Media
Releases
November 2005
30 November
Mayor Harvey commends Waitakere/Government
leadership on sustainable buildings
Waitakere City Council is delighted to be associated with
the Government on the launch of "Sustainable Buildings in
the Auckland Region - Foundations for a better future" -
because of the pioneering the city has done in this field,
says Mayor Bob Harvey.
The book has been published by Waitakere City in partnership
with Ministry for the Environment on behalf of the
Government initiated Sustainable Buildings Project
"Waitakere has been the champion of sustainable architecture
since it adopted Agenda 21 and declared itself an eco city,
in 1993," Mr Harvey says.
"We have taken the lead and achieved some truly stunning
things in sustainable civic architecture. Award winning
buildings like the New Lynn Community Centre and the Ranui,
Massey, and New Lynn Libraries are already setting a
standard in energy and water efficiency that is increasing
admired throughout the country," he says.
The new Waitakere Central Library, the Unitec Campus and the
Waitakere Central Civic Centre and transport interchange are
taking what we have already learned, to new levels.
"We even inspired Waitakere Hospital to become one of the
most completely sustainable hospitals in the world," says
Mayor Harvey.
"It is gratifying to have our leadership acknowledged by the
Minister and we acknowledge the leadership and encouragement
given by Government.
"If we and Government - and other local bodies - go on
giving a lead, the time will come soon when sustainable
buildings are seen as the norm," he says.
"Then we will have really turned the corner in terms of
designing and building cities for the 21st century. Instead
of compounding the mistakes of the past, we will be on the
way to protecting the planet for future generations," says
Mayor Harvey.
Waitakere City Council did not choose the buildings to be
included in the booklet but was pleased that three of the
six buildings highlighted, were in Waitakere.
"I want to congratulate everyone who has become part of this
movement - especially those in the commercial sector who do
not have to go the extra mile to ensure the public good,"
Mayor Harvey says.
29 November
Opportunity to select fair and effective representation
Last night, a public meeting of mainly Waitakere Ward
residents became better acquainted with
three possible
options for electoral boundary changes necessary under
the Local Electoral Act 2001.
Chair of the public meeting at the Civic Centre,
Councillor
Janet Clews said that it is important that the
Council-community interaction over the next six months is
robust enough to stand the scrutiny of both residents and
the Local Government Commission.
She told the well attended meeting that the Council wants to
take something with really good support to the Commission
-"that's why it is so important that we come to an agreed
position, rather than risk imposition from the Commission."
One of the considerations being discussed by the Council is
that under the fair representation requirement of the Act,
the existing Waitakere Ward cannot continue to have three
councillors because its population is too small. Accordingly
the Council is looking at a range of options including
reducing the number of councillors, changing the boundaries
to increase the population in the ward or re-organising the
City into three larger wards, all with an urban/rural split.
"There have been misunderstandings in the public arena that
the Council has already made its choice. Nothing could be
further from the truth. We recognise Waitakere Ward's
special position (not complying with the requirement for the
ratio of population per Elected Member not to vary by more
than 10% between wards). We took the case for a legislative
change on this aspect to the Select Committee, as the Local
Government Commission has to date only looked at
dispensations for very isolated rural communities
"We don't want to be in the same position as Christchurch
City where the Commission stepped in and made a decision not
consistent with local input," said Councillor Clews.
Waitakere's Electoral Officer Darryl Griffin described the
fair representation requirement of the Act as a "numbers
game". He said the Council had determined to retain 14
Councillors including a Mayor.
"This is an opportunity to ensure fair and effective
representation," said Mr Griffin.
Planning Consultant David Mead gave an overview of
communities of interest in the three proposed options, each
of which meets the population requirements.
He said the three-ward transport-land use option reflects
commuter flows with each ward having a main centre and a
stake in the Manukau and Waitemata Harbours, the Tasman Sea
and the Ranges.
The four-ward landscapes option would create three Urban
Wards of roughly equal size and a geographically large Rural
Ward that includes Swanson and Titirangi.
"The adjustment to the status quo option tries to make the
Waitakere Ward bigger to sustain three councillors. This
option would see the Ranui area being put into the Waitakere
Ward. But changes to address communities of interest would
breach population limits," said Mr Mead.
Some Waitakere Ward residents were worried about keeping the
character of a rural ward, while a Titirangi resident
asserted that Titirangi is "urban, not rural".
