News

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Recent News

New Bus Network Live on 8 July 2018

Posted: 21 May 2018

Auckland Transport is bringing in a New Bus Network in July 2018. Many bus routes, numbers and timetables will change. More detailed information is available here including a detailed overall bus map and individual route maps.

Key points about local services are summarised below (best read in conjunction with the route map):

  • Our 655, 685 and 635 routes are being removed.
  • There will be a new service (782) travelling through Meadowbank which will start at Sylvia Park and run via Ellerslie train station, Grand Drive, Meadowbank Mall, Meadowbank Rd, Meadowbank Train Station, Gowing Drive, Kohimarama Rd (including St Thomas’ and Selwyn College) and Patterson Ave to Mission Bay. We are not clear on the frequency yet for this service.
  • There is also a new half hourly 747 route along Lunn Ave, the first ever bus service through there, and through Stonefields.
  • The 650 (formerly 007 route) has a change at the western end to go along St Luke’s Rd. It now heads west along Great North Rd before heading up to Pt Chevalier – very handy for Unitec students living over this side of town.
  • The 75 (formerly 625 route) has changed it’s route in the CBD and now doesn’t run near the ferry terminal and instead terminates in the Wynyard Quarter.

Many thanks to the two petitions masterminded by association member Richard Roxburgh with support from Orakei Local Board, which means there will now be a public bus service to connect Meadowbank & St Johns residents with Selwyn College and St Thomas’s schools, as well as right down to Meadowbank Train Station. See our news article Bus petition win! for more information.

Here are the individual route maps that pass through our area:

Route 75 (Glen Innes to Wynyard Quarter via Remuera Rd)
Route 650 (Glen Innes to Pt Chevalier shops and Selwyn Village)
Route 782 (Sylvia Park to Mission Bay via Ellerslie and Meadowbank)
Centre City Bus Map

Bus Stop Proposal for Meadowbank Train Station

Posted: 19 May 2018

Another quick transport consultation! Most of you will know that over 1,000 residents signed the petition last year to get a bus service to connect with Meadowbank Train Station.

The petition noted that up to 22 car park spaces may have to make way for the bus stop and turn around. But also that just one bus per hour could deliver many more people, resulting in a net saving of car parks. The wider context of course is that on weekdays 100s of cars are parked along every street all the way to Bonnie Brae and Harapaki Street. More people are using the train each year, and whole lot more are likely to in five years’ time when the CRL opens, bringing Midtown, K Rd and Grafton closer to Meadowbank by train that they are by bus from the Meadowbank Town Centre.

Hence our support for the bus service. And for that matter, our support for better cycling / walking links to the station, not least from Gowing Drive! Besides parking hassles, one of the reasons we think the bus service will be popular for locals is because using the bus to the train station will be free from Meadowbank and St Johns if you also use the train.

Below is AT’s detailed design proposal for the bus stop and turn around. As you can see, the plan is for a bus stop and shelter right at the train station entrance, which we think is great. This makes for the shortest, flattest connection between the bus and train which is important for less able bodies, and allows the bus driver to see the trains on the platform. So buses shouldn’t inadvertently leave the stop just as a train pulls in!

The plans remove 21 car parks. They provide a number of time-restricted spaces for drop-offs and pick-ups, which is not always easy today without using nearby residents’ driveways (hardly ideal). The three car parks on the left hand side of Manapau Road have to go to allow the bus to swing around to the stop. These have been replaced with three new time restricted car parks opposite, at the island with the trees. Thanks to Orakei Local Board rep Carmel Claridge for that particular improvement 

But are there any other improvements that you could suggest? Can we squeeze another car park or two back in? Is there the right amount of parks in the pick up zone? Are you concerned about the possible loss of the trees, due to the new footpaths on the island? We think if the tree has to go, then it should be replaced with a new one. Or maybe the whole island could be replanted, saving on mowing costs?

*Closing date is this Monday 21 May 2018*

We haven’t been advised of a specific web page for this consultation, so please use the AT online feedback form: https://at.govt.nz/about-us/contact-us/feedback-form/ Select > “Making a suggestion” About > “Something else” and put “Meadowbank train station bus stop, Purewa Road” at the top of your comments. Or simply add comments on our  and we’ll work with the OLB make sure these get to AT.

 

Spotlight on Waiatarua Reserve

Posted: 15 May 2018

To get a better understanding of the management of Waiatarua Reserve, Orakei Local Board member Carmel Claridge organized a meeting at the reserve with OLB Board members, staff from Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters team and the contractors responsible for maintaining the storm water infrastructure and waterways in the Waiatarua Reserve.

These areas of maintenance for the Reserve are separate to mowing, edging, and pathway maintenance which fall under the remit of Community Facilities –  a different arm of Council with associated work on those tasks being carried out by Ventia contractors. In simple terms everything to do with the water and within the waterways – including the weirs, culverts and silt traps is looked after by Healthy Waters and anything else is covered by Community Facilities.

