Media Releases - June 2003

27 June

New Lynn Library location finalised

It's official - the New Lynn Library will be built behind Memorial Square.

A final decision on where the new $3 million library would be built was made at the Council's last Finance and Operational Performance Committee meeting after almost six years of investigation and negotiation.  Construction should start next year.

Memorial Square will be substantially upgraded, in fitting with its prime location in the 'town square'. Other sites, including the Ceramco building on the intersection of Great North Rd and Totara Ave and the old BNZ building on Todd Ave, were investigated, but ruled out as being inappropriate. A land swap with McDonald's Restaurants has been negotiated to secure more land for the new building. New McDonald's premises will be built on the old New Lynn Community Centre site on Memorial Drive.

Click image to view enlargement

Chair of the Council's Finance and Operational Performance Committee, Janet Clews, says a decision had to be made after years of public disagreement over where the new library would best be located.

"Rightly enough, the people of New Lynn were getting impatient. They had been promised a new library six years ago and now they just want it built," she says. "While not everyone could agree on the most ideal location, we believe the chosen site, in the heart of the New Lynn shopping precinct, will best serve the public. It's easily accessible, close to bus and railway stations, shops and the local community centre. And, as the original library was a war memorial library, the physical link to Memorial Square is also an important one."

Fellow New Lynn Ward councillor Derek Battersby agrees: "We are all pleased a decision has been made and we're looking forward to seeing the library built and the positive contribution it will make to the New Lynn community."

26 June

Waitakere a top performer in RMA survey

If you want to get something approved under the Resource Management Act - Waitakere City is one of the best places in the country to do it.

According to the latest RMA performance ratings issued by the Ministry for the Environment, Waitakere City processes more resource consent applications before the statutory deadline than other councils in the wider Auckland region.

Figures for last year show Waitakere processed 100% of notified land use applications within statutory time limits, compared to 74% in Auckland City, 64% in North Shore City, 57% in Papakura District, 50% in Franklin District, 48% in Manukau City, and 44% in Rodney District. 

Nationwide, just 69% of applications were processed on time.

Waitakere City also processed 97% of its non-notified land use and 96% of its non-notified subdivision applications within the required timeframe - out-performing all its immediate neighbours.

Within the Auckland region, Waitakere notified the least number of applications. The percentage in Waitakere was just 0.6%. The frequency in the rest of the region varied from 1% in Auckland and North Shore to 5.9% in Rodney.

Waitakere processed more than 1500 resource consents in the 2001/02 year - about one for every 120 people living in the City. On a per capita basis, Waitakere stands in the middle of the region - processing about double the amount of Manukau and half the amount of Rodney.

Chair of the Council’s Finance and Operational Performance Committee, Councillor Janet Clews, is proud of Waitakere’s standing in the survey.

“It is pleasing to see the very high level of customer service that we achieved several years ago has been maintained. We make a concerted effort to reach 100% compliance in all categories of consent. And while this is rarely possible to achieve, we have come very close for the last few years,” she says.

“The very small number of resource consents that we notify is also testament to our District Plan, which has made the rules very clear. That makes the resource consent process as painless as possible for as many people as possible.”

Minister for the Environment, Marian Hobbs, says the survey results are used to highlight and monitor the use of best practice by local authorities and the latest statistics show that practice under the RMA continues to improve.

“Councils are taking positive steps in improving practice - and with assistance from the Ministry for the Environment, I expect this trend to continue.”

23 June

Council Receives Rates in Full

High Court action has been averted in a dispute between Waitakere City Council and the New Zealand Defence Forces.

After some two years of wrangling over unpaid rates on houses it owns on the Whenuapai and Hobsonville Airbases, defence has paid in full.

The dispute began when NZ Defence stopped paying the uniform general charge on the properties in 2001 and 2002. 

However on last Friday (June 20), the amount outstanding ($639,195.76) was paid. 

The Council had threatened to take the Defence Forces to court over the issue but legal action has now been dropped.