Individual boundary roads could be easily adjusted within
the options to satisfy concerns. Community Board boundaries
would be contiguous with Ward boundaries, said Mr Mead.
An informal vote was taken at the end of the meeting as to
which option was preferred. The majority voted for the
four-ward landscape option.
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Chris Timms Memorial Jetty |
28 November
New jetties open at Henderson
Creek
The opening of two
new
jetties was one of the highlights of two days of events
to celebrate Henderson Creek.
One jetty replaces the historic jetty at Tui Glen. The
other, downstream from the
Trust
Stadium, is the Chris Timms Memorial Jetty named for the
larger-than-life Olympic gold medal winning yachtsman,
mountaineer and flyer killed in a plane crash last year.
"We have been in danger of forgetting the central role that
Henderson Creek has played in the history of the west, and
the celebrations were designed to restore the Creek to its
rightful prominence." says
Councillor
Judy Lawley, chair of the Council's
Arts and
Events Special Committee.
"Chris was a wonderful "Westie" who gave a huge amount and
who is sadly missed," says
Councillor
Ross Dallow, a close friend of Mr Timms.
The opening ceremonies were followed by kayak hire, guided
walks, a BBQ, live music, various Project Twin Streams
displays and an art exhibition by Tui Glen Art Group and
Flanshaw Road Primary School.
The events were a collaborative effort between Waitakere
City Council,
Project Twin Streams, WADCOSS and Waitakere Arts Art In
The Park.
The Trusts stadium jetty was designed by Titrangi designer
Neal Smith in collaboration with Landscape architects Boffa
Miskell. The form Neal has used is evocative of a boat or
Waka that has been beached on the river bank. The handrails
and seats are made from treated and laminated Nz Pine that
has been coated with a stain and protective finish. The
Balustrades are made from cast Stainless Steel and the top
of each represents a mangrove seed.
The mast carries a wind vane to indicate wind direction and
a sculptural element that has 235 odd fiber optic tails that
light up and flash after dark. The lighting feature is
charged by a solar panel that is attached to the mast. This
sculptural element is related to the life of the river.
28 November
Waitakere Council votes to appoint Maori representative
to City Development Committee in "trail blazing decision"
Waitakere City Council today adopted a "trail blazing
decision" in voting to appoint a member of
Te Taumata Runanga to
the City Development
Committee. Te Taumata Runanga itself will select its
nominee to join the committee.
The Council also voted unanimously, to explore ways to give
the Te Taumata Runanga greater capacity to become involved
in the decision making of the Council.
The process of appointing a member of Te Taumata Runanga to
the Committee, will be reviewed after 12 months. One
possible outcome of the review is to also appoint Te Taumata
representatives to the
Financial and Operational Performance (FOP) Committee
and the Planning
and Regulatory (P&R) Committee.
Councillor Ross
Dallow moved the motion as an amendment to an earlier
motion that the Council should appoint two Te Taumata
representatives to the Committee and subsequently to appoint
two representatives to the FOP and P&R committees.
"All Councillors were in favour of finding ways to include
Mäori more but I don't believe the majority would have
supported the original motion. I thought we were better to
take a small step now and make progress than to try too much
too soon and that proved to be the right decision," says
Councillor Dallow.
Councillor Dallow said the decision to appoint should be
treated, initially, as a "trail blazing" action. It is a
trial in which we will try to find ways forward on the issue
of Maori input to Council decision making.
Mayor Bob Harvey said he was
pleased that progress has been made.
"I agree with
Councillor Clow, who seconded the motion, that this is a
very bold step - but an appropriate one," Mayor Harvey says.
"There has been a lot of talk today about the need for Te
Taumata Runanga to grow and its voice for Maori to be
influential. I guess many of us would have gone further, but
this is a very important initiative and I have no doubt it
will lead to an expanded position when it is reviewed in a
year's time," Mayor Harvey says.
Te Warena Taua, chair of Te Taumata Runanga and kaumätua of
Te Kawerau A Maki says that "having the tangata whenua more
involved with the Council at this level, will reflect in a
better partnership between the tangata whenua and their
Treaty partner."
Sensing the momentousness of today's meeting, Mr Taua had
discharged himself from hospital to attend. Councillor Pat
Booth who is on sick leave, also attended.
Councillor Assid
Corban called for a division and the motion was won nine
votes to five.
The decision to appoint a Te Taumata representative followed
a three-hour confidential workshop attended by both
Councillors and Te Taumata Runanga members.
