Last year, Auckland Council removed 30% of bins from public places with the hopes of saving about $9.5 million over an eight year period. While the council didn’t foresee an increase in littering, last week Stuff published an article sharing the frustrations of residents who observed a growing litter problem in council parks.
Illegal dumping has also been on the rise across Auckland.
With more than 1300 reports per month, the cost of retrieving illegally dumped items is about $2.7 million every year and rising.
Also Mayor Wayne Brown has announced that he wants to see Auckland become the “premier tech city” of New Zealand to boost our global influence and reputation—-- calling on the government to establish the new Advanced Technology Institute here, which he says could play a key role in guiding new start-ups, so ideas don’t ‘die on the vine’.
Beginning with the problem of rubbish in Auckland, Producer Sara started by asking Julie Fairey if she believed the removal of bins was to blame for increased littering
On Tuesday, Aucklanders checked the updated property valuations of their house, for many to find declines in value by 10s of thousands of dollars —- on average, by 9% from when they were last done in 2021.
According to the Council. rating valuations were based on market trends and recent sales activity, as of May 1 2024.
Wayne Brown said in response to the decreased values, “The economy's been faltering for a while, and It's really driven by government policies rather than Auckland's policies,”
Also, as we get closer to 2026 and the completion of the City Rail Link, Aucklanders have expressed various concerns about the standard of completion, including incorporation of public feedback.
I discuss the incorporation of the wider neighbourhood in Mt Eden at the Maungawhau station and the dismissal of public perspectives at the K Road station
This week saw the release of another major IPCC Climate Report, stating that without immediate action we will reach a one point five degree rise in climate and beyond by 20300.
Several new contributors to climate change were highlighted, including the cumulative impact of big cities and towns on the climate.
Efforts to turn our cities more green have been taking place across Aotearoa for several months, so Liam Hansen spoke to Crystal Olin from Sustainable cities Aotearoa about what’s being done and what needs to come next.
Last week Environment Minister David Parker agreed that Auckland Council could have more time to change its planning rules to allow greater intensification but he instructed the council that they had to reduce the amount of impermeable spaces like concrete driveways and plan for a sponge city. Alex Bonham talked to landscape architect Matthew Bradbury, an Associate Professor at Unitect and author of the book Water City what a sponge city is and what it might look like.
As wholesome as a slice of freshly toasted sourdough, as empowering as winning an award at a school assembly, and infused with the same amount of positive vibes and aligned chakras as a Titirangi yoga class... drSnkkers brings you Universal Harmony.
Featuring the Sound of Sydney segment, courtesy of Carlos Avilés.
~ universal harmony ~
Oozing a grateful ora, massaging the creative mind.
An instalment of beats, melody and vibe, sourced from around the world and served to create an energy spark. Hosted by DJ Schmutz and PHILLIEE, featuring Sound of Sydney with Carlos Avilés. Tonight's episode is a special farewell, as it marks DJ Schmutz's last show before he embarks on worldly travels with partner, Sophie—who also graces us with her presence in the studio.
~ Universal Harmony ~
Oozing a grateful ora, massaging the creative mind.
The City Centre Bus Plan to improve transport within the city centre was released this week. Conor spoke to Pete Moth, Service Network Development Managert, and Matt Lowrie, Editor of Greater Auckland on the plans. They discussed what the changes to the bus system were going to be, the barriers that are in place to make the changes, and the time scale of such a development.
As an essential service, the Auckland City Mission will continue to operate during the current level four lockdown. But restrictions have change how the mission provides services, including takeaway bags, social distancing, and a pop-up vaccination centre.
Auckland City Mission's Fundraising and Reputation Manager Deb Ward joined Louis to chat about how lockdown has impacted the mission and the people they support.
Earlier today Producer Alex spoke with Auckland City Mission Manutaki Helen Robinson about how the ongoing Omicron outbreak and red light setting are impacting the homeless. Auckland City Mission have a range of services that cater to vulnerable, unhoused people in Auckland and the pandemic has led to them adapting their approach so that workers, volunteers and people seeking their services can remain safe.
A partnership between Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha (University of Canterbury) and Christchurch City Council is leading the world in understanding and adapting to risk from climate change.
The research is developing methodology and guidance for councils to assess their risk. The team of researchers, which includes experts from NIWA, Resilient Organisations, and Urban Intelligence, is working with the Christchurch City Council as it creates its coastal hazards adaptation plan.
Joe speaks with Dr Tom Logan, a Civil Systems Engineering lecturer at the University of Canterbury, on the matter.
95bFM