PIPPA COOM, COUNCILLOR, AUCKLAND CENTRAL

LOCAL NEWS PIPPA COOM: PRUDENT AND RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT OF COUNCIL’S BUDGET AND DEBT

The local government election season has brought with it a remarkable willingness to spread misinformation, even by many who should know better.

It is damaging to our democracy and creates mistrust in our institutions. Untrue statements have unfortunately ended up in the pages of Ponsonby News.

Anyone claiming “council’s debt and spending is out of control” or that council is “virtually broke” needs to talk to Cr Desley Simpson, stalwart of the National party who has led the Finance & Performance Committee this term. She has worked closely with the mayor to oversee the prudent and responsible management of the budget. Savings targets have been exceeded, debt is well below agreed levels and most importantly throughout the financial challenges of the pandemic, which knocked a $900m hole in council’s budget, the credit ratings with S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investor Services of AA and Aa2 respectively have been retained.

The big numbers involved in serving 1.7 million Aucklanders are not something to be scared of as council invests in climate action and the much-needed infrastructure to meet Auckland’s growing population. Just this term the capital investment programmes of more than $6 billion has delivered the likes of the Quay Street upgrade, the Te Wānanga new coastal space on the waterfront, Te Komititanga public square on Queen Street, and Te Ngau o Horotiu, the new downtown ferry terminal.

The old Auckland City Council kept rates artificially low and failed to make long term investments in infrastructure by pushing out projects like water separation. This is why we have poo in the harbour. The water quality programme is now funded and making significant progress. Debt is currently 16% of council’s assets and well below precovid levels of 270% debt to revenue ratio. It is not equitable or logical to pay down debt further by cutting services and assets on a balance sheet as stable Auckland Council’s. As David Shand, a member of the Royal Commission that recommended setting up the Supercity, says “candidates who complain about Auckland's debt and promise to reduce it are in my view, financially illiterate. Debt is a sound way of financing long-term assets and Auckland's debt is within prudential limits.”

A lot of false claims are made about Auckland Council’s rates too. We have never had the highest average general percentage increase of any council in New Zealand. Currently Auckland is 4th of the metropolitan cities (after Tauranga, Wellington and Dunedin). Rates have been kept below inflation, at the same time significant savings have been achieved and costs have risen as a result of Covid-19. Since amalgamation, council has made savings and efficiencies of $2.4 billion. This term alone, operational savings and efficiency achievements total in excess of $260 million with group procurement savings of just under $150 million.

As Ponsonby News goes to print it will be just days away from Election Day on 8 October. Check your letter box if you haven’t seen your purple envelope yet or call the Election Office on 0800 922 822 if it didn’t arrive. Voting papers can be dropped in vote boxes at transport hubs, Countdown supermarkets and libraries. There is still time to make an informed decision on the candidates who are upfront about what they stand for and straight with the facts. (PIPPA COOM)  PN

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OUR CONTRIBUTORS IT’S A TEAM EFFORT... WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT OUR CONTRIBUTORS

CONNOR CRAWFORD

I am a working artist and photographer with a colourful and rhythmic perspective. I enjoy shooting the front covers of Ponsonby News. LUCY KENNEDY

I am a young local writer who loves to read! Each month you will find my reviews of new books for people who love to read as much as I do.

DAVID HARTNELL - MNZM

For the last 53 years I’ve been a freelance entertainment journalist and author. I’ve lived in the Grey Lynn area for nearly three decades; I have met and interviewed some amazing people. PHIL PARKER

Journalist and published author, I have had a career involving both wine writing and hosting boutique wine tours in the Auckland region.

HONOUR MITCHELL

I have lived in the Ponsonby area all of my life. I write the column ‘Teen Picks’ which explores everything on offer in the greater Ponsonby area. PIPPA COOM

I am Councillor for Waitemata and Gulf Ward on Auckland Council. Formerly, Chair Waitemata Local Board.

HELENE RAVLICH

A freelance writer and copywriter for almost 20 years, I have written for publications all over the world and couldn’t imagine myself in any other job. ROSS THORBY

I have had a wanderlust for travel ever since I was old enough to own a passport. Since I discovered cruising, I have become unstoppable.