19 June

Waitakere stormwater project gets financial boost

Waitakere City Council’s endeavour to restore it’s waterways has received support from Infrastructure Auckland in the form of two grants totalling almost $9.4 million dollars.

Waitakere City Council’s Environmental Management Committee Chair, Councillor Penny Hulse, says the Council are very grateful for the funding, which is for the Lower Oratia and Pixie Streams.

The grants will be made to Waitakere City Council in stages upon completion of various phases of Project Twin Streams - a long-term project to restore the natural environment alongside some of the city’s major streams.

The project focuses on “soft” engineering, whereby the many kilometres of streamside restoration will work together with the community and modern stormwater management, to ensure Waitakere’s stormwater is appropriately managed as the city grows.

“The money is a vital component of the project. The other vital component is the development of a partnership with the community,” says Councillor Hulse. The grant is the first-ever of that size to be awarded to stormwater quality by Infrastructure Auckland, which awards grants to projects that will make an innovative and positive contribution to the wellbeing of the region. The Council would like to hear from residents and community groups who are keen to participate in stream-planting and restoration projects.

Waitakere Conservation Corps clearing weeds alongside the Waikumete Stream

For more information contact us.

19 June

Hospital receives high commendation

Council helps out Eco Hospital

Waitakere Hospital has been highly commended in the national Green Ribbon Awards for its environmentally friendly water initiatives.

The awards, run by the Ministry for the Environment, recognise groups and organisations that have done outstanding work for a clean green New Zealand.

The hospital has been commended for its eco-friendly stormwater development and its plans to reuse rainwater for flushing toilets. Both initiatives are part of a major expansion and redevelopment that will culminate with the opening of a new hospital in November next year.

Waitakere Hospital general manager Rachel Haggerty says she is delighted with the commendation.

“One of our aims when designing the new hospital was to incorporate eco-friendly initiatives that would not only benefit the hospital, but the wider community too.

“While the hospital development is not due to be completed until next year, already some of these eco-friendly initiatives, such as stormwater treatment, are up and running. It’s fantastic to see our efforts acknowledged by the Ministry for the Environment.

“The project was undertaken with great support from the Waitakere City Council. They gave us expert advice and were really committed to helping us make a difference to the local environment. They really deserve some of the credit too.”

The hospital’s stormwater initiatives for which it was highly commended include:

• Water tanks for collecting rainwater off the roof for reuse within the hospital, primarily for flushing toilets.
• Swales and sand filters for treating stormwater from roads and parking areas.
• A stormwater treatment pond and wetlands area to treat other run-off from the site and part of the surrounding Lincoln Rd catchment.

“The introduction of rainwater tanks will help reduce hospital water rates, but more importantly for the community is the stormwater treatment which will help reduce the amount of pollutants entering our eco system,” says Ms Haggerty.

“Ultimately we hope the hospital will become a focal point, that the community identifies with and is proud of.”

Other environmentally sustainable initiatives incorporated into the new hospital design include water saving fittings, energy efficiency, non-ozone depleting air conditioning systems, waste recycling and planting of native flora.

Construction of the new Waitakere Hospital started last year and is due to be completed in November 2004.

17 June

Funding gives boost to 37 local projects

More than $43,000 of Creative Communities Scheme funding has been awarded to 37 local groups and individuals.

“A partnership between Waitakere City Council and Creative New Zealand, the scheme has the purpose of increasing participation in the arts at a local level and the range and diversity of arts available in the community,” says Creative Communities Scheme Allocation Sub-Committee chairman, Councillor Vanessa Neeson.

“We’re pleased we could assist so many local groups to achieve their ambitions.”

One of the major funding recipients was the Waitakere City Orchestra, which was allocated $2500 to help cover the costs of staging two performances in the Titirangi War Memorial Hall in August and November.

