised at the first meeting of the new DevonportTakapuna Local Board.

The Hauraki resident (pictured) was first elected to the Takapuna City Council in 1986, going on to serve on the North Shore City Council before being elected four times to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board. She stood unsuccessfully in last month’s board election.

Member George Wood, who has known O’Connor for decades, described her as “a wonderful servant of the North Shore and a wonderful character”.

Chair Toni van Tonder said she was a real champion of the people she represented.

O’Connor, who has also served as a patron and trustee of community and sports organisations, was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in 2019.

New local board rattles through business in double-quick time

The newly elected Devonport-Takapuna Local Board sped through its first monthly meeting last week, skirting one tricky issue and keeping submitters on a stopwatch.

The meeting took less than two hours, albeit with a slimmer agenda than is often the case.

Last term, meetings often took more than twice as long, sometimes stretching from 2pm into the evening, pushing council staff into out-of-hours attendance. This term, meetings are starting at 10am.

Acknowledgments were made to former board member Jan O’Connor for her 36 years of local-body service and to outgoing board-area manager Eric Perry, who is moving to a new council role. Asked how many meetings he had attended in his decade or so working on the Shore, Perry joked:” “I’m trying to forget a lot of them.”

New board member and events organiser Peter Allen declared a financial conflict of interest when the board dealt with a recommendation from council staff that an $8000 grant approved by the board in 2021 for Allen’s Seven Events company be transferred from one community event to another.

After the Christmas by the Lake event was postponed then cancelled, the proposal was to repurpose the money for use on the Milford Christmas Festival this year. But the meeting heard that the festival was no longer being run by Seven Events so it could not be supported.

Board chair Toni van Tonder recommended that the application be declined.

All five members who voted on the issue supported her recommendation. Allen took no part.

The Milford Business Association (MBA) is staging the Christmas event and has already received board funding for the purpose.

“In effect, it would be like double dipping,” van Tonder said.

When member Terence Harpur asked if the Christmas event would go ahead without the extra money, council staff said it would.

Member George Wood said the MBA received quite a substantial amount from the board and he would like to see grants and applications better spread.

In its community forum, two members of the public were given short slots to raise their concerns about campers and illegal parking on public reserves.North Shore Grey Power president Bill Rayner spoke to welcome the board and to call for the retention of more council housing in the area.

North Shore councillor Richard Hills also made an appearance, saying he and fellow councillor Chris Darby were keen to hear from the board.

“There’s going to be a lot of difficult choices,” he said of budget pressures on the council.

Hills agreed to meet and brief board members.

performances, games and activities

family and kids entertainment boutique food and market stal ls

facepainting and roaming characters a visit from Santa and his elves