KEN RING

My yearly NZ Weather Almanacs began in 1999. During the tragic 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, my work created international interest. I currently live in Ponsonby. SOFIA ROGER WILLIAMS

A vegan for over a year and vegetarian for over seven years with a passion for writing. I am a local student reviewing some of Ponsonby’s best vegan eats.

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COUNCIL AND AT ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY THESE OUTRAGEOUS “IMPROVEMENTS” IN THE NAME OF “SAFETY” I have under the OIA been able to access data from NZTA and Auckland Transport (AT). The purpose was to establish the relationship between the risks of mortal or injury accidents in the entire Ponsonby News area versus the costs of AT plans for “improvement”. The results so far are astounding:

In 10 years, there have been just TWO bad / fatal accidents (i.e. one every five years on average).

Serious crashes occur on average 12 ½ times per year – but do NOT necessarily include injury to the population. Average: Just over one per month.

Minor Crashes – occur on average 60 times per year or just over 1 per week.

Non-injury accidents occur on average 184 times per year – or 1 accident per every two days.

Your readers will be well aware of all the new:

· Mini-traffic islands

· Speed bumps

· Speed calming measures everywhere

· Extended curbing into side streets

· Side road tables

· Bus stops being built out INTO the main roadways (College Hill!)

· Rarely used cycle ways

· Deliberate non synchronisation of traffic lights

· 30 kmph speed limits

· Residents-only parking regimes (that achieve nothing except even more revenue for AT)

· Parking meters – once free parking for locals

· New traffic lights systems at pedestrian crossings (even though it is compulsory to stop at pedestrian crossings)

· AT are seemingly intent on installing traffic lights every 200 metres – all in the name of “safety”

· Hideously over-engineered pedestrian crossings, speed bumps, compression road markings and vertical traffic control displays AND speed calming measures outside schools

Let’s be very clear here, NO-ONE is arguing against protecting school children on crossings. Remembering that these crossings are used just twice a day, for 30 minutes, on weekdays only generally.

To display the relevance of these statistics above, compare these “enhancements” against the proposed costs of AT’s new plans to ruin Great North Road. This is just for the distance between Ponsonby Road and Crummer Road (NOT to Western Springs). direction, central traffic islands, closed access to roads such as Grosvenor Street (which services just the local Grey Lynn and Ponsonby residents’ traffic) and restricted entrances into the other residential side roads is optimistically budgeted to cost $26,933,000 (for just 1.55 kilometres of road). That is $17.5 MILLION rate payer dollars per kilometre.

Second example: Point Chevalier to Westmere “Improvements” Project.

These works will include:

· The “re-arrangement” of Pt Chevalier Road, to incorporate an Off-Road Uni-directional cycle lane on BOTH SIDES of the road

· A southbound bus priority lane

· TWO signalised pedestrian crossings (why signalised?)

· A new roundabout (single lane) at Meola Road

· A Bi-directional cycleway (1.6km) on Meola Road

· Signalised roundabout at Garnet Road – (NB: The existing roundabout has worked perfectly for 100 years and needs no “enhancement”)

· New raised crossings (totally unnecessary)

· Side road “tables”

· New bus facilities – Not sure what that means

· New 1.6km of pavement in Meola Road

· No mention of the restrictions to parking proposed to stop dog walkers and sports supporters from parking anywhere near Meola Reef or Sports grounds

· Undergrounding of Vector and Chorus Lines

The proposed budgeted cost of these works for just 2.4 km’s total is a mind blowing $44,800,000 of rate payers money. $49 MILLION dollars for 2.4km of road.

We ALL love “safety” but AT’s zealots, this term’s councillors and senior council staff have lost the ability to put this sort of expenditure into context as it relates to ratepayers ability to pay.

These outrageous and unnecessary over-engineered and poorly developed plans are an indictment on AT and Council.

The current crop of unrealistic councillors have spent our hardearned rates money like drunken sailors (with someone else’s credit card).

Interest alone is costing Auckland Ratepayers over $1,200,000 per day!

Both these projects are a new “West Lynn disaster” staring us all in the face.

Council and AT attempt to justify these outrageous “improvements” in the name of “safety”. However, as my statistics prove, there are no issues of safety that can sustain an argument to spend $76,000,000 dollars in this small area to improve the next ten years statistics.