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CHLÖE SWARBRICK: MP AUCKLAND CENTRAL
LOCAL NEWS CHLÖE SWARBRICK: Auckland Central MP
5am in the bitter six degree cold, hundreds of Aucklanders gathered at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Marae to mark the rise of Tangaroa, moon of plenty, heralding Matariki, Māori New Year.
It was Tuesday 21 June, debut week of the world’s first official indigenous public holiday and (as it happened) the start of another sitting week in Parliament. Ngāti Whātua invited everyone to reflect on what’s happened over the last year; those we’ve lost, and the new babies we’ll soon welcome - an exercise helpful to any seeking wiser intentions to bring to the twelve months ahead.
We all know, intimately, it’s been a rough past twelve months. Our Auckland Central office has continued crunching through difficult situations my constituents – that’s you – face in immigration, education, Covid-19 support, ACC complexity, the now-defunct MIQ system and everything in between. Wherever we found flexibility and a hint of compassion to resolve situations, by finally getting the right person in a ministry, department, or council responsible, we were able to help. Each problem solved is a reminder that ‘the system’ isn’t a natural phenomenon, but a set of rules that can be changed with a little bit of willpower.
And there are some bloody good people inside of the system giving their all to change those rules into fairer ones. Richmond Road School Principal Jacqui Tutavake offered a timely reminder of this when at her invite I had the chance to catch up with many of our tireless central school principals at the start of June. Challenges we’ve faced on the ground getting necessary resources from the Ministry of Education for many of our local schools’ buildings and learning support hours continued to be channelled into constructive pressure on the Minister of Education through formal correspondence, processes and annual reviews hearings at the end of June.
As tertiary students complete exams, the independent Inquiry commissioned by the Greens is entering its final stages, to be reported back soon with a slew of recommendations, the result of which we hope finally tips the Government to action.
In Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee we finally heard from the banking ombudsman on the briefing I managed to open on scams. Meetings with individual banks have exposed there’s immense work already done every single day to pinpoint hallmark ‘red flags’ of particularly ‘authorised’ scams; that is, where people use their accounts to transfer money to a scammer’s, as opposed to the likes of card scamming. These situations get deeply complicated, extremely expensive and emotionally devastating in instances like the now infamous ‘Tinder Swindler,’ so I’m encouraged by the committee’s agreement to continue down the path of investigating better regulation at my suggestion.
Back here at home, I’m invested in what a liveable kind of future looks like for the centre of our country’s largest city. While our Ponsonby community is accustomed to a vibrant main street, the same cannot unfortunately be said of Queen Street. Looking across the world at best practice design and opportunities in the face of immense disruption, the reality is, unless we drastically change something, nothing will change.
That’s why after so many ‘talking down’ our city centre, myself and the City Centre Residents Group (representative of the 45,000 of us who live there) are calling the bluff of everyone who’s complained to offer a tangible solution. It’s time to get on with the plan that Heart of the City, CCRG and Council signed off ten years ago, to pedestrianise and revitalise.
As ever, please don’t hesitate to reach out if myself or my office can help you with anything; big idea, difficulties navigating the system, or just a chat with your local MP. (CHLÖE SWARBRICK) PN
Chlöe celebrates Matariki at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Te Umu Kohukohu Whetū event, standing with local body candidates.
CHLÖE SWARBRICK, T: 09 378 4810, E: chloe.swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz www.greens.org.nz/chloe_swarbrick
Kia ora Ponsonby!
Let’s talk about our community.
Get in touch about any local issues or if you need support. I’m here to help and would love to hear from you. Chlöe Swarbrick MP for Auckland Central
