Aucklanders paid $1.9 billion in rates in the 2018/19 year. The money has gone towards things like transport, parks and recreation and keeping the city running. Photo / 123RF
Today, the Herald begins a five-day series looking at how your rates are spent at Auckland Council.
Here's each local board's summary of what was prioritised for the last financial year to give you an idea of the kinds of things your money pays for.
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jump to a board:
Albert-Eden Local Board
Devonport-Takapuna
Franklin Local Board
Great Barrier Island
Henderson-Massey Local Board
Hibiscus and Bays
Howick Local Board
Kaipatiki Local Board
Mangere-Otahuhu Local Board
Manurewa Local Board
Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board
Orakei Local Board
Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board
Papakura Local Board
Puketapapa Local Board
Rodney Local Board
Upper Harbour Local Board
Waiheke Local Board
Waitakere Ranges Local Board
Waitemata Local Board
Whau Local Board
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $8.6 million to renew and develop assets in your local board area and $17.4 million to maintain and operate these assets, as well as provide other local initiatives:
• Making a start on the development of Chamberlain Park
• Providing funding to the community to identify, maintain and care for our notable trees in Albert-Eden
• Collaborating with neighbouring local boards and community groups to develop joint management plans for caring for our urban streams, Te Auaunga / Oakley Creek and Waitītiko / Meola Creek
• Investigating the creation of a cycling and walking connection between St Lukes and Greenlane train station
• Supporting local businesses in our town centres to implement sustainable practices, for example providing alternatives to putting fat and oil down the drain, and reducing plastic bag usage.
You've told us your priorities for our area - now we want your views to help inform the projects as they're developed and undertaken over the next year.
These include:
• Finding a suitable location for a dog park, to provide an additional dedicated space outside of our busy beaches
• Commence planning for new and upgraded cycle and walkways to support the Lake Road Improvements project
• Developing a pest-free strategy to enable and deliver effective eradication of pest vegetation and vermin.
We plan to invest $21.0 million to renew, maintain and operate assets in your local board area as well as prioritise other local initiatives that you've told us are important:
• Reducing waste to landfill by planning for community recycling centres in Beachlands and Pukekohe. We will support local zero waste groups to set up and run new facilities, and increase recycling and re-use.
• Focus on caring for our natural environment, by continuing to support Wairoa River Action Plan implementation and by helping our community to control weed and animal pests, including creating pest-free and predator-free areas.
• Start on the ground delivery of local trails, including the Hunua cycle trail, Pohutukawa Coast trails, Waiuku trails and Pukekohe trails. We will support local communities and trails trusts to get routes in place and promote their use.
• Promoting Franklin tourism opportunities through branding, digital tools and as a motor home-friendly destination in response to recommendations in our recent motor caravanning and camping tourism study.
• Improvements to our existing community facilities and seawalls, as well as some new facilities to cater for housing growth, including:
- Franklin Swim Sport and Fitness centre
- New playgrounds and reserve improvements as part of housing developments
- Skate parks at Clarks Beach and Te Puru
- Seawall renewals at Big Bay, Clarks Beach, Glenbrook, Sandspit Reserve.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $310,000 to renew and develop assets in your local board area and $2.5 million to maintain and operate assets and to advance other local initiatives you've told us are important, including:
• Continuing to support community initiatives including the Life-long Learning strategy, Dark Sky Sanctuary and grants funding
• Continuing to support environment initiatives such as funding a biosecurity/biodiversity officer, water quality monitoring and Ecology Vision stage 3
• Providing subsidies for:
- baby and child burials (0-12 years)
- herbicide-free weed management in the road corridor
• Continuing to invest in infrastructure including the Tryphena Coastal Trail stage 3, investigations into sites for central and northern cemeteries, a research and education centre investigation, and completing an island 10-year infrastructure plan
• Continuing to seek funding for our key advocacy project to implement a solar micro grid with electric vehicle chargers for the council buildings at Claris.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $25.7 million to renew and develop assets in your local board area and $28.1 million to maintain and operate these assets and prioritise other local initiatives.
