DIARY OF A CAMPAIGNER: DAY 20 Affordability, Sandringham and Safety in Mt Albert

DAY TWENTY:
Thursday 9 September 2010
It is 8 days until the ballot papers start arriving in the letter boxes and 30 days until ‘D’ day decision day on 09th October.

Citizen’s and Ratepayers is about affordability. It is crucial we build and maintain an affordable region to live and work in especially here in Tamakimakaurau/Auckland because without a shadow of a doubt it is an expensive place. C&R is determined to minimise the burden on households and businesses both urban and semi-rural by extracting savings from the new, streamlined council arrangements. We will channel investment into the essential infrastructure our region and local communities need. We will commit to keeping Auckland Council rates as low as possible without decreasing the core services that residents expect.

We will deliver you better value for money. We will keep Auckland Council spending under control by focusing on core local government activities and services. We will focus on essential Auckland Council services and not duplicate central government’s welfare functions locally.

Water and waste water costs will be kept to the minimum necessary to maintain a world class system. I support a user-pays system. I don’t agree that a user pays system disadvantages lower income whanau; on the contrary it will advantage them. I would not expect a single person house hold to pay as much for water or waste as my whanau of 5, but then I would not expect to pay as much as perhaps a student household of 5 or 7.

Nadine. Manawa and I dropped flyers into letterboxes along Mt Albert Rd this morning. The mix of homes from flats, to single dwellings to former state houses and some commercial properties reflects the eclectic nature of Owairaka.

We stopped and chatted to the shop owners at the corner of Owairaka Ave. Two owners talked about their disappointment in the current Council. Numerous attempts to have the Council attend to roading and rubbish issues went unanswered. Much of that I suspect has to do with the number of silo agencies taking care of essentials like roading, rubbish etc. Both owners explained they were ‘passed off’ from one department to another. Under the new Council this maze of bureaucracy is slashed, replaced with a more streamlined process. It still requires the good will and energy of the Local Board to insist on action. So an enthusiastic energetic ‘can-do, will-do’ team is essential.

My sister Rosina has been helping door knock this week. We’ve both really enjoyed meeting my neighbours here in Sandringham. Over the years the area has welcomed new immigrants and their contribution to Sandringham is invaluable. Citizens and Ratepayers celebrate diversity and difference, the languages, customs, food makes for a rich and layered community.

I know I’ve mentioned before but our whanau the Hauiti’s have lived here for over 50 years. We think we’re part of the fabric here. We are yet to find a whanau or individual that’s lived here as long as we have but we know there are many many locals who can top our years.

Well before we arrived in the area, Kitchener Road was farmland. Carrie Street is part of that original farmland owned by Mr Carrie. In those days the picture theatre called Edendale was the social focal point along with the Baptist Church on Duncan Ave. There’s no evidence left of the trams that ran along Sandringham to Mt Albert Rd. But I’m sure there’s residents still remaining who do remember.

Sandringham deserves to have its history celebrated along with its new and every evolving identity. It deserves a Local Board that does remember its past as we progress confidently into the future. That Local Board must be one that is enthusiastic, energetic and proactive. That Local Board is C&R.

Later in the afternoon our team talked to cummuters at the train station in Mt Albert. We talked to students mainly on their way home from Unitech. The graffitti on the walls opposite the tracks is evident. This is an example of too many departments taking care of essentials that no one organisation takes responsibility. It needs a vocal assertive Local Board to keep insisting relevant departments do their job and clean up our streets, stations and public areas. This is what we pay our rates for.

We then spent some time with the Mt Albert shop owners. They're still feeling vulnerable from the Grant Gillard Pharmacy hold up and the death of the intruder. Occassions like this it's crucial both the shop owners and community are made to feel they're not alone, they must be supported by their Local Board members until confidence returns.