Grant’s experience and skills as a North Shore City Councillor, former Director of a State Owned Enterprise, CEO, local businessman, and a former two-term Member of Parliament, gives him a deep understanding of our local communities and how to effectively represent them.

Dr. Grant Gillon has taken a strong leadership role on the North Shore. Amongst many achievements, Grant slashed the previous council’s planned 8.4% rates rise, championed opposition to water privatisation, secured the future for our community groups in the transition period, opposed ‘shoe-box’ apartments in our neighbourhoods, initiated increased powers to community boards, and introduced several heritage protection measures.

“I have a regional perspective but a local focus. Truly independent, I get things done for the Shore.” 

Grant is a local man who, with his family, has lived and worked for our communities for most of his life on the North Shore. www.grantgillon4shore.co.nz

Top 5 Issues

1. This term has been on of fiscal constraint for Council because of hard economic times for our ratepayers and this must continue under the new Auckland Council.
   
   The transition costs are expected to be about $200million and yet the rates cannot increase to cover this amount. Therefore, we need to be on guard against reduced services and asset sales.
   
   But, interest rates and construction index stayed relatively high. Transit roading subsidies down $1.3m and so we had to reduce some unnecessary roading projects. The last Council had planned a 8-9% rates rise for this year and we slashed that. But even the current Rates increase 4.7% (or 5.5% incl Amenities funding) is too high for many of our residents. Even with cutting back on projects we were left with a legacy Debt of $438m by October 2010. Currently planned Capital Expenditure is lower over 10 years (than last Council had planned) but still $1.7b planned the next 10 years. The average rates bill for 2009/10 is $123 lower than the last Council planned and rates at 2015/16 will be $440 lower.
   
   Debt is slightly higher as there is a lower than usual rates income to pay off the principal even though capital projects cut (mainly transport. However, Wastewater projects have increased, to ensure early upgrading to protect beaches and stop overflows, that had been stretched out to past 2024 by the previous council. This essential work will prevent sewerage overflows onto our beaches.
   
2. The great danger under the super city is that those elected to Auckland Council will forget who elected them and get caught up in the corporate board of directors approach the new structure encourages. "While the regional perspectives are important to unlocking the enormous growth and prosperity potential of greater Auckland, the best interests of our local communities on the 'Shore have to come top of the list.
   
   I make no apology for putting the 'Shore first, second and third. That is what people all over the 'Shore have said they want from their new Auckland councillor, and that is exactly what they will get from me.
3. I will fight to keep our community assets in public hands, especially our precious water infrastructure; for cheaper and more regular public transport, for more investment in local roading and for an early start on the new harbour crossing; for a safer, cleaner environment, protecting our precious coastal pohutukawas, and for a strong, vibrant regional economy.
   I will fight to keep our rates and water charges under control, as the new Council moves to a new uniform rating system and toward volumetric water charging across the region, and to keep a close eye on the enormous debt the new Council will inherit.
   
   Above all, I will fight to maintain local services and make sure the real power stays in the hands of local people. Only our local boards and communities can prioritise local projects and needs and the boards must be given adequate budgets and resources to achieve our local communities' desires and ambitions.
4. Auckland must work harder to develop a sustainable community and sustainable city. This means more than a 'green' environment, but that is important.
   
   We must adopt a cohesive and integrated approach to sustainable living which includes our natural environment, public transport (and walking and cycling) as well as urban design taht encourages environmental and social sustainability. This all needs to be linked into the cultural wellbeing of all our communities.
   
   Our parks volunteer groups undertake a huge amount of work protecting our recreational areas and as a Councillor I will support this work and advocate for these groups on a regional basis.
   
   It is incredibly important that we link our town centres with adjacent parks and reserves as a way to ease our growing population pressures. I will support this happening in our town centres as a priority. Our sportsfields are a fantastic community asset and I support them being upgraded so that they can be used for a wider variety of activities. We need to develop artificial sports fields so that our young people and teams can play and practice in all-weather conditions.

Personal Profile

I have decided to stand for the new Auckland Council.  It has been a relatively easy decision because I care passionately about our local communities.  I have watched, with dismay, at the way the forced amalgamation has taken place.  Many people say to me they are worried about the ‘Shore losing its voice, and our communities losing control over their own place.  One common theme is that people are concerned the new super city will be run from Queen Street, and from Wellington. 

I have a regional perspective and a local focus – with my ‘head’ in the board room, my ‘heart’ in the community, and my feet on the ground. 

 I will also work hard to make sure the real power stays in the hands of local people.  Only our local boards and communities can prioritise local projects and needs and the boards must be given adequate budgets and resources to achieve communities’ desires. And, I will advocate strongly for the retention of public ownership of public assets (especially our water infrastructure), cheaper and more regular public transport, a safer, cleaner environment and a strong, vibrant regional economy. 

The first term of this new Council will set in concrete, for years to come, how local people get to influence the big decisions that affect their communities, neighbourhoods and families. You will need representatives who are positive and committed to our communities, who are not afraid to speak up for local concerns at the ‘top table’, who can keep the new council controlled companies honest, who can find the common ground and get things done.  This last term in Council, I have proven that my commonsense approach gets things done for our communities and the North Shore. 

 However we may feel about the changes, we have to make sure they work for your street, our community, the ‘Shore and the region.