Our key priorities for 2018/2019 include:
• Preparing an urban design plan for Te Atatu South in collaboration with the 'Heart of Te Atatu South' community group, particularly to enhance the area around the community centre and local park space.
• Developing a Henderson-Massey wide 'connections' plan to identify alternative street routes, park paths and trails and prioritise investment areas for improving these opportunities to get around without a car
• Refreshing the Henderson heritage trail to also express the Māori history of the area.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $10.0 million to renew and develop assets and $17.3 million to maintain and operate these assets in your local board area as well as provide other local initiatives you've told us are important including:
• Reviewing the way we assess and allocate local contestable community grants for events and activities
• Starting to implement the Mairangi Bay Reserves Development Plan projects including closing the beachfront section of Montrose Terrace and providing a connecting road with angle parking at the back of the reserve to provide more open space
• Working with Auckland Transport to trial a weekend ferry service at Gulf Harbour
• Working with business and partners to provide local employment opportunities in Silverdale.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $28.4 million to renew and develop assets in your local board area and $28.1 million to maintain and operate these assets and prioritise other local initiatives:
• Continue management of coastal erosion and sand replenishment, including continued advocacy to the Governing Body for a regional fund.
• Provide dedicated dog exercise areas in Pakuranga, Howick and Botany.
• Develop an overarching pest management project incorporating our existing weed eradication programme and new ones to rid the area of rats and other pests. We also want to consider the concept of creating pest-free areas or "mainland islands" for example at the new park at the former Greenmount landfill or Mangemangeroa Reserve.
• Provide more all-weather sports fields, such as artificial turf, and improve drainage and irrigation on our parks to reduce the impact of weather.
Additional priorities:
• Provide additional shelters at Barry Curtis Park, including over the "stage" area near Chapel Road.
• Undertake a stocktake of all council-owned and externally-managed community facilities in the area.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $13.3 million to renew and develop assets and $18.4 million to maintain and operate these assets in your local board area as well as prioritise other local initiatives that you have told us are important:
• Redeveloping Birkenhead War Memorial Park as guided by the masterplan currently underway.
• Working with key stakeholders to plan and deliver the redevelopment of central Northcote, which includes a combined library, arts and community building, quality parks and public open spaces, and safe, easy walking and cycling connections.
• Continuing to deliver the walking and cycling improvements identified within the Kaipātiki Connections Network Plan.
• Continuing to support Pest Free Kaipātiki and other environmental initiatives.
• Enabling and expanding neighbourhood placemaking initiatives through our community groups.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $15.8 million to renew and develop assets in your local board area and $21.5 million to maintain and operate these assets and provide other local initiatives that you have said are important for our area.
• Promote waste reduction through existing partnerships with Business Improvement Districts so town centres are clean and attractive; monitoring delivery of maintenance contract outcomes and supporting projects that influence behaviour change and build capacity through education of industry and the community.
• Implement Boggust Park concept plan which will see new toilets, pathway and fitness equipment in the park.
• Continue supporting active, healthy lifestyles and free access to swimming pools.
• Continuing to improve our local parks and playgrounds so they are safe, attractive and well-used, such as the green areas near Māngere Bridge, Favona and Centre Park
• Promoting local tourism opportunities and creating gateway to the city, by leveraging local art, craft, culture and enterprise to promote Māori and Pasifika identity and our rich natural environment. Examples include promoting local markets increasing bilingual signage and historical narratives.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $5.46 million to renew assets and $16.18 million to maintain and operate these assets in your local board area as well as prioritise other local initiatives you have told us are important.