The Board received assurances that the Wetlands are functioning as they should be as a natural storm water catchment and treatment facility. The silt traps are being inspected and cleared on a weekly basis by contractor staff. The canals that run through the Reserve from near the entrance at Grand Drive to the mid-section of the wetlands were cleared of debris and silt last year. This is a major exercise requiring the silt to be moved offsite, treated, and then discharged to land fill. A number of trees that have fallen into perimeter waterways during the recent storm events are scheduled for removal, and this work will be completed in due course taking into consideration that there is a considerable back log of fallen trees for clearing Auckland wide. Spot treatment of noxious weed species in the waterways is being carried out rather than blanket spraying as is done besides pathways. This is to ensure planting necessary to retain stream embankments and contribute to the organic filtration system. There are species of fish and eels visible in the waterways indicating a healthy ecosystem.

With the assistance of staff Orakei Local Board members identified some specific areas within the Reserve that would benefit from some additional planting in the future to further enhance the protection of the waterways. According to Carmel, the site visit and walkover was a valuable exercise, and a good opportunity for OLB members to be able to discuss concerns directly with contractor staff.

 

Results for targeted rates now available.

Posted: 5 May 2018

Auckland Council has released some preliminary statistics from submissions on their targeted rates. The water quality targeted rate was strongly supported across Auckland (61% said yes), and even more strongly supported in Orakei (of which we are a part) with 68% saying yes. Our waterfront suffers directly from poor water quality, especially after heavy rain, thanks to decades of under-investment. There was also feedback on a natural environment targeted rate, with 52% supportive across Auckland and 57% in Orakei Ward. An accommodation providers’ targeted rate was even more strongly supported and the general rates increase was supported by about half of the submitters.

An overview report on the feedback will be available in May 2018.

 

 

Help connect Meadowbank to the GI to Tamaki Shared Path and beyond

Posted: 3 May 2018

Auckland Council wants to hear what you think about the proposed regional fuel tax and the projects it could fund. The good news for us is that the remaining funding needed for the proposed cycling and pedestrian feeder link from the Gowing Drive area to the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path has made it into the plan. Now we need one last push from you to submit in support of this fantastic project (click here to submit).

What’s in it specifically for Meadowbank and St Johns?
The Draft RLTP has some very good news for us, (on page 64, if you want to read it!): it shows $5 million allocated for the Orakei Local Board’s #1 initiative: the walking and cycling link between Gowing Drive and the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path. This is fantastic news! It’s what many of you told us and the OLB you wanted, which is why it was supported. It’s actually the first time Orakei has had its #1 initiative accepted for funding. This will open up access from half of Meadowbank to the Train Station, St Thomas’ School, Selwyn College, the spectacular Pourewa Valley and the waterfront among other things.

So what are we being consulted on this time?
This consultation is on two proposals, the Regional Fuel Tax (RFT) and Draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP). We here at MBSJRA want to strongly encourage you to click here to say YES to the RFT and yes to the RLTP, noting in Question 5 that you support the Gowing Drive link.

Didn’t we already give our views on that?
Yes, 26,000 of us returned “Have your say” forms giving our views on the fuel tax in principle (not knowing the list of what we would get for it). Which is a decent enough number, but still less than 2% of Aucklanders. You could also say a few 100,000 more of us voted on the fuel tax when Mayor Phil Goff was elected after campaigning on this very point. But this week, the Governing Body voted to consult on the fuel tax again, and the Draft RLTP, now that the content is known.

So what was the feedback from those 26,000 people?
On the proposed regional fuel tax (11.5c/l including GST), across Auckland 46% said yes, 48% no; in Orakei Ward (of which we are a part) 56% said yes, 37% no.

We also gave feedback on other things, right?
Yes, click here to see the results of the  votes on targeted rates for water quality, natural environment, accommodation providers and the general rates increase.

So… what are we being consulted on this time?
This consultation is about the specifics: now we can see the list of projects proposed to be deliverable by the regional fuel tax, what do we think about that? And for each project, do we strongly support / support / not support it. So, again, our feedback counts, big time!

Where can I read the list?
At www.akhaveyoursay.nz

Where can I read the Draft Regional Land Transport Plan?
Also at www.akhaveyoursay.nz

But it’s only a Draft RLTP, right?
Right. Hence the consultation. Please be sure to “have your say”!

So this matters?
Yes, For one thing, Councillor Desley Simpson will cast her vote according to feedback from Orakei residents.

If we vote against the regional fuel tax, will the Draft RLTP be delivered?
Quite likely the draft plan would not be delivered in full without the regional fuel tax.

So does that mean our Gowing Drive link won’t be delivered?
We’re very concerned about that. It may still be possible one way or another. You could ask Desley Simpson about that, at our meeting on Tuesday 8 May (7:30-8:30 at St Chads)!

When is the deadline?
14 May, so don’t delay! Final decisions on the introduction of a Regional Fuel Tax will be in June.

One more thing: isn’t the government paying for some of Auckland’s transport developments?
Yes. The bulk of the $ 28 billion plan is funded by central government (from general taxation, including national fuel taxes, road taxes, GST and income tax). The regional fuel tax tops up that funding, and in practice, many projects are co-funded one way or another through matching funding.

