Disgraceful: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown slams council staff over $263,000 Milford Beach stair cost

Four sets of concrete stairs along Milford Beach have been replaced, at a total cost of $263,000. Photo / Auckland Council

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has commented on the replacement of four sets of stairs at Milford Beach at a cost of $263,000, saying this type of council spending cannot be repeated.

“I find this disgraceful. It does not represent the ‘better, faster, cheaper’ message I have been trying to get the council to adhere to since I’ve been mayor,” he told the Herald.

Auckland Council officers have defended the cost of the stairs, saying replacing the old stairs included all engineering design, consenting, physical works and management, surveillance, and quality assurance through construction.

But this has done nothing to convince Brown, who said: “This cannot happen again. I have instructed the CEO that we must work out how much we’re prepared to spend on solving a problem before doing design work.”

“That way, we can ensure value for ratepayers’ money,” said Brown, whose five election planks included reining in top-heavy and overpaid managers at the council and working to prevent council-controlled organisations from wasting money.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.

A concrete path along Milford Beach is dotted with four sets of concrete stairs that connect the walkway to the sand – each has eight steps.

Through an Official Information Act request, the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance found the council spent $263,000 replacing the stairs as part of its coastal asset renewals programme.

Alliance spokesperson Sam Warren said that broke down to just over $8000 per step.

“Anyone would agree that these steps needed a bit of work, crumbling away and clearly needed to be replaced. Our issue is the cost. Clearly Auckland Council needs to reconsider some of its processes, it’s just so expensive,” he said.

“I think ratepayers would agree $8000 per step is just too much, it’s a real gold plate standard at this rate.”

The council’s coastal management practice lead Natasha Carpenter said safety for beach users was a primary consideration for the council given it was a popular walkway.

One of the sets of stairs before its renewal. Photo / Auckland Council

“Four sets of concrete steps had reached the end of their design life, eroded substantially and become unsafe for beach users getting up and down to the beach,” she said.

“They were demolished and disposed of, factoring in the dynamic coastal rock and sand environment, while meeting legal Health and Safety standards.”

Carpenter said the new steps had a minimum 35-year design life.

“They are a robust, long-term solution designed to withstand the effects of nature in this high-energy coastal location. The final project has significantly improved safe access to the beach, was completed to a high standard, with all users in mind, and within the allocated budget.”

The walkway is part of the Milford to Takapuna path, which hit headlines in 2023 when the owners of a property edging onto the path blocked access.

- Other reporting RNZ