For Kaipatiki Local Board

  

 

 

I like where I live and want to ensure the lifestyle we enjoy evolves and improves while we protect and secure our environment and heritage for future generations.

Protecting our coastline, parks and reserves are fundamental to our lifestyle and ensuring that all community amenities are well maintained and funded is vitally important.  Safe and affordable transportation options are essential along with better roads and traffic flows.  

The rates we pay must stay local providing value for money.

I’ll bring to council a wide range of experience; my husband and I are shareholders in technology and export focused businesses based in Northcote. I’m very involved in local community groups: Birkenhead Rotary, Takapuna Midday Toastmasters and Birkdale Beach Haven Anglican Church, Resident Association, and Community Houses. 

My governance experience and positive “can do” attitude will bring a fresh prospective and the opportunity to put “local” back into council. 

Email: janice@janicedowle.co.nz

Web Site: www.janicedowle.co.nz

 

My election Letter:

Dear Family, Friends and Fellow Residents

I am standing for the Kaipatiki Local Board because I believe I have the skills and business experience to ensure that the lifestyle we enjoy evolves and improves while we protect and secure our environment and heritage for future generations.

Why vote for me?

I’m passionate about our community. Ensuring all community amenities are well maintained and funded is vitally important, and providing safe and affordable transportation options by giving residents the choice to take the car, bus, ferry, motorbike, bicycle or walk, are essential infrastructure needs in a modern society. Better roads and traffic flows must reflect the needs of all users and the rates we pay must stay local and provide value for money.

I believe in fairness - fairness for all not just the chosen few

I believe in looking after the young, elderly and the not so well,

I believe in protecting our environment and heritage

I believe in personal responsibility, to oneself, your family and community.

I’ll bring to the local board a wide range of experience:

• My husband and I are shareholders in a technology and export focused businesses based in Northcote.

• I am very involved with community groups: Birkenhead Rotary, Takapuna Midday Toastmasters and Birkdale Beach Haven Anglican Church building and fundraising committees, Secretary of the Birkdale Beach Haven Resident Association and Vice Chairperson of the Birkdale Beach Haven Community Houses.

• Previously, I have served committees of community organisations (Friends of Starship, Birkenhead Sea Scouts, YHA and school committees), was a Waterwise instructor, managed a junior rugby team and was a Girl Guide leader and administrator for many years.

Who Is Janice Dowle?

Five Generations of my family have lived in the Beach Haven; I grew up at 26 Beach Haven Road, the home where my parents resided for 43 years. My great grandfather settled in Beach Haven Road in the mid 1910’s on land now know as Shepherd Park. My mother’s family lived in Grey Lynn, but in the early 1930’s they grew strawberries in Cresta Avenue on land from the tennis courts, out toward the coastline.

I attended Birkdale School, moving to Beach Haven School when it opened in 1960 and then onto Northcote Intermediate and College. After leaving school I worked in clerical positions before joining Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac). Together with my husband Brian we have developed a number of businesses involved in the electronics and computerisation of industrial controllers. Today, we manufacture in Northcote and export worldwide.

Since marrying Brian we have lived in Glenfield, Beach Haven and Northcote where we have resided for 24 years. We have raised 3 children and enjoy tramping, skiing, sailing and mountain biking.

I’m used to working through the issues and sticking with the project until its conclusion. With my “stick ability”; governance experience and positive “can do” attitude, I will bring a fresh prospective and the opportunity to put “local” back into council.

I am passionate about our community and would appreciate your vote.

Kind Regards

Janice Dowle

Candidate for Kaipatiki Local Board

Top 5 Issues

1. Mangroves:
   
   The one thing that is destroying our beaches is the mangrove infestation; we need to remove large areas and address why they are growing like topsy. The pollution and slit run off is feeding the mangroves and we need to take action similar to Welcome Bay in Tauranga Harbour. Sand has returned where once mud was by removing the rubbish and mangroves and the gentleman responsible received a Queen’s birthday honour. Where is the action from the ARC, if they can do this is Tauranga why is it buried in the courts and the legal system in Auckland.
   
