Hello, I'm a Parnell resident of 13 years, fifth generation Aucklander, currently studying and working at the University of Auckland and Community Board Chair.

I am interested in the ongoing creative and dynamic development of Auckland and all residents.

The Waitemata ward is an exciting part of Auckland region, a cultural, creative, intellectual and commercial heart, located within superb natural environments.

I will continue six years of Community Board work ensuring that residents have access to opportunities to participate in and contribute to the life of their community.

I will support others in their efforts to create a unique quality of life where everyone has access to our beautiful coastline, our maunga, and stimulating public art and intellectual life, such as theatre and dance.

The life of our ward is a shared one. Together we create communities that work for all. I would be honoured to work with you.

For Your Community Voice vote me and the CITY VISION team.

 

A City Vision Waitemata Local Board will:

• Stand with you and your community for a prosperous, secure, fair, and sustainable future
• Advocate for residents and be the strong community voice working with the Auckland Council and the Council Controlled Organisations to ensure local decisions are made locally
• Develop and enhance our open spaces, parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities for enjoyment by all
• Treasure our heritage buildings and encourage quality urban development
• Celebrate the unique character and culture of our diverse communities 
• Improve pedestrian safety, with slower traffic on residential streets, better footpaths and pedestrian-oriented street design
• Get our community moving with better cycling and walking infrastructure, effective public transport including support for fast tracking the CBD rail loop
• Make the most of our beautiful coast by developing a quality waterfront, improving access to the water, opening up a public harbour walkway and ending the problem of effluent overflow into our waterways
• Get behind our creative entrepreneurs, the Learning Quarter, and commercial centres to create jobs and thriving local businesses

City Vision represents the local Labour, Green and Alliance Parties and community independents, like me, who are progressive people keen to represent their communities but do not belong to any political party.

It is essential to elect people who can work together, respond to the needs of the community and take a strong leadership role.  For your Community Voice vote for me and the CITY VISION team.

Top 5 Issues

1. Transport:
   
   I walk or cycle around the city more than I drive so I notice the pedestrian and cycling environment, which can be radically improved such as providing decent paving on commuter pedestrian routes.
   
   The CBD as an employment node, along with Newmarket and Ponsonby, will continue to grow, putting pressure on the very limited capacity of roads into these areas as commuters head to work from outside of these areas.
2. Sustainable Growth:
   
   In my role as current community board Chair I have supported four different business associations.
   
   I believe that Small and Medium Enterprises in local centres need to be supported. Small scale businesses make up the bulk of our local economies. A flourishing town centre supports flourishing local communities that surround the town centre.
3. Street-residents:
   
   We in the ward are fortunate. For the majority of us we have access to good nutritional food and healthcare. For some in our ward who choose to make the streets their 'home', they do not have easy access to such services. (for many, the street *is* their home so it does not make sense to talk about homelessness).
   
   I would like to change the way that we see the "homeless" around our streets. I would prefer to see them as un-official 'guardians' of the street. They make the street their home, so it makes sense to work with those who choose to live there; identify their strengths, and work with those strengths.
   
   For example, many move around the inner city, watching the life of the street. If we can respect that skill and asset, then perhaps we can make streets safer for all as safe streets have 'many eyes' on them.
   
   I will continue to support the work of Auckland City Mission in provision of food and health care services to the street-dwellers.
4. Heritage:
   
   Much attention is being paid to 19C and early 20C heritage, both residential and housing. I will continue to advocate for protection of this valuable stock of heritage. This attention will bear fruit in the years to come.
   
   I would like to start focussing on mid-20C heritage, as buildings from this era start to become at risk from developers' "visions". For example, the two fine buildings diagonally opposite each other on Queen St at Victoria St (The ANZ building and the old AMP building) are excellent examples of mid-20C commercial heritage. I will advocate for their protection in the upcoming District Plan work.
   
   But Council's record on heritage has been pitiful. That's PITIFUL. It currently amounts to $50,000/year. I will advocate for more resourcing, and for a plan that sees 0.01% of rates income (in Auckland City with a rates income of $420m in 2009, so around $4.2m) be set aside for heritage protection. Additional relief would be sought for rates relief for identified heritage buildings such as the St James.

Personal Profile

Auckland is a city that has great pockets of unique culture – Ponsonby Rd, K'rd, the inner-city pre-war suburbs, a burgeoning arts scene, closeness to West Coast beaches, and our great maunga amongst other things.  

It’s not a ‘big city’ like Sydney or New York, so don’t pretend otherwise. Being a ‘great’ or ‘big’ city is not the end goal – it’s a JOURNEY. The fault with many politicians is thinking of a ‘great city’ as a definitive goal, that one day we will have a ‘great city’, whereas the journey towards that vague goal is the real story.  I support our gems of value – the arts, the tertiary institutes, the museums, our parks, public art, our neighbourhoods, and will focus on quality of life issues, as this will make our city great!

My experience as a Community Board Chair means I will make a difference by supporting the diverse range of people and organisations in the community. I will bring strategic thinking and a  focus on improving quality of life issues for all residents through measures such as greening the city. With 6 years Community Board experience (the last three as Chair), I work hard to achieve positive and concrete outcomes for residents concerned about local issues, with the constant aim of leaving the city a better place than I found it.

However, we face challenges. 

1.      CO2 emissions – I will advocate for a District Plan that has rules about end use of energy, and for a Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) that supports public transport, and establish measures to support neighbourhood desire to cut CO2 emissions, such as support for farmers markets.

2.       Adaptation to climatic change - which means preparing for adverse climatic events, such as severe and intense weather bombs or prolonged droughts. Information is key to adaptation, so I will advocate for provision of public information and advocate to central government for supporting measures such as subsidies for home modifications.

3.       Greening the city – currently ratepayers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars mowing pieces of grass that would be better off being transformed into natural wetlands or areas of native vegetation e.g. Scarborough Reserve and Fraser Park.