This past month, I joined Quiet Sky’s community hui in Westmere on council’s decision to approve a billionaire’s private helipad despite over 1000 objections from our community.
Auckland councillors voted in July to seek guidance from the Environment Court on an outright ban on private helicopter pads in the city.
While I sympathise with councillors who have serious concern about doing this by-the-book, I still strongly believe, as I said at the public meeting a few weeks ago, that if elected members representing the strong will of their community vote to just ban these private helipads (as we managed to get across the line for Waiheke and Aotea Great Barrier) and it breaks the system, that part of the system probably needs to break. In the meantime, Quiet Sky has filed an appeal against the decision.
This is a no brainer. The proliferation of private helicopters is bad for the community, bad for conservation and bad for the climate.
I was heavily involved in what ultimately became the plan change to stop the proliferation of helicopter pads on Waiheke and Aotea Great Barrier Islands a few years ago.
At the time, I engaged with the Civil Aviation Act (CAA Bill), the then Minister McAnulty and council. While everyone initially pointed the finger at each other, there was a Bill actively in front of Parliament which I put up amendments for but could not get through the Government who insisted there was no issue – eventually leading to a Green differing view issued on the Bill. Then, after years of work, council made the ban for our Hauraki islands a reality.
Anyone worried about this issue should be concerned about Christopher Luxon’s plans to overhaul the Resource Management Act in favour of an even more narrow view of 'private property rights' over the community, democracy and our shared environment.
What kind of city are we creating when nearly 90% of people can oppose something, but those who can afford the fancy lawyers end up winning?
The Greens stand on our track record of working across Parliament and Local Government to try and fix these man-made problems and we stand with Quiet Sky and those who do not wish to see the interests of a very wealthy few be favoured over the rights of the many.
What we all really need is fast, affordable, clean and reliable public transport to take congestion off our roads, clear our air, reduce climate changing emissions and make our neighbourhoods more pleasant places to be in and get around. Common sense decisions and solid investments that favour local communities. Which brings me to… upcoming local elections.
Our Auckland Central Electorate covers the Waitematā and Gulf Ward, Waitematā Local Board and a patch of the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Local Board.
Local Government decisions informing the cost, quality and accessibility of so many things we interact with in our day-to-day lives, yet voting levels are devastatingly low.
We’re talking about everything from the number of permits to discharge all kinds of gross waste into our waterways, to the safeswim notices, rubbish collections, public toilet servicing, tree trimming, dog licensing…. We’re talking about how safe our streets are. Whether there’s adequate lighting, whether people are supported when experiencing homelessness (although, this Government has made that a heck of a lot harder), whether we climate proof our city and enable the housing density necessary for affordable homes.
By the time this is published, the candidates will be announced. Take your time to get to know them, ask questions of them and yourself and the people around you about how we get the city we deserve. And vote this October. Politics belongs to those who turn up and, clearly, not enough of us have been turning up. (Chlöe Swarbrick)
Chlöe Swarbrick, T: 09 378 4810, E: chloe.swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz www.greens.org.nz/chloe_swarbrick
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