 

Enter the membership prize draw today

Posted: 20 March 2018

Annual subscriptions for 2018/19 for the residents association are now due. We look forward to the continuing support of our residents so we can keep working hard for our community.

As a special incentive this year, those who have paid our (very reasonable) annual subscription of $10 per household by 30 April 2018 will automatically be entered into our prize draw for an OurEco Home Introductory Pack worth $49.95 kindly sponsored by the Meadowbank Corner Chemist . Click here to join us or renew now.

Why should I join or renew?

We advocate for the things our suburbs need to thrive and feed into plans and proposals that affect you, your family, your neighbours and your friends. Your support helps us to run monthly meetings and the events we have planned for the coming year such as further presentations by developers and community groups working in our suburbs, our AGM in June with a high profile guest speaker and our third clean up in the Pourewa Valley. Some of our achievements:

Great, how do I join or renew?

It’s easy to join or renew online, simply click on the Membership link on our website and follow the instructions. Alternatively you can renew your membership in person at our next monthly meeting.

If you have any queries or comments regarding membership please contact me. If we’ve contacted you in error e.g. if you have already paid your subscription for the 2018/19 year, please let me know and we will correct our database.

Many thanks to the team at the Meadowbank Corner Chemist for kindly donating the OurEco Home Introductory Pack worth $49.95 and for their support of the Meadowbank and St Johns Residents Association.

 

Have your say on Auckland’s future

Posted: 1 March 2018

Consultation on Auckland’s 10 year Budget and the Auckland Plan is now on. We need the council to hear our community’s strong desire for local connections to the shared path from both sides of Pourewa Valley so we can really maximise the use of this amazing asset. This is the Orakei Local Board’s key advocacy project and the council needs to hear how important this connection is to convince them to assist with funding. You can submit online or attend one of the meetings. If you want to support a connection to the shared path make sure you mention the Pourewa Valley shared path, links to the shared path from both sides of the valley and Gowing Drive underpass.

Orakei Local Board’s Priorities for 2018/19

  • Key advocacy project: Advocate for and partially fund a walking and cycling linkage from Gowing Drive in Meadowbank to the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path and across to Kohimarama/Mission Bay, providing a safe alternative route for school students
  • Design a north-south connection from Stonefields to St Johns/Glen Innes as a shared space for walkers, cyclists and vehicles through Colin Maiden Park
  • Improved walking routes, pest management and native planting, for Kepa Bush and the  Pourewa Valley environs
  • Develop a Local Healthy Waterways Plan to improve waterways and stormwater infrastructure throughout the Ōrākei Local Board area
  • To identify and improve the amenity and functionality of local centres taking into consideration nearby commercial or residential development opportunities
  • Improve Tamaki Drive for all users leveraging off planned projects and visitors to events, such as those identified in the Tamaki Drive Masterplan and possibly the Americas Cup.

 

Bike to Train day Wednesday 28 February

Posted: 6 February 2018

Join us for one day only to bike down to Meadowbank Train Station where there will be secure bicycle parking on the station platform for the day and a coffee cart with FREE coffee for people who turn up on a bicycle. We are running this on Wednesday 28 February, the last day of Aotearoa Bike Challenge Month. To make it easier, clear wayfinding signs will be put up around Meadowbank and St Johns. Avoid the usual parking hassles and ride your bike to the station instead. Go on, give it a go!

Why Bike to Train in Meadowbank?

Meadowbank Train Station is a long walk from the Town Centre, and from much of our suburb. So, many people choose to drive instead. But parking is becoming more and more difficult in the streets around the station. For some, cycling could make sense as an alternative. But cycling to the station is not without its challenges either. Which routes are safest? Will my bicycle be secure if I leave it there all day? This event is a pilot trial, to see if decent wayfinding signs and secure cycle parking, on the station platform, in line of sight of the CCTV (and, yes, even a free coffee) could make a difference.

Many thanks to Bike Eastern Suburbs and Auckland Transport for their support.

See the Bike to Train flyer

Next Monthly Meeting Tuesday 13 February

Posted: 3 February 2018

We hope you enjoyed a lovely summer break and are looking forward to the year ahead. Our next monthly meeting will be on Tuesday 13 February at St Chads Church, 38 St Johns Rd, Meadowbank. We have some interesting updates on things happening in our neighbourhood – more information to follow so watch our Facebook page.

Movies in Parks comes to Meadowbank Saturday 24 March

Posted: 25 November 2017

We were very excited to find out that Meadowbank gets a Movies in Parks event at Rutherford Reserve on Saturday 24 March.  Movie from 7:25pm with pre-movie entertainment from 5:30 including a giant bubble show, circus games and workshops, small face painting and a roving entertainer – and hopefully lots of Meadowbank and St Johns residents out enjoying the evening. The movie is Despicable Me 3 rated PG (violence). Pack a picnic and see you there.

Come watch Despicable Me 3 at Rutherford Reserve on Saturday 24 March

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