Under the Electoral Act, the Council must explore the
possibility of establishing Maori Wards. The Council's
Finance and Operational Performance Committee, in October
voted against Maori Wards but asked for the workshop to
explore ways that Maori's capacity to be involved in Council
decision making could be explored.
23 November
Paremuka Bridge opens new route through City
The opening of the Paremuka Bridge on Friday at 10 am
will open up a new route through the City, bringing relief
to rush hour motorists in the Swanson area.
The bridge will help ease traffic flows by connecting Munroe
Road with Summerland Drive across Paremuka Stream.
"This will make an enormous difference to people in Swanson,
Sturges Rd, Summerland and Palomino areas," says
Councillor
Penny Hulse, Chair of the
City Development
Committee.
The bridge is part of the Western Arterial route that runs
from Kelston to Red Hills and will help reduce the current
congestion around the Sturges Road/Swanson Road intersection
by better distributing north/south traffic.
Additionally, the bridge will provide another secure route
for emergency traffic in the event of a disaster.
Road markings on the 60-metre bridge will mirror that of
Summerland Drive and Munroe Road, with one traffic lane each
way separated by a flush median and marked parking lanes
each side.
The total cost of the bridge is $2.6 million, with Transfund
(now LTNZ) contributing $1.378 million.
23 November
Better service at learning centres
Waitakere
Libraries' two stand-alone learning centres are better
serviced with the appointment of two new full-time
co-ordinators.
Both the
Te Atatu Peninsula and
Ranui learning centres will now be staffed Monday to
Friday, 9 am to 5.30 pm.
To celebrate the extended hours and new staff, the Te Atatu
Peninsula Learning Centre will be holding an open day on
December 1 from 9 am to 5 pm, for the community to come and
find out what learning centres can offer the community.
The centres can help with employment by helping people to
search for
jobs
online,
create
a resume or
set up
a free email address.
Monthly beginners
computer classes are offered free of charge for those
new to computing.
The International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) is an NZQA
qualification offered in conjunction with Unitec Waitakere.
Free to anyone, the course covers basic computing skills
such as Word and Excel and involves a degree of self study.
Homework zones give children the opportunity for help with
their homework after school in a safe, supervised
environment.
School holiday activities include making posters using
publishing programs and creating websites.
The learning centre is at 603 Te Atatu Road, near the
library, community centre and Compass Point Café.
23 November
Region-wide crack down on the supply of alcohol to
under-age teens
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"Think Before You Buy" exponents
Roy Hunt and Councillor Ewen Gilmour |
An inter-agency group in the Auckland Region is leading a
campaign to reduce the supply of alcohol to underage young
people. A mixture of enforcement and education will be used
to get the "think before you supply" message out before the
Christmas and New Year party season.
The campaign asks those who supply alcohol to underage young
people to think about the consequences and appropriateness
of doing so.
Part of the campaign will involve a concerted effort by
enforcement agents throughout the region to crack down on
illegal supply. Sting operations will be used to catch
licensees selling to minors, and "shoulder-tap" operations
will target strangers who are offered money by young people
outside liquor outlets to buy them alcohol.
A series of graphic posters and radio ads aims to make
parents of teens think about the possible consequences of
supplying their children with alcohol for occasions they
will not be directly supervising. Other printed material
will be put in bottle stores.
Campaign organiser Roy Hunt says that surveys show that most
12-17 year old drinkers report getting hold of alcohol is
not a problem. "We know that key sources of alcohol for
14-17 year olds are parents and friends over 18 years."
At this stage the ads are targeted at parents. Statistics
show that supply by friends is at least as much of an issue
- but Hunt says that friends are a hard group to reach and
will require a specifically targeted message.
He says that parents often believe it's preferable to give
their teenager five or five bottles to take to a party than
for them to obtain it illegally. Usually they think their
teenager would not receive alcohol from any other source,
but many young people supplement alcohol given by parents
with alcohol from friends.
"Often excessive amounts are given to children for drinking
without proper supervision. Many parents believe that their
teenager has a responsible attitude to drinking, but we know
that their propensity for risk taking and relative
inexperience with alcohol makes them vulnerable."
Adults need to be aware that purchasing alcohol for minors
can result in prosecution and a fine of up to $2000.
The 'Think Before You Buy' and 'Think: Consequences' message
is being delivered in Waitakere City by Community Action on
Youth, Alcohol and Drugs (CAYAD).
