Here at council we are fast approaching the end of the political term, but that doesn’t mean our normal council business stops.
If anything, we are working faster to conclude a number of issues before we break for the local body elections.
Dog-related issues have been at the forefront in recent weeks. While we had a big discussion about where people can walk dogs and how many at a time, problems with roaming dogs and dog attacks are also presenting a challenge for council.
Last week, our Regulatory Committee called on Government to provide us better tools for managing these issues. The proposed changes include measures such as introducing fencing requirements for dog owners, allowing councils to set their own desexing policies and improving councils’ abilities to detain dogs following an attack.
For us, it is all about balancing our love for ‘man’s best friend’ and making sure we keep the community safe from the minority of animals that are not so well controlled.
I’ve also been digesting the results of the latest State of the City report. We still have all the ingredients of a fantastic city, and with the right kind of investments in the next few years we will continue to do better in comparison with our overseas peers.
I’m also committed to keeping major events coming to the city, so Auckland continues to be a great place to have rich cultural and sporting experiences. The report did have some ‘gaps’ though. Helping fill them was the recent Government announcement that Auckland would be the home of the NZ Institute for Advanced Technology, a $231m investment in science and technology commercialisation.
All the ingredients for an ecosystem of education, research and commercial activity already exist here, so it makes sense for it to be in Auckland rather than anywhere else in New Zealand. It’s also something that the Mayor and council have been advocating for – so almost a double win!
Finally, I’d urge you to get out and enjoy your local hospitality businesses. There’s a fantastic array of them in Ponsonby and around the city generally. They need our support, so if you can then please do. Maybe try some place new or revisit a place you know, either way our city is stronger when our hospitality sector does well.
Desley Simpson, Deputy Mayor of Auckland
www.desleysimpson.co.nz
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