Media Releases

April 2005
 

28 April

Authority sets new remuneration pool

The Remuneration Authority has approved a $27,629 pa increase in the remuneration package for Waitakere City Council’s elected members.

The Authority sets the remuneration pool available to all councils and councils recommend how their pool should be distributed among elected members.

The Authority has set Waitakere’s pool at $1,054,501 per year and this is distributed as follows:

• Mayor’s total remuneration $128,749 (including motor vehicle)
• Deputy Mayor $70,812
• Standing committee chairs $67,5930
• Chairs of Hearings, the Projects Special and the Arts and Events Special Committees, $57,454
• Other councillors receive $47,804
• Community Board chairs $21,887
• Community Board members, $11,266

The Deputy Mayor’s remuneration was reduced as she no longer chairs the City Development Committee.

28 April

Anzac lights keep shining

Waiatarua sculptor Stuart Slater and his grandson Tarquin (7) made sure old soldiers’ graves weren’t neglected after the annual dawn Anzac ceremony at Waikumete Soldiers’ Memorial.

Mr Slater and Tarquin spent some time lighting candles at some of the “graves that didn’t have candles. The soldiers weren’t related to us, we just wanted to stop by and light candles, to show they hadn’t been forgotten,” said Mr Slater.

The annual dawn service and parade of war veterans at Waikumete attracted a crowd of nearly 5000 in the pre-dawn chill.

Following the Anzac dedication by Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey, the Auckland Boys’ Choir sang ‘Sons of Gallipolli’.

26 April

Food safety not negotiable

Thinking of eating out? Before you decide, see how your choice of restaurant or take out scores on the current list of graded food premises.

Since the crackdown on the city’s kitchens a couple of years ago, all food premises must prominently display their current status under the Food Hygiene Regulations and Council’s food safety bylaws.

Check the grades on the Council’s website under Food Grading Results.

There are four grades in the system ‘A’ ‘B’ ‘D’ and ‘E’. The fact there is no ‘C’, ensures clear demarcation between premises above and below the required standard.

All food outlets — restaurants, cafes, takeaways etc — are required to display their current grade for two months, even if they have rectified the safety problem that earned them a poor grade.

Premises showing the top-graded blue ‘A’ and the next-best, green ‘B’ are in the clear, but, says Councillor Janet Clews, even the best can’t afford to be complacent about hygiene.

If a food outlet has been given a ‘D’ grade (just below standard) or ‘E’ grade (below standard), it can continue to trade, but only if the problem has been fixed. However, the premises must continue to display the grading for the statutory two month period, until it is re-graded.

“We realise this is a source of distress to proprietors who fear losing custom. But the grading procedure may have uncovered some previously unknown problem, such as fridges or warmers being at the wrong temperature — and the outlet is given a ‘D’ for two months, even though their hygiene is fine and no customers have ever reported being sick.

“Food safety is a non-negotiable issue,” she says.

Premises with a ‘D’ grading are dealt with on a case by case basis, according to the severity of the health hazard. All premises with an ‘E’ grading are prosecuted.

Since Waitakere began its grading system in 2003, Council inspectors have discovered that people open food premises without training.

“It’s important that all premises have staff with NZQA training in food hygiene. Contraventions of the Food Hygiene Act 1974 and bylaws include inadequately trained staff, vermin, poor hygiene and inappropriately stored food.

Premises not displaying their current grades are being prosecuted unless it possesses an Approved Food Safety Programme which makes it exempt.

26 April

Free events for international youth week

Pop-punk group Goodnight Nurse will headline The Edge Jam Out West concert at West Wave Recreation Centre on 7 May, as part of Waitakere’s Teen West Youth Week.

Part of an event programme spanning seven days and celebrating the city’s youth, bands Foamy Ed, The Rabble and Quarter 2 will also take to the stage.

Teen West Youth Week coincides with International Youth Week (9-15 May) and focuses on valuing youth, their contribution to the city and their potential to develop the city of the future. The Waitakere City Youth Council has developed the theme for this year’s Teen West Youth Week Celebrations as “Tu Pakari/Stand Strong – Just Be It!”

The National Youth Week theme encourages young people to challenge the stereotypes society has placed on youth and redefine themselves.

Child and Youth Advocate Councillor, Linda Cooper says celebrating the city’s young people needs to be done more often. “The SummerSlamz event at Te Pai Park, with over 5000 people attending, shows that the youth of the city will support events if they are tailored to their likes and dislikes and run well.”

Other Youth Week celebrations include the 2nd Disco for Youth with Disabilities at Kelston Community Centre on Saturday 14th May, Sport Waitakere Sport Explore Showcase Nights, and more. For a full calendar of youth week events check out our youth events, or contact Jo-Anne Inancsi on 839 0400 for more information.

Youth Week is nationally promoted by NZAAHD (New Zealand Association of Adolescent Health & Development) and sponsored by Ministry of Youth Development.

Westies - more than just mullets!

