News

79 College Road (Donnelly), St Johns

Posted: 14 April 2022

The above application was heard by Auckland Council Hearing Commissioners on 14th & 15th
December 2021. After consideration of the processing officers’ report and the evidence of the
applicant and submitters, the commissioners have resolved that this application be granted with
conditions.

For your reference a copy of the decision of the Hearing Commissioners is here RC 79 College Rd – Decision signed 31 March and will be
forwarded to every person who made a submission. It outlines the basis for the decision and any
associated conditions. A copy of the decision and plans will be uploaded on the Council website
under ‘Meetings and Agendas – Hearings’.

If you have any queries, please contact Jennifer Chivers by email
and quote the application number BUN60340161-LUC60360142 and SUB60340163

Neighbours Day 2020 – Poetry Walk

Posted: 8 February 2021

After a very disruptive year we were finally able to hold our Neighbour’s Day on 5th Dec, just before end of 2020! The highlight of the day was a poetry walk with Art Nahil, our local poet. During a one-hour walkabout, he spoke about how Waiatarua Reserve inspired his current book. Art’s book Waiatarura: Reflection of an Urban Wetland is under publication and will be available for sale soon – we will keep you posted. Everyone enjoyed the walk and has a new appreciation for this local gem. Here are some photos and videos of the day:

Poetry Readings at specific locations:

Christmas 2020 Get-together

Posted: 8 December 2020

Our last meeting of 2020 was held on the 8th of December. As well as enjoying the company of our residents we enjoyed hearing one of Art Nahill’s poems about the Waiatarua Reserve black swans.

There was good news from Councillor Desley Simpson and OLB Chair Scott Milne about the local links for the shared path.

We also presented Eugenia Aon with our Photography Competition People’s Choice award for this photo:

Sod Turning

Posted: 2 August 2020

Photos from the Sod Turning ceremony on 31 July 2020:

Auckland Council Emergency Budget 2020/2021

Posted: 18 July 2020

The Auckland Council Emergency Budget, created to take into account a half-billion dollar revenue hit from COVID-19, was passed on Thursday 16 July 2020:

500 Council jobs will go
Rates will increase on average of 3.5%
Council will need to sell $224 million of assets in the next eight months.

The rise in rates has promoted numerous queries and Deputy Mayor Bill Cashmore has issued this response to rate rise criticism Rates Response Deputy Mayor 202007.

Little Sod

Posted: 18 July 2020

Finally … Section 2 of the GI to Tamaki Dr Shared Path Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai is underway with the first sod getting turned on 31 July 2020. For details of the construction plan see the AT Press Release.

Neighbours Day – Postponed

Posted: 6 February 2020

Ōrākei Local Board and Meadowbank and St Johns Residents Association would like to invite you to join our 2020 Neighbours Day celebration – date to be advised.

We are organising great activities, including; photo competition, photo exhibition, historic photo treasure hunting, community heritage walks, food and drink, and of course, prizes for the best photos.

Here are few hints to help you with the photo competition:

Wildlife & Green Spaces – subjects could be animals, small creatures, birds or wildflowers and plants among local reserves and parks. Focussing on a subject with green or open space in the background would make the image more interesting.

People & Everyday Life – photos of people that we see and relate to everyday – teachers, shoppers in the mall, delivery people, work colleagues, family and friends – each going on with their daily routine, perhaps someone of special interest to the photographer.

Buildings & Architecture – look for old, new, unusual or especially architecturally designed buildings, perhaps of historical or community value.

Historic Photo Treasure Hunt – look for buildings no longer existing or ones that have been restored or extended – e.g. houses, shop buildings, churches, schools.

Participate in one or all the activities, meet your neighbours and be in to win a prize too.

For more information contact

Photo Comp Poster

Aircraft Noise – Complaint Process and Monitoring

Posted: 3 February 2020

Do low flying aircraft in our suburbs bother you? Our representatives on the ACNN group, Orakei Local Board member, Troy Churton, and local resident Kevin Kevany work with Auckland Airport on noise issues on our behalf. The airport has a sophisticated system for tracking public complaints about aircraft noise, but it does require people to go online or log a phone call and wait for assistance. Arguably many complaints go unrecorded as many people don’t bother to go online at the time of the nuisance which is often in the early hours of the morning.

The airport are very clear that they do not have an email complaint function due to the fact that dealing with email complaints creates a lot of administrative time and effort reconciling public concerns that have been alleged to actual flights, and emails often prove worthless for their data and monitoring. That aside, we think all our residents need to know about Auckland Airport’s aircraft noise complaint tool:

Managing Aircraft Noise – Contact Us

Aircraft noise is an issue for airports all over the world and Auckland Airport partners with airlines, government agencies and the community to ensure how we manage aircraft noise reflects international best practice.

