KEY POINTS:
Any hopes for new parks in Auckland City over the next decade rest with shrinking contributions from the shrinking development sector.
The Auckland City Council is looking to slash $154 million for buying land and developing new parks in the next decade and $2.2 million for improvements to existing parks.
Officers also recommend axing a $10 million extension of Waikaraka Park, $5.2 million for developing Monte Cecilia Park and $1.2 million of sports field upgrades, including sand carpets and training lights.
Parks are the worst hit from hundreds of millions of dollars of cutbacks to core services to hold rates to inflation. An end to buying land to improve harbour access and canning the harbour walkway between Blockhouse Bay and Onehunga are also proposed, saving $31.5 million.
Transport and stormwater spending are other services in line for cuts.
Arts, culture and recreation general manager Dr Jill McPherson yesterday sought to reassure people that the city's 800 parks and reserves would be maintained at existing levels.
But faced with orders from Mayor John Banks and his Citizens & Ratepayers allies to trim back the big-spending programme inherited from the previous council, Dr McPherson's team have proposed an end to any ratepayer money going into new parks over the next decade.
The only money earmarked for new parks is $64 million estimated to come from development contributions. The global credit crunch has already seen development contributions fall. Further reductions are likely.
Asked what cutbacks on core services like parks meant for the city, Mr Banks was a mixture of glum and frank. "We are not going to develop an internationally competitive city around this kind of prudence."
He could not see the country coming out of recession until the third quarter of next year.
Property Council chief executive Connal Townsend said if the council cut hundreds of millions of dollars on capital works it should stop demanding contributions from developers.