15 April

Council seeks by-law to curb junk mail

Waitakere City Council is one of three councils seeking a new by-law to help curb junk mail litter.  The other two councils are Rodney District and North Shore City.

The by-law proposes a maximum fine of $20,000 for delivering junk mail where it isn’t wanted or dumping it in public places.

Junk mail already contributes to 16.6% of the city’s street litter at any time and this rises by 33% mid-week, when the greatest volumes of junk mail are delivered. This is up from 9.75% in August, 2000.

These figures are based on independent litter audits conducted since the year 2000.

“Despite the uninformed view of some people who have leaped into print, this is not a draconian law,” says Councillor Janet Clews, chair of the Council’s Finance and Operational Performance.

“There are many laws which have real teeth so that they can be used as a deterrent if necessary. That doesn’t mean they will be used for every minor incident. This is designed to give us some effective deterrents for the people who create major litter problems that the ratepayers have to pay to fix.

Councillor Clews says the aim is not to stop companies or people producing or delivering the direct mail, but to give the councils the ability to curb the litter problem that occurs when large amounts of undelivered mail is just dumped in city streets, waterways and bush areas.

Often this occurs when direct mail companies give their deliverers one item for every house in an area, and don’t take account of the number of letter boxes that have a “No Junk Mail” label.

“In too many cases, this means the deliverers end their rounds with a lot of paper left over and much of this is just dumped. In addition, if they put it out for the recycling collection, that also costs the ratepayer.  All the companies have to do to avoid this problem, is to do an accurate count of the houses that will accept the mail,” says Councillor Clews.

“This will produce a double benefit. It will stop the litter and better protect the householders who don’t want the mail in the first place. In this sense the proposed by-law is not unlike the Government’s proposed Bill to limit eMail SPAM,” she says. “Almost all junk mail is designed to increase the profits of commercial operations. There is nothing wrong with that and I hope they succeed, but not at the ratepayers’ cost,” says Councillor Janet Clews, chair of the Council’s Finance and Operational Performance Committee.

“Producing the mail in the first place is one of their costs of doing business.  All we’re saying is cleaning up the mess that it makes should also be at their cost.  There’s no reason the ratepayer should pay to reduce their costs and increase their profits,” she says.

Councillor Clews says that to avoid arguments over the term junk mail, the items are to be classified as unsolicited advertising. “I’m sure that many of them would say the flyers are not junk and they are well received by many householders. That’s all very well, but it is unsolicited advertising and it should not become a burden to the Council or people who have stated they don’t want it.”

Waitakere City Council’s zero waste platform is an integral part of the fourteen community outcomes, with processes put in place since 1998 to reduce the amount of litter on the city’s streets.

8 litter control officers on motor scooters were introduced in 1998, picking up 32 tonnes of litter each year and significantly reducing the amount of street litter. In 2000, a free ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker was introduced for residents in an effort to cut down specifically on junk mail litter. This successful initiative, as with many other Waitakere waste reduction initiatives was copied by other councils. These stickers are still available from the Call Centre.

14 April

Youth Council to include more community representatives

Usually comprised of high school representatives, this year’s Waitakere Youth Council will include community representatives.

The 2005 Youth Council will be formally launched this Saturday, 10 am, with a powhiri at the Council Chambers in Henderson.  Additional community representatives from tertiary level, alternative education, community youth groups and training schools will provide a wider voice of opinion on youth issues for the council.

Previously, the Youth Council comprised representatives from all ten of Waitakere’s high schools. However, the move to include community representatives came after interviews with the Council and community members identified the need for a wider range of representation.

Child and Youth advocate Councillor Linda Cooper says that with 33% of Waitakere’s population under 20, having a forum for the Council to communicate with the city’s youth is pivotal. “The Youth Council plays an important role as an independent advisory committee. Their feedback is invited and used to develop strategy and policy in line with the Council’s First Call for Children strategic priority.

“A recent application of this is the extension of Te Pai Skate Park, an event celebrated by over 4,000 youth, made possible by the feedback and advocacy that the Youth Council provided,” she says.

Formed in 1993, the Youth Council is the formal forum where youth are asked to comment on issues from council committees and officers. They can also make submissions to committees and officers.

13 April

RMA performance taken out of context

Media reports citing Waitakere City Council as the “worst performing” council in the country for processing resource consents on time are inaccurate and gross distortions of the truth, says Councillor Vanessa Neeson, chair of the Planning and Regulatory Committee.

“The report by the Ministry for the Environment has been selectively picked through to make Waitakere look as bad as possible and does not reflect the true performance of the council,” says Councillor Neeson.

The reporting in the media yesterday refers only to notified resource consent applications for the 2003/2004 year. During that time there were only two applications, neither of which was processed on time because of their complexity.

The media reports do not mention that in the same period a total of 85.5% resource consents overall, were processed on time.

“It is disappointing that an up and coming politician like Helensville MP John Key sees fit to slap Waitakere around with an old figure that is so transparently taken out of context. He of all people should know that statistics do not tell the real story,” says Councillor Neeson

“By their nature, notified resource consents are lengthy and time consuming and we’re working to improve this area of performance,” she says.