Our key priorities include:
• Implementing the Tōtara Park masterplan to enhance the park's character as a countryside destination that accommodates various outdoor uses. Our focus for the first year will be on bringing the park up to standard with improvements to the Tōtara Park base course, boardwalk, carpark, fences, gates, paths, retaining walls, rubbish bins, seats, signs, step and toilet renewals
• Improving our retail centres:
- progressing work to create a vibrant Manurewa Town Centre precinct for travelling, working, socialising and living, with a focus on the streetscape, improving pavements and introducing more flora
- partnering with Clendon residents and local businesses to support community events, build pride and improve public safety
• Helping to develop a multi-purpose, creative youth friendly space in the Manurewa Town Centre that supports and nurtures youth development networks. The Manurewa Youth Council has established a space in the town centre, and has a vision for how this space will be used. We would like to provide funding to support this vision
• Advocating to the governing body to improve the response to, and monitoring of, illegal dumping so our public and community spaces are clean, attractive and welcoming.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $13.7 million to renew and develop assets in our local board area and $16.5 million to maintain and operate these assets as well as prioritise other local initiatives.
We plan to use our discretionary operating budgets of $1.4 million to fund programmes and activities including:
• Delivering a programme of free, local, community events and activities throughout the year
• Financially supporting community-led initiatives through our local grants programme and work with funding partners to achieve maximum impact on our priority issues in our local board plan
• Working with the community, police, business associations, volunteer safety groups and other organisations on initiatives to reduce and prevent crime as well as increasing local monitoring of our public spaces
• Investing in our natural environment and address our polluted waterways through continuing the Industry Pollution Prevention campaign and ecological restoration programmes as well as creating new a new project aimed at protecting our birdlife
• Assessing and planning for upgrades to our local community bam field as Panmure Hall, local parks and supporting the redevelopment of Ruapōtaka Marae
• Continuing to collaborate with other agencies that are delivering large-scale projects in our local board area and seek to ensure these developments are aligned with our communities' priorities. These agencies include the Tāmaki Regeneration Company, Housing New Zealand Corporation, the NZ Transport Agency and our council-controlled organisations (CCOs).
Our focus for 2018/2019 is continuing to deliver the projects and priorities you have asked for during past consultations, including the development of our local board plan in 2017.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $8.5 million to renew and develop assets in our local board area and $13.6 million to maintain and operate these assets as well as prioritise other local initiatives.
Our key projects for this year include:
• Design a north-south connection from Stonefields to St Johns/Glen Innes as a shared space for walkers, cyclists and vehicles through Colin Maiden Park
• Improved walking routes, pest management and native planting, for Kepa Bush and the Pourewa Valley environs
• Develop a Local Healthy Waterways Plan to improve waterways and stormwater infrastructure throughout the Ōrākei Local Board area
• To identify and improve the amenity and functionality of local centres taking into consideration nearby commercial or residential development opportunities
• Improve Tamaki Drive for all users leveraging off planned projects and events, such as those identified in the Tamaki Drive Masterplan and possibly the Americas Cup.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $9.7 million to renew and develop assets in your local board area and $21.1 million to maintain and operate these assets and provide other local initiatives.
We also want to prioritise these local initiatives out of our local board plan:
• Advocating to Auckland Transport to build light rail from the airport to Manukau and on to Botany, starting with immediate route protection.
• Investing in improved playing surfaces and lighting in our sports parks, to deal with the growth in demand in Otara-Papatoetoe.
• Developing public open space at Hunters Corner shopping centre, on Sutton Crescent, for people to meet and relax.
• Delivering free adult entry to swimming pools to secure important social and public health benefits. The board is proposing to continue to pay for this through a targeted rate, estimated at $29.94 per household in 2018-2019.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $7.6 million to renew and develop assets and $12.3 million to maintain and operate these assets in your local board area as well as prioritise other local initiatives you have told us are important.