2. Onewa Interchange Bus Station:
   
   People are surprised when told that the council removed the Onewa interchange bus station from the Northern Busway plans. The busway was build with funds from all residents and in turn we should all have access in both directions - north and south. No one could have imagined the major financial crisis of the last 2 years that has created stress on family’s finances. We need a station similar to Sunnynook where locals can walk to the station and commuters from outer areas can interchange onto buses travelling direct to Ponsonby, Newmarket, Unitec and other places.
   
3. Walking cycling, taking a bus or ferry:
   
   I will promote “share with care” width footpaths wide enough for walking, cycling, pushing a pram or using mobility scooters safely.
   
   We need to encourage each other to be more active and promote healthy lifestyles without creating the “them and us” situation and ensure all users of the road are safe. Transportation options are essential in a modern city and we must encourage commuters to use alternative options. However, to reduce the necessities of motor vehicles public transport must be affordable, reliable, safe and convenient.
   
4. Traffic Management:
   
   We need traffic management that accommodates all users of the road – no need to create a “them and Us” situation with non-motorised road users.
   
   I am a supporter of the Onewa Road T3 lane as statistics show that 2/3rd of all users in the mornings use the T3 lane. http://www.northshorecity.govt.nz/default.asp?src=http://www.northshorecity.govt.nz/your_council/news_releases/Releases-2008/May/Onewa-Road-works-to-be-complete-in-June.html
   
   As the cost of running a vehicle continues to rise, the number of bus users and three or more passengers using one vehicle at peak times continues to grow. The T3 lane has been very effective in preventing a worsening of congestion on Onewa Road along with maintaining or reducing the level of emissions.
   
   The tunnel under Auckland Harbour will necessitate creating access to the motorway system at different points. We don’t want another situation like the Northern busway where Harbour Ward residence contribute to the cost of major infrastructure and have no access. We need real solutions enabling residents to access the motorway system from multiple points. For far to long engineers have slowed the flow of traffic on to State Highway One from Onewa Road; this must be addressed.
   
   Many local narrow roads are used, as shortcuts at peak times to avoid congestion or intersections not meeting motorist needs.
   
   1. Potter Avenue Northcote is a narrow local road with access points from Raleigh Rd, Ocean View Rd and Ko Street. This street is a shortcut for morning commuters avoiding the uneven roundabouts at the corner of Lake and Ocean View Roads and Raleigh and Lake Roads.
   
   2. The intersection of Pupuke, Raleigh and Ocean View Roads; difficult vision and the added pressure of buses turning right from Raleigh into Ocean View having to mount the traffic island to avoid the first waiting car in the Ocean View Rd queue.
   
   3. Eban Ave, Ocean View Rd and Potter Ave a major intersection on a steep hill that is prone to accidents and another place where buses have to mount the footpath to get around the corner.
   
   It’s not rocket science; we just want roads that function on and off peak times; by using technology widely available in other parts of the world.
   
5. Sewerage:
   
   I’m concerned that we have paid rates for the last twelve years to ensure that the Bays, Takapuna and Devonport received their sewerage upgrades. Now that it’s our turn, council has decided to defer large projects in this area. The projects are Chatswood/Northcote, Birkdale West, Hillcrest Stream and Glenfield/Sunnynook; these projects impinges on the water quality of Hellyers Creek.
   
   Just because we can’t see the problem doesn’t mean that it not there.
   
   We have problems with sewerage overflows even in dry weather let a lone wet weather and councillors attention has been drawn to this problems refer council’s website:
   
   www.northshorecity.govt.nz
   Agenda and minutes December 2007
   
   December 17th agenda - order paper page 147, that’s page 149 of the document on the web
   
   If you look at the minutes for that meeting the mayor proposed the motion and Cr Gillon a Harbour Ward councillor seconded the motion and the motion was carried. There was no division called hence no record of the way councillors voted.
   
   I protested vigorously regarding the Hillcrest Stream Stage A project deferment as Willow Park School requires an evacuation plan should an overflow occurs. Thankfully this project has been reinstated after some sterling work from David Thornton of the Glenfield Community Board and myself.
   
   I take the attempts of Mayor Williams (“Wastewater Upgrades”) and Cr Holman (“Voting record says it all”) to discredit me in letters to the editor North shore Times 1/4/08, as a compliment. Devoting so much time and effort to defending criticism of the Councils deferments in the Birkenhead Northcote Community Board area only gives credibility to my point of view.
   
   

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