During the 2003/2004 period, non-notified resource consents made up the bulk of applications. A total of 1805 were processed, of which 86% of land use and 87% of subdivisions were processed on time.

Compared with councils of a similar size, Waitakere is on a par with Manukau and Wellington, and ahead of Auckland and North Shore for non-notified resource consent applications.

Detailed Statistics for Waitakere City Council - Table 1

 

Table 2

 

13 April

Plan to ease congestion for Peninsula

A new School Travel Plan for Rutherford students will help ease traffic congestion on Waitakere’s Te Atatu Peninsula.

Peninsula commuters and students travelling to schools in the Rutherford area will benefit from a School Travel Plan that focuses on reducing congestion around schools by providing alternative and sustainable travel choices such as walking and cycling. In reducing the number of cars in and around schools, students are safer to walk to school. Recent figures indicate up to 40% of all morning traffic is school-related. To combat this problem School Travel Plans are created with the community, Council and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA).

Key supporter Rutherford Primary School found over 50% of parents drive their children to school in the morning, only a third walking and very few travelling by bike or bus.  About 22% of children said they would like to bike to school.

Rutherford College’s survey produced similar results. Over 40% of students are dropped off by their parents, 35% walk to school and over 20% travel by bus. Very few travel by bike.

At Te Atatu’s Tu Tangata Academy 76% of students drive to school, with most parking on site. On a positive note, 52% of the car-travelling group carpool and 12% said they would consider carpooling.

Options to make the route to school safer and reduce congestion include walking school buses, car pooling, new pedestrian crossings and patrols.

The community is invited to learn more about the School Travel Plan process at a meeting to be held in the staffroom of Rutherford Primary School, 3.30 pm, Thursday 14 April 2005. Youth and Road Safety advocate Councillor Ewen Gilmour will also be attending the meeting.

11 April

Anzac Day dawns on Monday 25 April

Waitakere City’s popular Dawn Candlelight Parade on Anzac Day will be held this year at 6am (assemble at 5.45 am) on Monday 25 April.

The parade is becoming an established event for the City – last year’s parade attracted 5,000 people holding candles behind the Cenotaph at Waikumete Cemetery.

Representatives from each Returned Services Association in Waitakere will parade at Waikumete. Each RSA will host its own parade and a council nominee will lay a wreath at each of 10 local parades.

This year the Auckland Boys’ Choir will lead the singing at Waikumete. They will sing a recent composition “Sons of Gallipolli”* as well as hymns and the NZ national anthem.  Singer Catherine Reaburn will also feature at the event.

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey, councillors and local Members of Parliament will be at the Waikumete service.  Reverend Judy Cooper will be the officiating minister.

*Sons of Gallipolli was written by Father Chris Skinner of Wellington.

8 April

Rates, roads and rubbish

The 2005-2006 season of submissions to the Waitakere City Council’s Annual Plan has kicked off and will continue until 4 May.

The possible closure of the Te Atatu South Library is a hot topic since submissions opened on 4 April.

Rates rises and road conditions concern several of the council’s correspondents. The curbing and channelling of the south east end of Waitemata Drive, the condition of Mountain Rd and the general condition of Green Bay’s facilities are issues of concern to some residents.

Another writer asks if the council has plans to modernise Glendene village.

First-time submitter Barbara Weatherall writes that as a voluntary environmentalist she has become aware of the amount of rubbish blowing around the Royal Heights and Moire Park area.

“When out on my run I have started taking and filling plastic bags with rubbish from the sides of Moire Road.

“This is starting to become a bit overwhelming, however, I’ll keep on,” she says.

“As far as I’m aware, there isn’t a single rubbish bin in the carpark next to the athletics field, or any within the athletics field or along the walking tracks in the bush.

‘I look forward to seeing and using more rubbish bins in Moire Park,” says Barbara.

8 April 2005

Waitakere Ranges and foothills drop-ins

Four local halls are the venues for next week’s drop-in days to get the facts on draft proposed legislation for Waitakere Ranges and foothills protection.

The venues are:

Wednesday 13 April
Swanson School Hall
703 Swanson Rd
from 3.30-8.30 pm

Thursday 14 April
Oratia Settlers’ Hall (Small Hall)
569 West Coast Rd
2.30-7.30 pm

Saturday 16 April
Waiatarua Community Hall
911 West Coast Rd
10 am-4 pm

Sunday 17 April
Titirangi Community House
War Memorial Park
500 South Titirangi Rd
12.30-6.30 pm

Copies of the draft proposed legislation can be viewed at Waitakere libraries, are available from Waitakere City Council offices, or contact us.

Send comments to:

Waitakere Ranges Legislation
Private Bag 93109
Waitakere City

Or email ranges@waitakere.govt.nz.

24 hour hotline (09) 839 0401.

1 April 2005

WestWave Life guard Doug King accepts the Waitakere City Council citation for bravery.

Life guards’ bravery recognised by Mayor