Our key priorities include:
• Working together with Papakura businesses, community groups, the police and the Papakura Business Association to address perceptions of safety of the Papakura town centre. We will also further implement the recommendations that have come out of a town centre safety review, which may include an upgrade of the current CCTV system
• Funding a comprehensive programme for mangrove removal, including maintenance and removal
• Protecting local heritage by working with mana whenua and the Papakura Museum to identify wāhi tapu (sacred places), taonga (treasures) and heritage buildings and start the development of a Papakura heritage trial
• Investing in solar panels and a cover for the Massey Park Pool, which will extend the swimming season and usage of the Massey Park external pool.
In 2018/2019 $6.8 million is planned to fund the renewal and development of assets in your local board area and $9.5 million planned to maintain and operate these assets as well as prioritise other local initiatives you've told us are important.
Our key priorities are:
• To continue improvements underway in our community facilities:
- Waikowhai Coastal walkway – construct a boardwalk from Bamfield Place to Taylors Bay Reserve that will provide coastal access around the Manukau foreshore during all tides
- Keith Hay Park (upgrade facilities) and Harold Long/ Fearon Park (improving the connection between the two parks
- identify other parks/community facilities that need development or an upgrade
• Planning for future development:
- Greenways - further development of walking and cycling links between parks and other facilities
- Monte Cecilia Park – continue implementation of the concept plan by investigating how a destination playground could be funded and working on next steps for the restoration of the Whare building
- Develop concept plans for Mt Roskill War Memorial, Waikōwhai and Margaret Griffen Parks to direct how they will be developed in the future
• Helping young people to get into work and to participate in decision making – through supporting youth training programmes and encouraging participation in the Puketapapa Youth Panel
• Ongoing restoration of Te Auaunga / Oakley Creek catchment through naturalisation projects and the implementation of markers, and a fale shelter, to encourage neighbourhood understanding and connection to the awa (river)
• Building pride in cultural diversity through the ongoing provision of programmes and events that celebrate the diversity of Puketapapa and help create a unique local identity.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $8.1 million to renew and develop assets in your local board area and $14.4 million to maintain and operate these assets, as well as provide other local initiatives you've told us are important:
• Transport infrastructure has consistently been the top priority for many Rodney residents. In response to community requests, the local board has developed a package of transport projects to bring forward investment in public transport, road sealing and footpaths, decades earlier than planned. This would require the introduction of a targeted rate of $150 annually per dwelling or business premise [see note], or $2.90 per week. Over the next 10 years it is anticipated that this will pay for park-and-rides in Warkworth and Kumeū/Huapai, improved bus services in Kumeū and Huapai, a bus service for Riverhead, and additional road sealing and the construction of footpaths across Rodney.
• Green Road, Dairy Flat was purchased for a future reserve. Developing a masterplan (concept plan) will guide how the site is used in the future. Public consultation will start in early 2018. This plan will require $55,000 in 2018/2019.
• It is proposed to complete a single open space management plan, which will guide how all reserves are developed and used in Rodney in the future. Funding of $80,000 is required in 2018/2019 (and $40,000 in 2019/2020).
• The community has long desired a multisport facility at the Warkworth Showgrounds, and the local board supports this. The first stage is designing the facility's gym sports component. It is proposed to contribute $150,000 in 2018/2019 to this design work.
• Support and funding for community town centre initiatives includes projects such as the Huapai Hub and Warkworth riverbank. Progressing these projects and others in Warkworth and Helensville, followed by Wellsford and Huapai, will require $50,000 in 2018/2019 and over $800,000 in local capital funding over the next three years.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $4.6 million to renew and develop assets in our local board area and $14.5 million to maintain and operate these assets, as well as prioritise other local initiatives.
Through consultation on our local board plan 2017, you told us to increase open space provision, provide more indoor court facilities, and how valuable our greenways and native fauna are.
To that end, beyond the maintenance and operation of existing assets in your local board area, we plan to deliver the following local initiatives:
• Connecting our local parks and reserves through "street to street" cycling and pedestrian crossings to improve accessibility and user experience
• Constructing a coastal walkway between Limeburners Reserve and Marina View Drive
• Protecting and conserving Upper Harbour reserves through methods such as restoration planting.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $1.5 million to renew and develop assets and $6.0 million to maintain and operate these assets in your local board area as well as prioritise other local initiatives you've told us are important.
