OneMahurangi

Murray Chapman, Manager https://onemahurangi.co.nz

Behind the phrase Stronger Together

I often get asked what it is as a business association we actually do. I believe it is a fair question because as an organisation we don’t celebrate our successes and share with you as much as we should.

One Mahurangi does the usual activities that organisations like us do. One example is the delivery of business support and networking events.

However, with covid lockdowns, floods and storm impacts, events like these have been limited and difficult to deliver successfully. But keep an eye out because next month we will be hosting a Networking Breakfast at the Bridgehouse, and details about this next event will be announced across our social media channels and in our newsletter. You can sign up to receive our newsletter on the Homepage of www.onemahurangi. co.nz

In the past, One Mahurangi has run a number of very successful business women’s events and we will have another one of these in late March or early April. Reflecting on the nature of last few weeks, it was fantastic that One Mahurangi was able to host the Emergency Services Dinner last April to really show how much our community appreciates the relentless, hard and often very dangerous nature of the work of the emergency services. Our local emergency services are true heroes and their ongoing hard work in our community is appreciated immeasurably.

Through the One Mahurangi Transport and Infrastructure Forum, we are actively negotiating with external stakeholders such as Auckland Council, Waka Kotahi NZTA, Auckland Transport and Watercare to advocate for the area. A few years ago, Auckland Transport decided that pulling up all of Neville Street from Alnwick down to Queen was needed to resurface the road. This would have had dire consequences for the businesses along Neville Street and we managed to negotiate with AT, and at our suggestion, they agreed to only digging up short sections on one side at a time. The Matakana link road changing from two lanes to four, and the axing of double tolling of the new motorway were both huge wins for the area and in a large part due to the work One Mahurangi did behind the scenes.

We are still actively negotiating with Auckland Transport around their design of the Hill Street intersection and will be meeting with them on February 27 to continue advocacy. We are working hard on a large number of transport and infrastructure issues, including currently opposing Watercare on their plan to dig up Queen Street to lay wastewater pipes. We will keep fighting this as it has the potential to negatively impact, if not destroy, businesses there.

As you can see there is a lot happening behind the phrase Stronger Together. From advocacy and support, to promotion of businesses, to community events that bring people into town like the Santa Parade, it may be just a phrase, but we really do believe that if we all work together, we really are Stronger Together.

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