Dear Waitematā and Gulf voters,
A recent Auckland@15 survey revealed ‘low trust in council governance’ with only ‘18% of Aucklanders feeling they have influence over council decisions’. Despite the council now taking over $3 billion in rates and $700m in water/ wastewater charges from Auckland householders this year, and despite selling council’s legacy airport shares, debt has increased to $15.6b. Rates and debt are set to increase to an even greater scale next year. Plainly Auckland Council is on a financially unsustainable path.
If re-elected I will work with a majority of like-minded councillors to open the books, get spending under control and begin the long overdue task of putting Auckland Council back on the road to fiscal sustainability, and work to instil a culture of public accountability and openness.
It must never be forgotten the primary role of elected representatives is to represent the public to the council – not the other way round.
Sincerely, Mike Lee.
Mike’s Manifesto
- I support smart intensification around transport nodes. However, I oppose council and government plans to impose 50m luxury towers across the special character areas of St Marys Bay, Herne Bay, Freemans Bay, Grafton and Parnell. I support withdrawing Plan Change 78, and then pausing the process to enable full public consultation prior to any new plan notification. Now more than ever Auckland needs intelligent planning for housing and infrastructure – not a free-for-all for developers.
- Helicopters are an ear-shattering intrusion into our neighbourhoods, a violation of Aucklanders’ rights to the peaceful enjoyment of their homes and properties for which they pay so heavily in rates. Building on the success I recently achieved for the Gulf Islands, I will continue my efforts against bureaucratic obstruction to make helipads in residential areas a prohibited activity in the city and will not give up until this is achieved.
- I will work to remove AT’s blockade of cars on Queen Street by opposing plans to extend the present ‘Authorised Vehicle Only' zones to extend from Mayoral Drive to Victoria Street, removing the existing AVO restrictions and to re-open Queen Street to private vehicles and shoppers.
- I will, working with Heart of the City and City Centre Residents Group, make the restoration of the city centre and the viability of its retail sector a priority, while addressing the growing social problems, rough sleeping, drug abuse and crime, with Police and mental health agencies.
- I will continue to oppose the sale (‘recycling’) of council’s income earning assets, eg, remaining car parking buildings and the Port of Auckland, now earning $85.4m annual profit. These legacy assets and the alternative income stream they provide must be retained for the benefit of present and future generations of Aucklanders.
- I will support optimising the use of our existing rail network, capitalising on the enormous public investment in the CRL, by extending rail services to Huapai - Kumeu, restoring
- Direct services from Onehunga to Britomart, returning regional train services, eg, Te Huia, back to a freed-up Britomart and restoring the Newmarket West station at Kingdon Street to serve the new university campus at Khyber Pass Road.
- I will continue to advocate extending passenger rail services from the Southern Line to Auckland International Airport as promised in the original Auckland Plan.
- I support council actively promoting marine reserves including the Hākaimangō-Matiatia (NW Waiheke) marine reserve, not only to protect and enhance our depleted and stressed Hauraki Gulf marine ecosystems but restoring denuded kelp beds is an important nature-first approach to reducing ‘blue carbon’ emissions.
- I will work to see that our popular regional parks network is retained as united entity and under the governance of a democratically accountable parks committee.
- I will work to deliver the long-promised waterfront Headland Park at Wynyard Point, land for which was originally set aside by the Auckland Regional Council under my leadership.
- I will push for extensions of MOTAT’s popular Dockline Tramway (like the Headland Park another uncompleted ARC legacy project) to Wynyard Point and to Britomart.
- I will work with fellow-minded councillors to get Speedway and its supporters back into Western Springs Stadium from which they were most unfairly evicted and for Tataki- Auckland Unlimited to renew the lease for Ponsonby Rugby. (MIKE LEE)