A campaign poster features a young boy in a jail cell with
the heading: 'His Dad Put Him Here'. The text reads: ': his
Dad gave him a sneaky bottle of rum : (he) didn't realise
the consequences. His son was arrested for obscene and
violent behaviour.'
"Those stories about people in Europe introducing children
at alcohol at an early age are just nonsense. Research shows
that the younger drinking starts, the more likely it is to
be a problem in future," says
Councillor
Ewen Gilmour, Waitakere City Council Advocate for
Children and Youth.
"The campaign is aimed at big brother and older adults. We
are asking them: 'what are the consequences of your decision
to supply minors with liquor?' Alcohol plays a big part in
minors' car crashes - 90% of minors who have crashes have
been drinking," he says.
A national survey in 2003 found that 48% of 14-17 year olds
who drink had five or more glasses in the fortnight prior to
the survey. More than a third of young drinkers in this
study agreed that they are more likely to engage in sexual
activity when they drink. Other serious ill effects are
drink-driving crashes, violence, alcohol poisoning, other
substance abuse and diminished school performance.
"No one should supply alcohol to someone who is under-age,
unless it's a small amount under direct supervision by
parent, guardian or other adult relative" says Hunt.
"Parents need to reinforce each other to say 'no' to giving
their kids alcohol for unsupervised drinking. And if their
children are going to a party, it's really important that
they find out if alcohol will be present and whether the
party will be properly supervised".
22 November
Mayor cooks up support for new rescue chopper
In the lead up to Christmas Waitakere
Mayor Bob Harvey is
not going to be sitting back and relaxing. Instead, he will
be serving up sausages for hundreds of West Aucklanders at The
Great Westie RESQBBQ on the evening of Sunday December
18.
The Great Westie RESQBBQ, which will take place this year as
part of the popular family event Carols in the Park, is a
fundraising effort in conjunction with RESQBBQ, a national
effort to raise the $7 million needed to buy a new Bell
412EP rescue helicopter for the Auckland Rescue Helicopter
Foundation.
The Auckland Rescue Helicopter is the only rescue helicopter
in New Zealand that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a
week and 95% of all missions are launched within eight
minutes.
"The lease on the existing helicopter runs out at the end of
next year so this is a chance for all Westies to take part
in helping New Zealand to raise funds for a new helicopter,"
Mayor Harvey says.
At The Great Westie RESQBBQ, Mr Harvey will be joined by
other well known Westies in serving up traditional Westie
fare - sausages dribbling in sauce, lathered in onions and
wrapped in bread - in return for a gold coin donation to
RESQBBQ.
"It's Sunday evening so take a break from cooking, bring the
kids down to Falls Park for one of my sausages and listen to
traditional Christmas carols at the same time," he says.
Carols in the Park, organised by Waitakere City Council and
the Henderson
Community Board, also features the Combined Churches
Choir which will perform a range of Christmas classics.
"Carols in the Park is child friendly with Santa Claus, face
painting, and performers working throughout the crowd," says
Henderson Community Board member
Helen
Jones. "All you need is your picnic blankets and a
couple of hours to spend relaxing and having fun. We'll
provide everything else."
18 November
Public meeting for City's three Electoral Boundary
options
A public
meeting will be held from 7pm on Monday 28 November to
air the three options for Waitakere City's Electoral
Boundaries.
The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers, at the
Civic Centre, 6 Waipareira Avenue, Henderson and will be
chaired by
Councillor Janet Clews, Chair of the
Finance and
Operational Performance Committee.
The options for discussion are:
- Change to three wards - population, integrated
land use, transport and landscapes basis
Change to three wards - Establishes northern, central
and southern wards.
Creates wards with boundaries based on integrated land
use, transport and landscape 'communities of interest'.
- Modify the current wards - land use and
population basis
Keep four wards and the same total number of
councillors, but change the boundaries to better reflect
communities of interest while retaining a rural ward
with fewer councillors.
Involves identifying new ward boundaries on the basis of
land use 'communities of interest'
- Modify the current wards -population basis
Keep the four wards and keep the number of councillors
the same, but change the boundaries so that the
population of the rural ward is higher.
Involves modifying the current wards on a strictly
population basis (Ranui moves from Massey to Waitakere
Ward)
21 November
Mayor Harvey welcomes news that Infratil has offered to
purchase Stagecoach and Fullers
Waitakere Mayor Bob
Harvey has welcomed the news that Infratil Limited has
made an offer to purchase the Auckland region bus and ferry
services presently provided by Stagecoach and its subsidiary
Fullers Group Ltd.