Other major recipients include:

• Oratia Out Of School Care
  ($2000 for professional drama classes and art supplies)
• Pacific Islands Advisory Board
  ($2000 for a youth space for Pacific arts)
• Ranui Community House
  ($2000 to host an art show and competition)
• Torotoro Trust
  ($2000 for an urban Maori Pacific dance festival)
• West Auckland Primary Schools Multicultural Festival
  ($2000 to help cover festival costs)

Creative Communities Scheme subsidy recipients

10 June

Agreement to reduce shopping trolley dumping problem

Shopping trolleys dumped in local streets and creeks could be a thing of the past, thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding between six supermarket and retail operators and Waitakere City Council.

The Memorandum – a first for the country – is being signed by Progressive Enterprises, Foodstuffs Auckland, The Warehouse, Coles Myer New Zealand Holdings (trading as Kmart NZ) and Briscoes, in a bid to help the Council address the visual and environmental pollution caused by shopping trolley theft and abandonment.

Currently, around 400 shopping trolleys are pulled from Waitakere City streams and streets every year – costing ratepayers $40,000 to $50,000 in retrieval costs and retailers up to $50,000 in replacement costs. Under the Memorandum, the supermarket and retail operators will now be responsible for the retrieval of those trolleys.

The operators have also undertaken to put in place practices to reduce the theft of their shopping trolleys, such as:

1. Placing signs at exits and on their trolley bays warning of the consequences of removing a trolley from the premises and erecting signs along nearby waterways requesting people not throw trolleys into them.
2. Undertaking monthly trolley counts to assess the effectiveness of the Memorandum of Understanding.
3. Undertaking weekly “sweeps” of streams and roads to recover shopping trolleys.
4. Forming an “on call” team to receive calls from Council staff about abandoned trolleys and pick them up within 24 hours.
5. Investigating whether there are any cost-effective options for restricting the ability of customers to remove trolleys from supermarket premises.
6. Undertaking blitzes to prevent people leaving premises with trolleys and warning offenders that their removal is theft and may be treated as such.

The parties have also established a steering group, comprising council and operator representatives. The group will meet for an initial review in October to discuss the control measures put in place and whether any changes are necessary.

The operators consider that the cooperative approach put in place through the Memorandum is more appropriate than any attempt to impose a bylaw that would be difficult to word and enforce. 

Council spokesperson, Councillor Brenda Brady, says the Council applauds the operators who have committed themselves to helping the City deal with the issue.

“For too long, Waitakere City has had to battle an increasing number of trolley dumpings in local waterways, streets and playgrounds and the visual and environmental pollution that goes with it. We are very hopeful that this collective approach will go a long way to remedying the problem and beautifying our City,” Cr Brady says.

“It is wonderful to see these partners come forward to help us to develop a solution to the unsightly dumping of trolleys. We want this to work. We live in a beautiful city and clean streams and streets are important to us. It is good that our business community is now recognising that it has an important role to play in the community.

“We also hope that this approach of the Council and businesses working in partnership will spread around the country.” 

For more information contact Councillor Brenda Brady.
See Hart Domain Bullocks - transforming trolleys into art.

10 June

Hundreds present submissions

Waitakere City Council is halfway through hearings on its draft community plan.

The plan (known as the Long Term Council Community Plan) looks 10 years ahead, outlining the City’s priorities for growth and development and how that should be paid for. The 2003/04 Annual Plan (budget) is also part of the document.

Under new local government legislation, Waitakere is one of the few Councils in the country to complete a long term plan - most others have opted for transitional plans which look only at the next financial year.

Waitakere received 2400 public submissions on its plan. The majority of those (around 2000) were delivered by the Citizens Against Privatisation group, which, among other things, supports the Council’s position not to commercialise water services.

More than 180 groups or individuals chose to appear before the Council to speak to their submissions and this week saw the start of seven days of hearings. 

The hearings run until next Tuesday (June 17), after which Councillors will hold a series of meetings to deliberate on the submissions, before adopting the plan on June 30.

The draft plan for next year includes major expenditure on library books ($1.05 million), the building of a new Civic library in Henderson ($2.45 million), $7.33 million on stormwater infrastructure, and $4.13 million on parks (paths, drainage, toilets etc).

