City Counselling

Maungawhau station, formerly Mt Eden station, closed in July 2020 for reconstruction as part of the City Rail Link. Delays during the COVID-19 lockdowns extended the construction process, and the station is now expected to reopen in early 2024. 

Starting on October 14th, Western line trains have been running at reduced frequency to allow for testing at the station, indicating that the station may be almost completed.

Trains across the city have also been affected by unplanned disruptions over the past few months, most recently on the Western line with a series of power outages. 

For City Counselling this week I asked Councillor Julie Fairey about the timeline on Maungawhau station, the upcoming Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-ā-hape stations, and power outages across the rail network.

This week marked a year since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. 

As a result of Israel’s war on Gaza, over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 16,000 children. 

Since October 7th, protests have been held across Tāmaki, particularly in the CBD, in support of Palestine. 

Producer Sofia began this week’s catch up with Councillor Julie Fairey asking whether Auckland Council had an official stance on Israel’s war on Gaza.

Public Service Minister Nicola Willis has directed ministry bosses to tighten up on working from home. 

Heart of the City has said workers returning to the office will help struggling businesses in Auckland's city centre and that Auckland Council could lead the way to revitalising the CBD. 

However, after reviewing its working from home policies, Council has decided it is not going to change its flexible working arrangements. 

Additionally, this week a large rubbish bin graveyard in central Auckland has sparked public outrage. 

This comes after Council’s removal of public bins as a part of Council’s cost-saving drive, promising to save ratepayers $9 million by getting rid of 30% of the region’s public bins. 

Sofia spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics. 

Auckland Council's Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway lays out a series of targets for reducing Auckland's transport emissions by almost 65% within the next 6 years. 

Some of the goals include cutting car trips from making up 94% of distance travelled around the city to 47%, pump cycle trips up from 1% to 5% and increase bus trips from 3 % to 12%. 

Additionally, next week is Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. 

The week is a wider government sponsored initiative intended to promote the use of te reo Māori as well as awareness, education, and public engagement. 

For our weekly catch up with Auckland Council, Sofia spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics.