Palestinan Youth Aoteraoa and Tāmaki Loves Palestin have organised for David Osit’s documentary Mayor to be be screened at the Capitol in Balmoral this Sunday. The film looks at the life of Musa Hadid, the charismatic mayor of Palestinian city Ramallah, who aspires to lead the city into the future despite Isreali occupation. News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Palestinan Youth Aotearoa’s Fathi Hassneiah and Tamaki Loves Palestine’s Robin Wilson-Whiting about the film screening project, the situation in Palestine and the work of their groups.
If you are interested in heading along to the screening, Mayor will be screened at the Capitol in Balmoral on Sunday 15th August at 5:30pm. Head to www.pya.org.nz to buy tickets. General admission tickets cost $20 and raffle tickets cost $10.
Today, Ilena talked to Cr. Shane Henderson about the new IPCC report and how the findings translate into Auckland's climate change mitigation and adaptations strategies. He also outlined what's been happening of late in Henderson with the joint Council, Auckland Transport and NZ Transport Agency 'Henderson Streets For People' project.
Ilena talked to Pippa Coom about how Auckland Council is operating during lockdown. Pippa touched on businesses such as Bread and Butter and the work they’re doing with farmers markets. They also discussed the climate group All Aboard Aotearoa suing Auckland Transport and Auckland Council over their transport plan, and what still needs to be done to better address climate change.
Ilena spoke to Councillor Pippa Coom for an update on Auckland Council’s Covid-19 response as we look forward to another two weeks of lockdown. We also discussed the flooding that happened earlier this week in parts of Auckland due to a period of intense rain and storms, and how emergency services responded to those affected under level 4 restrictions. She also mentioned resources available on the Council website for those looking to stay healthy physically and mentally during lockdown, as well as getting rid of Auckland library overdue fines.
This week, Ilena spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about what he calls the ‘week from hell’ for West Auckland. The week started with extensive flooding and ended with a terror attack at the LynnMall Countdown, all while the region was in level 4 lockdown. He gives some updates on where flooding emergency and support efforts are at now, and how West Aucklanders are coping.
On another note, Ilena and Shane also talked about bin tags and how a proposal to streamline Auckland’s rubbish service might look like.
Today, Pippa and Ilena talked about how Auckland Council will be helping local businesses move down through alert levels- in particular, how the Council can help the hospitality industry with licensing requirements so that they can do trading on the footpaths and allow more space between customers.
They also talked about Vision Zero, an ethics-based transport safety approach that was developed in Sweden and is now being implemented in Auckland. The vision states that there will be no deaths or serious injuries on our roads by 2050. Ilena asked Pippa about how realistic this goal is, what concrete steps have already been taken to make our roads safer and what future plans are in place.
This morning, Ilena had her regular catch up with Pippa Coom. They talked about the Super Saturday national vaccination drive that is happening tomorrow, and how those who are unvaccinated or need another dose can take advantage of the day with its greater accessibility and added incentives. They talked about how those who have had two shots can encourage whānau and friends to be a part of the day.
Pippa also touched on what Auckland’s targeted rates are and how successful they’ve been. Lastly, she spoke about the upcoming, little known, but greatly important Entrust elections and why they matter.
Ilena caught up with Councillor Shane Henderson about Auckland Transport’s Parking Strategy Review and how that figures into Auckland’s wider climate change plan. He discussed changes that are being considered for parking in central Auckland districts, as well as how things might change further out, and how public transport infrastructure needs to concurrently be made an accessible and convenient alternative if we want a greener future.
This week, Ilena talked to Councillor Shane Henderson about Auckland Council’s and his own perspective on the Enabling Housing Supply Bill, which encourages intensification in single house zones in Auckland.
They also talked about the proposed Te Whau pathway, which will be open to public consultation from this Monday through to the 20th of December.
For their final interview together for the year, Pippa and Ilena talked about the Mayoral Conservation Awards. The awards were held online last night and recognise and reward the commitment and work of those in our communities who take a leading role in the environmental space.
They also talked about a groundbreaking new poll that shows huge public support for measures to protect and restore the Hauraki Gulf, which the Hauraki Gulf Forum will be taking to the government.