"Waitakere City and Infratil have worked together for the
past three years to secure Whenuapai military airbase for
use as a commercial airport," Mayor Harvey says.
"The company and its principals are highly respected and
'savvy' business people specialising in transport. If
anybody can get Auckland moving, it's these guys," he says.
"Infratil makes long term investment decisions and are
prepared to improve facilities. Just look at what they've
done at Wellington Airport," he says.
"They are experienced in running airports in different parts
of the world and with this latest acquisition, they have the
air, land and sea covered.
"Perhaps most the pleasing aspect is that key national
infrastructure is once again in the hands of a kiwi company
committed to the good of this country," says Mayor Bob
Harvey.
18 November
Greening the Screen - film industry 'greens' productions
From unit assistants, camera men, make-up artists to
producers and directors - as of today everybody in the New
Zealand screen industry can contribute to 'greener' film and
TV productions.
A practical toolkit Greening the Screen was launched today
during the annual conference of the Screen Production and
Development Association (SPADA). It helps the industry to
reduce the environmental impacts of screen productions.
"Moving towards 'green' productions is important for our
international reputation and competitiveness. Overseas
companies come here to film because of our fantastic scenery
and environment. We cannot take that for granted," says John
Barnett, Chief Executive Officer of South Pacific Pictures.
"With very little effort, we can make significant
improvements in the way we use resources while we reduce our
waste. And to our surprise we have realised, whilst we make
these improvements, we are going to save money."
"As Mayor of eco city Waitakere , a keen enthusiast of the
New Zealand screen production industry and the author of a
recent book entitled White Cloud Silver Screen about New
Zealand's film locations I am proud to support the Greening
the Screen toolkit," says
Mayor Bob Harvey.
"This glorious country has just so much to offer and I urge
the industry to embrace the recommendations in the toolkit
and protect our wonderful natural environment."
Greening the Screen is a partnership between the Ministry
for the Environment, Landcare Research, production company
South Pacific Pictures, the Screen Production and
Development Association and Waitakere City Council. The
project has been endorsed by 10 screen production
organisations including the Screen Directors Guild of New
Zealand and the New Zealand Writers Guild.
Although many good practices already exist, the film
industry is keen to incorporate the guidelines in its daily
work environment. Rob Fenwick, board member of Landcare
Research and TVNZ: "One of the biggest achievements of this
project is the absolute commitment of all sectors across the
industry. Our environment obviously lies close to people's
heart. With the Greening the Screen toolkit it is easy to
make a difference."
18 November
'Big Buddy' nominated for community award
Mentoring agency Big Buddy is just one of the
organisations nominated in the
Infratil-Waitakere City
Community Awards. The awards are open to community
organisations providing services in the community. Nominated
by Warwick Pudney QSM, Big Buddy matches volunteer male
mentors with young fatherless boys to give them positive
male role models for their lives. Without mentoring, many
would be more susceptible to negative lifestyles such as
crime, drugs and violence. "Big Buddy works with the
simple philosophy that boys need good male role models to
become good men themselves," says CEO Richard Aston. "Big
Buddy knows that most men know this in their hearts and this
is why so many are stepping forward to make a world of
difference to one boys' life."
A TVNZ Close Up feature in September 2004 resulted in 55 men
offering to become mentors, with 45 since being matched with
a buddy. Now 60 people are on the mentor waiting list
and 90 volunteers contribute more than 14,000 hours each
year to keep the organisation growing. Big Buddy is
looking forward to expanding its services Auckland-wide.
Organisations can also nominate themselves under one of five
categories; Heritage and Environment, Health and Well-being,
Educational and Child Youth Development, Arts and Culture or
Sport and Leisure. Nominations close December 1.
18 November
Sport Waitakere re-launched
Waitakere City Council has endorsed the separation of
Sport Waitakere from the
Trusts Stadium,
and re-launched Sport Waitakere with a $250,000 contribution
from the Council.
The governance of the two entities became combined as a
result of the original Trust co-ordinating both Sport
Waitakere's traditional role and the fundraising for and
development of the stadium (plus overseeing its first year
of operation).