These include:
• Progressing plans for a community swimming pool, noting ongoing local budget will be required to offset any debt funding
• Partnering with our community to develop and begin implementing a Waiheke Island pest-free plan
• Implementing the Little Oneroa Concept Plan including renewing playground facilities, dune protection, coastal and stream planting and improving access to the reserve
• Developing a Housing Strategy and progressing key actions which meet identified housing community needs
• Creating a youth space in collaboration with our local schools and youth representatives.
• We will also ensure Essentially Waiheke is recognised as a core strategic document during the development of any regulatory frameworks including design guidelines and any future Hauraki Gulf Islands District Plan review.
• These proposals do not include any significant changes to what we planned to deliver in the Long-term Plan 2015-2025.
This year, we are not proposing to make any major changes to what was signalled in last year's annual plan.
In 2018/2019 we plan to invest $2.6 million to renew and develop assets and $10.1 million to maintain and operate these assets in your local board area as well as provide other local initiatives you've told us are important.
Other local initiatives include:
• Continuing advocacy to seek an increased level of funding to be made available for heritage area programmes under the local board's decision making control
• Finalising a Waitākere Ranges 'greenways' plan', that will identify a network of local walking and cycling connections, and prioritising investment areas for improving these opportunities to get around without a car
• Making improvements, such park benches, to some of our small Glen Eden parks so that they are more user-friendly.
We plan to invest $41.5 million ($7.4 million capex and $34.1 million opex) to renew, maintain and operate assets in your local board area as well as provide other local initiatives.
Our priorities for the 2018/2019 budget include:
• Continue to improve and activate our local parks in line with the adopted development plans (available on the Auckland Council website). New areas of focus include creating a pathway, improving drainage and investigating the need for a playground at Basque Park. At Heard Park in Parnell we plan to upgrade onsite facilities to provide a more usable space for recreation and events.
• Restore Waiparuru, Waipapa and Newmarket Streams in collaboration with residents, community groups and iwi and partner with Albert-Eden and Puketāpapa Local Boards to develop a protection and restoration strategy for Meola and Motions Creek catchments and the Three Kings to Western Springs Aquifer Initiative.
• Continue to improve our transport network by using our Transport Capital Fund to deliver safe and high amenity walking and cycling options, such as the connection from Newmarket to Parnell through the old Parnell rail tunnel, as set out in the Waitematā Greenways Plan 2013, streetscape improvements and slow traffic zones in residential areas.
• Raise awareness and enhance provision of city centre facilities based on a needs and gaps assessment. Examples include toilets, showers, lockers, drinking fountains and device charging stations.
• Work towards the elimination of agrichemical spraying at our local parks. Given financial constraints we propose to make Albert Park and Myers Park agrichemical spray free in 2018/2019.
We plan to invest $16.8 million to renew and develop assets and $11.6 million to maintain and operate assets as well as provide the local programmes and initiatives that you've told us are important.
Regarding our assets we will:
• Construct a replacement community facility in Avondale
• Upgrade playgrounds including Archibald and sports fields at Olympic Park, Blockhouse Bay Recreation Reserve, Brains Park and Ken Maunder Park
• Develop Te Whau Pathway boardwalks and renew park walkways in Tony Segedin, Blockhouse Bay Recreation, Rizal, Taramea and Waititi reserves
• Renew park car parks at Golf Road Domain and Wingate Reserve and fences at Blockhouse Bay Recreation and Beach Reserves.
We also plan to:
• Strengthen and connect our diverse communities delivering on our ethnic peoples plan
• Seek increased care and protection for our significant trees
• Work closely with BIDs and foster quality town centre development and improvements to transport centres
• Look at new projects that move Whau to "lower carbon" living.
Locals want more certainty about the swept-away bridge's future.