The proposed work programme would see an average rates rise of 5.8% - or $2.61 per week. That is one of the lowest proposed rises in the country.

Councillor Janet Clews is chair of the special committee reviewing the plan. She says some hard decisions are going to have to be made over the next few weeks.

“Unfortunately we can’t do everything that we would like, or that the community is asking for,” she says. 

“We have to balance the needs and wants of the community against the huge costs of depreciation on infrastructure (around $27.5 million for 2003/04) and the general costs of building new roads, footpaths and so on in a rapidly growing City.”

*The average residential rate in Waitakere City is currently $1293 a year (or $25 per week).

5 June

Waitakere Winners at E Awards

The Waitakere Rivercare group and environmentalist John Staniland have both won awards at this year’s Auckland Regional Council’s Environmental Awards (E Awards). The winners were announced this evening, on World Environment Day.

Waitakere Rivercare group won the Caring for our Water award while John Staniland received a special award for his long-serving commitment to environmental issues.

The Waitakere Rivercare group is working toward the revegetation of the riparian margins of the Waitakere River, in order to improve water quality. The group has a strong community focus and operates initiatives such as a native plant nursery and regular “working bees”.

Penny Hulse, chair of the City’s environmental management committee, says that it is wonderful to have such a dedicated group of people working in the Eco City.

“The Council is pleased to be able to work with them and assist them from time to time, but their success lies in their incredible commitment to the environment and their local community,” she says. “This is a real example of people thinking globally and acting locally to make a positive difference to their community.”

John Staniland has been active in the conservation movement for over 20 years, both in a hands-on capacity and in a political and advocacy role. 
“John is one of those quiet behind the scenes people who is always willing advise and lend his expert knowledge to community groups – particularly in the area of advocacy at a political level,” Mrs Hulse says.

The categories of entry within the E Awards were changed this year to reflect the responsibilities of the ARC and the environmental issues faced by the region. The categories were: Caring for our Air; Caring for our Water; Caring for our Land and Biodiversity; Caring for our Coast; and Caring for our Culture and Historical Heritage.

E Award Winners

North Shore

Waitakere

Auckland City

Rodney

Manukau

For more information see the ARC website.

3 June

Waitakere Turns On To Turn-Off

In an agreement with its power provider, United Networks, the Waitakere City Council has arranged for street lights to be turned on later (and off earlier).

Streetlights around Waitakere will be turned on 15 minutes later at night and off up to 15 minutes earlier in the morning to reduce power consumption in the wake of the electricity crisis.

However public safety is paramount and United Networks will use discretion if it believes the lights need to go on earlier or off later. It will take weather and light conditions into account and make daily adjustments. 

Motorists are urged to be alert and look for bikes and pedestrians and to switch vehicle lights on earlier. 

As street lighting amounts to about half of the City’s total power bill, the Council says the move will see significant savings although, at this stage, they can’t be quantified. 

Meanwhile, earlier this week, a national meeting took place in Wellington between local authorities (including Waitakere City Council), Transit New Zealand, the Land Transport Safety Authority, Police, Local Government NZ and the Winter Power Task Force to discuss further opportunities for reducing electricity usage from street lighting. An action plan is in the process of being developed that will identify how and when streetlights could be turned off around New Zealand, while ensuring public safety. The Council will consider the recommendations of the action plan as soon as they have been completed. 

The Winter Power Task Force has identified that significant energy savings from street lighting will be required should New Zealand need to reduce its electricity use by 20%. 

Waitakere City Council is also continuing to make power savings within its own buildings and facilities. 

Initiatives include reminders to staff to turn off office lights and computer monitors during breaks, meetings and at night, Printers and mobile phone and digital camera chargers are also being switched of and hot water has turned down to between 50 and 55^o C (saving on the costs of heating hot water cylinders).

Air conditioning and heating units are also being turned off. 

Residents can make savings at home by turning off heated towel rails, other appliances and lights when not in use, washing clothes in cold water, having short showers (and having showers rather than baths), repairing leaking taps, using hot water cylinder wraps and installing energy efficient lights and bulbs.