- By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter, Funded by New Zealand on Air
Auckland Council’s draft golf investment plan is pushing forward with another round of public consultation despite a legal challenge from Golf New Zealand.
The draft plan, which seeks to increase public access to 535 hectares of golf course land, has been controversial with council receiving 2203 pieces of feedback.
At the Park, Arts, Community and Events Committee on September 22, members had three options for the draft plan: to approve it, further consult or reject it.
Council staff recommended option two in order to reinforce further “open, fair and representative” consultation.
Golf New Zealand was a key invisible player during discussions as they issued the legal challenge to council days prior.
Community and Social Policy general manager Kataraina Maki explained that approving the plan was very risky after council received legal communications.
While council would not have normally considered option two, they “received the letter after the agenda was published,” Maki said.
In the draft plan report Golf New Zealand’s criticism was noted; citing several errors, misleading generalisations, submissions based on incorrection information, improper consultation and the draft plan being biased against golf.
Cr Greg Sayers said the option he would like – to overturn the plan and start again – was not on the table.
“I gauged from my questions that there has been an omission of those contributions, the financial, the social, the environmental benefits (from the golf sector). They are just not captured. Before we move forward that needs to be quite clear to all Aucklanders,” Sayers said.
Sayers said it appeared to be a case of “poor partnering” with key stakeholders.
Cr John Watson said there was a lack of trust toward council which was not ameliorated by any of the options and the consultation had been “tainted
“The data set said that participation rates are falling which influenced the consultation,” Watson said.
“More people are using them, there is a limited quantity so they are more in demand.”
Cr Wayne Walker said council should go back and start over.
“Essentially what we have got is a fudged report and a fudged process. The information is deficient,” Walker said.
Walker alluded to the legal challenge and said the draft plan could be open to judicial review.
“Under this council, the underlying agenda behind this is frankly to sell stuff off. Sell stuff off, not to engage genuinely with the community, not to put the appropriate values on (properties) but to eliminate open space and park space and recreation space which is what we are doing across Auckland and will be to the detriment of generations to come,” Walker said.
He attempted to raise questions towards staff related to the legal challenge but was shut down by chair Alf Filipaina.
“The legal and privileged information that was sent to you is privileged and confidential. If you wish to breach that, go to it but I am telling you now that it is not relevant to this particular item,” Filipaina said.
Later in the meeting Filipaina responded to claims the process was flawed.
“My response to that is, isn’t it amazing when a group, mainly Golf New Zealand… starts lobbying and putting out information that sometimes is not correct? Isn’t it amazing that people sometimes get sucked into that?”
Filipaina thanked Golf New Zealand for the data they had supplied for the report but was critical of some of the information they had put out in press releases.
“Do not talk to me about a flawed consultation process. The only reason people are saying it is a flawed consultation process is because they have been listening to Golf New Zealand. I am not going to listen to Golf New Zealand. I am going to listen to our staff who are experienced and who have come back to us with options.”
Mayor Phil Goff said that rejecting the plan would be a waste after six years.
Rejecting the draft plan would say “the status quo and the fact that 93 per cent of Aucklanders who own this land will not have access to it is fine”, Goff said.
Goff said St Andrew’s golf course in Scotland had opened up on Sundays for the wider public to enjoy.
“If St Andrew’s can do it, what golf course in New Zealand thinks their status is too grand and too great that they cannot involve the wider public?”
A people’s panel had 81 per cent support or partial support for broadening public access and 11 local boards supported or partially supported public access. Goff said that based on the support for public access councillors had an obligation to the people.
“Our role, our obligation on this council is not to represent any particular vested interest – it is to act on behalf of the wider public interest.”
Cr Chris Darby, Christine Fletcher, Richard Hills, Tracy Mulholland, Daniel Newman, Greg Sayers, Sharon Stewart, Wayne Walker and John Watson voted against having another consultation process while Paul Young abstained from the vote.
Meanwhile Golf NZ on Friday issued a media release in which it featured the names of candidates standing for council who have voiced to Golf NZ that they are opposed to any redevelopment of Auckland golf course land.
The list included Howick Ward incumbents Sharon Stewart and Paul Young as well as Howick Local Board member Bo Burns and former MP Maurice Williamson who have thrown their names into the mix.