It is helpful if you can identify the flight that is causing the nuisance, you can search for flights on the following website:

Flight Radar

Our ACNN representatives advocate strongly for Orakei to receive a temporary noise monitor. There are seven temporary noise monitors in the Auckland region and, from our analysis, only 2 of them are currently in areas known to have a lot of complaints. Although the Orakei Ward does generate quite a number of complaints, there is no monitor in our central area. The airport can move monitors to assess effects from different flight systems so monitor placement is not always about complaint measures.

Auckland Airport continues to resist Orakei Local Board member Troy Churton’s offer for a noise monitor to be mounted on his home or to investigate putting one on a home on the Orakei Road ridge where, we believe, clearer indicators of noise from aircraft across our ward would be possible.

Kevin and Troy are pursing information on the cost implications of more monitors and trying to hold Auckland Airport to account for their ongoing decline to review their monitor placement strategy.

We will continue to update our residents on developments in aircraft noise monitoring in our area.

February Meeting – Orakei Local Board 3-year Plan

Posted: 2 February 2020

The Ōrākei Local Board will soon start to draft their Local Board Plan, which sets the direction of local Council activities in the area for the next three years. As part of their preparation the Board is offering members of all Resident’s Associations in their area opportunities to voice their opinions on what should (and maybe what should not) be in the Plan. Democracy in action!!

The Local Board Engagement Advisor – Ollin Perez Raynaud, is going to attend our February meeting (11/2/20 at 7:30pm), your committee already has a number of issues to raise but please come along to ensure you have your say – as always, NUMBERS COUNT.

This is a key chance for us to tell the Board about our local aspirations, challenges and projects, which will be considered by the Board in their planning. The Board has a very significant budget from Auckland Council and these funds come, to a very large degree from the property rates (a form of taxation) that residents pay.

On the basis of “no taxation without representation” this is our opportunity to ensure Board funds are spent:

in our suburbs (where a good proportion of the funds come from)
on projects and areas that are of most concern to residents.

I look forward to seeing as many members as possible at the meeting.

Barry Stewart
Chair

Orakei Local Board Comments to November 2019 Monthly Meeting

Posted: 26 November 2019

We were fortunate to have the newly elected Chairperson of the Orakei Local Board (OLB) Scott Milne speak at our November 2019 monthly meeting, as well as Troy Churton, Troy Elliot and Margaret Voyce also in attendance. We were keen to hear their thoughts on priorities for Orakei Ward over the three year team ahead. Below is a brief summary of the discussion.

The OLB is in good health with a mix of incumbents and newly elected members. They are in the process of getting up to speed and understanding council systems, relationships and processes.

Some priorities that the OLB outlined for our area:

Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive shared path – this is possibly the toughest job that the OLB faces. They emphasised that it is important that stage 2 is built and not be dependent on stage 4 also being constructed. The Auckland Transport (AT) board has changed with new people in place. Scott emphasised that the OLB needs to continue building a constructive relationship with AT to work together to improve progress. He noted that our successful One Local Initiative (OLI) in the long term plan of the Gowing Dr and John Rymer Place links to the shared path that would connect both sides of Pourewa Valley (and connect kids with their schools) are dependent on the shared path being built. Scott said “The new board is determined not to let go of the bone” referring to the success of securing funding for the links.
Meadowbank Community Centre – the community centre redevelopment is being funded by selling the Victoria Ave old CAB building. This has been completed successfully. The Tahapa Hall will also be sold to fund the redevelopment, but only once the redevelopment has been completed as to provide a venue for groups to use while the construction takes place. Detailed designs are not yet available.
Waiatarua Wetland Reserve – the OLB is keen to complete the Waiatarua Reserve Enhancement Plan and have a clear pathway for future investment in the wetland reserve. They are keen to ensure that it continues functioning as a wetland and that the reserve is used appropriately e.g. that dogs stay out of the wetland areas and that the sediment removal systems do their job. Scott said that there is a lot of space in the reserve and that good, fair and balanced solutions are definitely possible for all those who wish to use the reserve.

Mayor Phil Goff will be visiting the OLB area in late January 2020 to visit the major project sites including the shared path site and the Gowing Drive and John Rymer Place connection sites (funding secured in the OLI) to understand the area and the benefits these projects will bring to the community.

Our youngest residents association member (aged 10) asked a question from the floor about what the OLB intends to do to tackle climate change. Scott noted that the shared path and local links to it would contribute to fewer car trips and also encourage people to take alternative and more active methods of transport. He also emphasised that there is a long list of little things that collectively add up that we can all do to change the way we think and consider more climate friendly options.

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