"That structure has served its purpose and delivered a
superb facility that is working well - but it has been at a
cost to Sport Waitakere's core business of encouraging
active lifestyles in Waitakere," says Deputy Mayor
Carolynne Stone.
The stadium was developed by a community trust which could
seek funding from many sources, of which the Council was
only one.
While this worked well during development and the initial
start-up, Sport Waitakere found that obtaining funding for
the stadium cannibalised its ability to fund its core
activities - and so it's time to change the structure," says
Councillor Stone.
Changing the structure means that a new Sport Waitakere
trust will be established with $250,000 from the Council to
provide it with an adequate working base to move forward.
"This is a very satisfactory outcome. We have a fabulous
international class stadium and a sport and physical
activity development organisation which has had its problems
but is now very, very effective. We can happily separate
them and expect even better things in the future for the
people of Waitakere," says Councillor Stone.
"Sport Waitakere are pleased with this result. We now have
the independence and ability to move forward. It is an
excellent platform for us to build the future on and provide
services for the betterment of Waitakere residents," says
Nick Schouten, Chair of Sport Waitakere.
Lynette Adams, CEO of Sport Waitakere says, "With this base
and support we have the ability to ensure we are achieving
our aims of increasing participation in physical activity by
acting as a catalyst and collaborating with like minded
organisations."
"We thank the Council for this contribution and for
recognising the value Sport Waitakere is to the Waitakere
community," says Schouten.
11 November
Hundreds watch charter parade at Te Atatu
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The Royal New Zealand Air force exercised the Freedom of
Waitakere City at Te Atatu today, to help the community
honour the casualties of all wars and pay tribute to a local
airman killed in World War Two.
Organised by the Waitakere City Council, RNZAF and Te Atatu
Memorial RSA, the event commemorated the end of World War
One, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of
1918.
A plaque was unveiled, commemorating all those who have died
in all wars irrespective of the country they represented at
the time. Also unveiled was a plaque commemorating Flying
Officer Whelan Hazard, the only Te Atatu serviceman or woman
to die in World War Two.
The plaques were blessed by Reverend Dr Ken Bennett for the
Te Atatu RSA and unveiled by the official party which
included Nickolas Haggo of Peninsula Primary School, Dana
Wynd of Matipo Primary School, Alison Potts from Rutherford
Primary School and Aimee Rose Donnell of Te Atatu
Intermediate School.
Completing the tribute was a fly-over by an RNZAF Orion
which arrived directly over the unveiling with a precision
admired by the 200 or so guests at the event.
The Council also re-opened a cluster of historic World War
Two anti-aircraft gun emplacements built to defend
Hobsonville and Whenuapai against invasion.
The ceremony ended with a company from the RNZAF Base
Auckland and the Air Force band exercising their right to
march in the city with "drums beating, bands playing,
colours flying, bayonets fixed and swords drawn."
Mayor Bob Harvey paid
tribute to the Air Force of today and the service men and
women who had served in a range of different wars over the
last century. He also paid special tribute to Flying Officer
"Hap" Hazard. Te Atatu MP, Chris Carter, echoed those words,
saying Waitakere's commitment to creating living spaces in
the city with such village greens as those of Gunner Drive,
was to be especially commended.
Flying Officer Hazard's niece, Lynn Ashton also thanked the
city and read a eulogy to her uncle and the Ode of
Remembrance was given by Mr Ian Gibson, President of the Te
Atatu RSA.
9 November
Three electoral basis options aired for Waitakere
The next step in Waitakere City Council's review of its
electoral system is to decide whether the city will have
three or four Wards in future elections.
Changes have to be made to the Ward system because under
new electoral rules, Waitakere Ward does not have a big
enough population to elect three Councillors.
The choices the Council has to address this are: to change
the boundaries but retain four Wards including a rural Ward
with a lower number of Councillors than presently represent
Waitakere Ward or; change the boundaries of existing Wards
to increase the population in Waitakere Ward; change the
number of Wards; do away with wards altogether or; have some
Councillors elected from wards and some elected city wide.
The Council's Finance and Operational Performance Committee
is proposing to discuss three options with the public,
through an informal community information process that will
run from now until late February. Then in March 2006 the
Council will to select one option to go forward for formal
public consultation.
The review of the City's electoral system (which must be
completed before the next Council elections), is required by
the Electoral Act 2001. It will establish the "Basis for
Election" as required under the Act.
To establish the Basis for Election, the Council must create
Wards that have a "community of interest" based on common
characteristics that help define a community. For example,
it can be transport services, the stream catchments
patterns, landscape features, the way land is used, etc.
