- By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter funded by New Zealand on Air
Howick Local Board members have called for urgent action on Tāmaki Estuary restoration and pushed for new community facilities in response to the mayoral proposal.
At Auckland Council’s budget committee workshop last week, Auckland’s 21 local boards presented their views on Wayne Brown’s Draft Mayoral Proposal for the 2025-26 council annual plan.
Howick Local Board deputy chair Bo Burns said the board supported the council control organisation (CCO) reform for the most part.
“The board supports most recommendations but regarding Eke Panuku, we do not support the transfer of urban regeneration to Auckland Council on the basis that the CCO provides valuable independence and transparency,” Burns said.
She said for safety and security the local board was requesting the ability to fund its own local wardens above the regional level.
“The local board does not support an increase in animal management fees due to the negative impact on animal welfare and adoption rates.”
She lobbied for the Flat Bush community centre and library to be nominated for the proposed “fix and finish” fund.
“The project was initiated under the [former] Manukau City Council and noting that there’s 45,000 residents. Overpopulated and under-delivered with community facilities.”
Board member Bruce Kendall said the Howick Local Board was requesting the council to formally recognise the Tāmaki Estuary as degraded in order to trigger the council obligation to restore the body of water.
“What we would like is an independent assessment to identify the issues and the solutions to the pollution and formulate a cohesive and achievable plan to execute changes needed,” Kendall said.
“We need to think about our future generations and protect this huge and loved asset.”
Councillor Daniel Newman asked what testing had been conducted.
“Has Healthy Waters done any modelling on the watershed for the sediment degradation within that particular water course because it’s a very big catchment,” Newman said.
Kendall said there had been reports repeatedly showing how silt, chemicals and sewage overflows into the estuary were getting worse.
“We have had a huge amount of development in the Howick Local Board area and when it rains the whole place bleeds into the Tāmaki Estuary.
“The small sites management team is under-resourced so there’s no way they can keep up when it rains,” Kendall said.
“The water is poisonous. When I went to install water sensors in the streams the Healthy Waters team were very afraid of even getting their hands wet.”
- Howick Local Board deputy chair Bo Burns is the owner of the Times.
