Various criticisms have been levied at the level of infrastructure funding available in West Auckland, especially when compared to other areas in Tamaki Makaurau.
This comes after continuous issues with the western line train services, which are being consistently cancelled for repairs without a substantive bus system to replace it.
There’s also bee chat about delays in building a new complex in the North West of Auckland, which has been in talks for years but faced various delays.
To learn more about what the council is doing to curb these issues, Liam spoke to Shane Henderson, the councillor for the Waitakere Ward.
On Friday 15th of December, Auckland Councillors discussed the Mayor’s draft proposal for the annual 2023/24 budget.
While the budget proposal passed and was sent for public consultation, it has proved controversial as it includes deep cuts to services and selling Auckland Airport shares.
Mayor Brown also caused controversy when he suggested Auckland Airport would be seeking capital investment before the Airport themselves announced it.
David spoke to Councillor Mike Lee about the topic
As part of the Auckland Climate Grant, Auckland Council is allocating $225,000 to community-run climate action groups. The funding round is set to open in March 2024.
The Council is reviewing its 10 year budget proposal. A consultation will take place in February, in which the public can make submissions about the topics that matter to them.
Beth spoke to Counsellor for Manukau Lotu Fuli about the Auckland Climate Grant and the review of the first proposal for Auckland Council’s 10 year budget, and began by asking her what the Council hopes to achieve with the grant.
Auckland Council has made the decision not to support the building of a second Waitematā harbour crossing, which would cost $56 billion dollars and involve the construction of two underwater tunnels and light rail connecting the North Shore to the CBD.
And in the past 12 months, Auckland Council has spent $7.4 million on recruitment.
Beth spoke to Counsellor for Waitakere Shane Henderson about these decisions.
The government has announced it will be repealing the Three Waters programme, criticising the co-governance element, which would have given Māori with mana whenua to the area a 50 percent presence on strategic oversight boards. It also would have shifted management of drinking, waste and stormwater services into 10 large independent entities.
National, ACT and New Zealand First voted in favour of repealing the programme, while Labour, the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori were opposed.
Beth spoke to Counsellor for Waitakere, Shane Henderson, about the potential impacts of the government’s repeal on the Council, and how it will affect its planning of water infrastructure, particularly in light of climate change and the severe weather events we saw last year.
As Auckland Council plans to review its operating model for pool and leisure services, the Public Service Association has criticised moves to privatise management without public consultation.
Additionally, Auckland Transport has introduced a $50 fare cap for buses, ferries, and trains.
Producer Sofia spoke to counsellor Shane Henderson about both of these topics.
Jacquelyn and Jak from Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland Council come and chat to Jonny about Auckland Play Week 2024 and all the fun tamariki and parents alike can have across the city this week!
On the 23rd of October, the Christchurch City Council voted to sanction Israel, becoming the first city council in the country to do so.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the National Party’s Katie Nimon, on the move, and whether the party had any plans themselves to implement a similar move.
As well as this, they spoke to Katie about the recent worker’s rallies that occurred in 12 different spots around the country, and whether or not the party has any plans to address the concerns of those who attended the rallies.
Housing intensification is a key priority for Auckland Council as Auckland's population is forecast to reach 2.3 million by 2050.
But as planning for growth continues, some Auckland residents have expressed concern about the approval of developments in areas on flood plains or particularly prone to natural disasters.
With Kāinga Ora selling homes as ‘high risk investments’ in areas which were impacted by flooding in recent years, and 15 percent of all granted consents for new builds by Auckland Council being on floodplains, I spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about how the council is taking into account these issues for the coming years.
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