Thursday 23 September 2010
The ballot papers are in the letter boxes. There are 16 days until ‘D’ day decision day on 09th October.
I door knocked streets around the 
back of the Westfield St Lukes Mall this afternoon. The residents there have been vocal about the extent of the development which will see the Mall expand North East and along the side of Aroha Ave. The Mall already owns many of the homes across Exeter St and Morningside Dr two streets that sit adjacent to Aroha Ave and Bournemouth Street. Indoor floor space will increase from 4.5ha to 9.2ha, eclipsing the 7ha Sylvia Park shopping centre in Mt 
Wellington and Westfield Albany, which is also around 7ha. This will be the largest shopping complex in the country. The residents have valid concerns regarding the development. The traffic that comes with these things is overwhelming. St Lukes would remain a vehicle-oriented centre as it’s not well served by public transport as other large centres such as Newmarket and Sylvia Park, and according to Mall Authorities the nature of shopping is such that public transport is not an ideal means of carrying more than a handful of small purchases home. As well as the concern over traffic the impact on the aesthetics of the residental properties is also very real. There would be those that champion for the development because of the economical benefits it brings to the area. A development this size will bring a significant number of jobs and for some areas within Owairaka and the wider Auckland these positions will be a ‘god-send’.
I moved a little further along Sandringham Rd and into Begbie Place. This has always fascinated me this cul-de-sac. It reminds me of Don Croot St in 
Western Springs, where the majority housing is privately owned flats or units. The Begbie residents are culturally diverse – Iranian, Asian (Indian, Chinese) Pasific Island, Pakeha and Maori. I spoke with many of the residents who were keen to share their concerns several coming out onto the street to talk with me. Parking seemed to the major issue for these residents. It seems the street is used as an unpaid park ‘n ride bay. In fact while I was chatting to the locals three people walked around the corner from Sandringham Rd jumped in their cars and drove off. One of the ‘parkers’ admitted using the street for several months as a ‘park ‘n ride’. Coming from Mt Roskill the gentleman said he could save time and money by driving to Begbie Ave park for free and pay a 2 stage bus fare to town. Begbie is north of Balmoral/St Lukes and Sandringham Rd intersection. The ‘park ‘n ride’ cars take up both sides of the narrow street, making coming and going by residents difficult. There is ample off street parking for residents as these units and flats are very well catered with carports, car pads and garages. In my korero with the residents they said they didn’t know who to complain to about the congestion. It’s obvious this street like countless others across Owairaka are being ignored or overlooked. I felt for these residents and I look forward to working with them.
Earlier in the day I recorded CitizenA with host Bomber Bradbury at Triangle TV. The other guest was left-wing political commentator Chris Trotter. I’ve worked with Chris, he was a regular guest on ‘Eye to Eye’ the current affairs programme I executive produced which screened on TV1 for 7 years. Trotter is well respected as an analytical, insightful commentator. He and Bomber spared me no quarter. The moment I spoke they literally tore what I said to shreds. Lucky I’m used to conflict, a weaker person would have buckled and bowled-on-outta there. But the more they ripped into me the more I felt complimented. If they thought I was a ‘flake’ and a ‘fake’ they wouldn’t have challenged me. Anyway that’s my take on the situation and I’m sticking to it!
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