Letter to the Editor: Talk about not reading the room... ‘State of the City’

Talk about not reading the room, following the many letters in the Ponsonby News on extremely serious matters, Chlöe Swarbrick’s page as our local Minister of Parliament reads like it was written about another city.

Perhaps it was, given that she seems to be spending a lot of her time in Wellington nowadays in larger party roles.

What we got were reflections on the Britomart Market Stalls, inspiration notes from out of towners, the March for Nature which included anyone with a political grievance and concern, New Zealand Music month and her continuation to work on evidence-based solutions to crime in our city. No mention of what those solutions are, apart from the usual political push out to idealism and generalisation. We are told to ancipate “agreed, tangible solutions” which will be shared in full as appropriate to do so. Right…

In 2023, a report titled ‘State of the City’ was released by the Committee for Auckland, Deloitte, and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, providing a detailed overview of Auckland's current standing among its peer cities. No surprise for those who feel like they are watching an unfolding trainwreck, the findings paint a very bleak picture, particularly in terms of safety. Auckland has experienced a significant decline in this area, now ranking 124th globally and making it the least-safe city in Australasia.

However, safety isn't the only concern for Auckland. The city is also struggling with investment and innovation. Its performance in data centres is among the worst in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, highlighting a critical need for better investment in technology infrastructure.

Traffic, roading and infrastructure are other areas where Auckland faces considerable difficulties. The report notes that commute times have increased, ride dissatisfaction has grown, and network inefficiencies and CO2 emissions have worsened since 2022. This decline places Auckland in the bottom group of comparable cities in terms of traffic performance.

Additionally, in terms of overall socio economic development, Auckland ranks 59th out of 183 cities, which might seem decent at first glance. However, when compared to its peer cities, it is second to last, further underscoring the need for improvement.

In her second term, where are the specific "agreed, tangible solutions?“ Where is the smart thinking? Where is even the acknowledgment of the problems, including the bizarre decision-making by some arms of the council regarding our roads and infrastructure?

In Chlöe's case, her art of politics is not about making promises but creating the impression that they are being kept. Actions now speak louder than words.

Russell Hoban, Ponsonby

Chlöe Swarbrick responds:

Kia ora Russell, We have an approximate $200 billion infrastructure deficit in this country, if we’re to trust the official reports. That’s an issue that should unify all New Zealanders – something has got to give and we must bite the bullet on either fixing our tax system to pay for it, get comfortable with borrowing more or continue to watch it deteriorate.

This is something the Greens and I have been long advocating to bring to the public’s attention with costed policy solutions to start fixing it: a mix of both of the above (details available in the ‘policy’ section of our party website).

As I hope you and all people are aware, one local article cannot contain all of the work, concerns or issues one is engaged in, let alone aware of. A google of my name along with ‘infrastructure’, ‘housing’, ‘economy’, ‘traffic’, ‘transport’ or otherwise, would deliver you an insight into what I’ve been advocating for and working on in these areas. If you want to go even deeper, I can happily share records of my Hansard debates in Parliament, Select Committee hearings and reports, correspondence with council and CCOs and ministers.

As far as some examples of tangible delivery go, you may be interested in how we won the years-long campaign to save the St James Theatre, saved the White Lady food truck from council bureaucracy, coordinated the emergency response and clean-up through Auckland Anniversary flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle in lieu of ‘official’ action, facilitated the tens-of-thousands strong campaign to soften council’s proposed 2023 cuts to community, culture and climate infrastructure and successful advocacy to get support for CRL-impacted and extend support for Covid-impacted small businesses.

You may also appreciate knowing that over the most recent Parliamentary recess in July, I spent at least two thirds of my time in Auckland Central meeting with constituents, council, local businesses and services and solving our local problems. If you or anyone else ever wishes to address your concerns directly with me, I can guarantee you my team and I pride ourselves on being responsive and accessible. I’ll happily even take requests on the topics of these short op-eds each month!

Chlöe Swarbrick, MP for Auckland Central

30 July 2024
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