"Identifying communities of interest helps to ensure
effective, fair representation of Waitakere's diverse
communities. Therefore, the electoral boundaries must be
based on the rationale that best recognises communities of
interest," says Councillor Clews
The three options the Council will advance for discussion,
(in no particular order) are:
Integrated landuse, transport and landscapes
This option proposes three Wards and three Community
Boards, with a mixture of urban and rural territory and a
town centre in each. There would still be 14 Councillors
plus the Mayor and each community board would have six
elected members, plus up to three Councillors.
The Northern Ward with four Councillors would extend from
Bethells/Te Henga to Hobsonville and Whenuapai and include
Swanson, Ranui, Massey and West Harbour.
The Central Ward with five Councillors would extend from
Piha, Karekare, Te Atatu Peninsula and include Western
Heights / Sturges Rd, the Bruce McLaren area, Henderson,
Lincoln, and Te Atatu South
The Southern Ward would extend from Whatipu, Huia,
Laingholm, Glen Eden and New Lynn and include to Titirangi,
Oratia and Glendene, (five Councillors).
"This three-Ward option reflects the 'mixed' nature of the
city as a whole, ensuring reasonable representation of
communities across the City, with each of the three Wards
having a 'stake' in the Ranges," says Finance and
Operational Performance chair Councillor Janet Clews.
"A study of communities of interest shows that landscapes,
form the natural boundaries of communities while having both
urban and rural parts included, will require town dwellers
and rural communities to be more aware of each other," she
says.
Modifying the Current Wards
This four-Ward option involves transferring Ranui from
Massey Ward to Waitakere Ward. While this would give
Waitakere the population to keep three Councillors it would
not necessarily solve communities of interest issues at the
border between Waitakere, Massey and Henderson Wards.
These issues include:
- People would prefer the Bruce McLaren Road and
Sturges Road areas to be in Henderson Ward, rather than
split between Henderson and Waitakere wards.
- Meanwhile in the Lincoln Road area there is a
preference to be in the Henderson Ward rather than the
Massey Ward.
"Transferring Ranui to the Waitakere Ward without
considering these boundary issues could be challenged
through the Local Government Commission. This would in turn
lead to the Commission imposing its own solution on the
Council," says Councillor Clews.
Modified Land Use
The four-Ward Modified Land Use option uses land use as
the basis for describing the proposed communities of
interest. The number of Councillors per Ward would vary,
according to population, from two to five, with the total
unchanged at 14 (plus the Mayor).
The four Wards would be made up of communities circling the
three main town centres plus a rural ward including
Titirangi and Swanson within its boundary.
"Modifying the City's existing Ward boundaries this way,
would help align existing community associations not catered
for under the present system," says Councillor Clews.
"Whenuapai-Hobsonville fits better as a part of the northern
suburbs (Massey/West Harbour) area, rather than with the
Waitakere Ranges and foothills," she says.
Ranui would be attached to either Massey or Henderson while
following a natural boundary - such as a stream - would be
the most logical choice when dividing Henderson and Massey.
Basis for Election provisional timescale:
Background Information (Including maps)
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Basis of Representation Review - Communities of Interest
Document (Size 2M)
7 November
State-of-the-art storage for precious collections
A state-of-the-art sprinkler system will protect
Waitakere City's heritage collections when the Waitakere
Central Library opens in Henderson next year courtesy of a
$130,000 grant from the Lottery Grants Board.
The AcquaMist system used by archives and art galleries
worldwide minimises the density of water damage in the event
of a fire. The grant covers the installation of a pre-action
sprinkler mist fire suppression system including a pump room
and installation costs.
Councillor
Penny Hulse says that the improved protection will
ensure future citizens have appropriate access to
Waitakere's history through photos, archives and books.
"The new system to protect Waitakere's heritage is a great
asset to make sure donated collections from local families
are stored safely and securely, whilst still allowing the
public the opportunity to delve into Waitakere's rich
history," she says.
A new heritage suite will house the City's documentary
heritage collections. It includes a cool store for
photographic negatives and a temperature and humidity
controlled storage area for documents and books including
the J. T. Diamond archive and the library's precious glass
plate negative collections, the oral history archives and
other heritage collections. There will be a small exhibition
space as well as a Waitakere and West Auckland research room
-The J. T.
Diamond Reading Room.
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