Chair's report - Corvid-19 is changing everything

I am sure I have no need to tell you that we are living in a difficult time.

So far locally we have been shielded from the direct effects of the Covid-19 virus but throughout the world we are seeing the effects that the virus is having on health systems and communities.

And the economic effects are already being felt.

At a local board level we are also feeling the effects. Last weekend I planned to attend five different public gatherings. Four of them were cancelled.

Further cancellations have also happened. I have recently heard of the cancellation or postponement of the Titirangi Festival of Music, the Ethkick soccer tournament, the Ecofest festival and the board's own Eats and Beats in Glen Eden. And local libraries and recreation centres have shut on an interim basis.

Social distancing is critical and the reasons for it are clear.

Because of this the local board is changing the way that we perform our functions.

We can reassure you that council remains open for business, which includes our essential services such as rubbish and recycling. This situation is unprecedented and fast moving, and changes may happen from time to time. But we will keep you informed.

Social media will be increasingly important and I intend to use our facebook page to allow for communication of ideas and Council news. If you have not done so already please like the board's facebook page.

The way we conduct our formal meetings will be changed and will be more digital than physical. We have cancelled our next meeting.

Auckland Council is planning ahead so that the essential services we provide continue to be delivered to Aucklanders. We have a crisis management response underway looking at continuity of our essential services and to support our staff as COVID-19 develops.

Please look after yourselves and your families and your neighbours.

As our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said be strong, and be kind and we will be ok.

Water shortage

Second upin terms of major problems our area is facing …

Lastmonth I referred to the Auckland drought and the need to preserve water.  And after writing my report and before ourlast meeting it rained!  I shouldobviously write about these issues more often.

But weare not out of the woods yet.  Althoughthere has been rain it has been intermittent and not sufficient to resolvematters.  Dam levels are at a healthy 62%at the time of writing although this is down from about 70% a month ago.

And thereason why they are so healthy is that Watercare has been using Waikato wateras much as possible.  It is estimatedthat if it was not for this the dams would be 25% full and then we would all befacing a crisis.

And theweather patterns are, thanks to global warming, changing.  We are going to have to find long termsolutions to this problem.

Waitakere Hospital

TheHenderson Massey local board chairperson Chris Carter arranged a briefing forlocal board members out west from senior managers at the Waitemata HealthBoard.  As well as a presentation onCorovirus we were told of the Board's future plans for Waitakere Hospital.

Thehospital provides some current provision of services but many more services areprovided at North Shore Hospital.  TheWaitemata DHB has the largest population of any DHB in the country.

The westhas special requirements.  We are apoorer area and because of this health needs are more intense.  We also have areas of intense growth.

TheHenderson-Massey and Waitakere Ranges combined population makes us bigger thanDunedin, Tauranga and Hamilton.  And thelarge geographical area makes travelling to the North Shore a long andstressful process.

Thehospital needs to become a full acute hospital site capable of handling allsorts of medical issues.  This will takepressure off Auckland Hospital and North Shore Hospital.  It will also allow people to be treatedlocally and reduce the stress of travel for families

Iunderstand that a decision is to be made in the near future by the Government.

The localboard chairs for the west intend to advocate strongly in support of fulldevelopment of the Waitakere Hospital and to make representations directly tothe Minister of Health.

Watercare hearing

WithSaffron Toms and Ken Turner I recently presented the local board's submissionson the Waima Watercare application.

Theevidence has now all been filed and some interesting issues have becomeprominent. 

The mostsignificant is kauri dieback.  The fearhas been expressed by a number of experts including Council's expert that theearth works in an area that has Kauri dieback spores will mean that the sporesare spread throughout the area.  Everytime it rains spores will be washed through the valley in an area that hassignificant groves of magnificent Kauri.

And onthis the expert evidence, from both Council and from experts briefed by theopponents, which interestingly enough includes the Department of Conservation,is terrifying.

The basicpremise as I understand it is that the huge amount of earthworks willaccelerate the spread of Kauri dieback. Water trickling down broken up soil is the best way to achieve itsspread.  To stop the spread would requirea rather large structure resembling a moat. And the area downstream is home to some of the most significant grovesof Kauri in the region.

Iwondered what a safe worksite would look like. I suggested that Watercare would have to construct a moat around thesite to gather the water and then pipe it to the Manukau which is quite a fewkilometers away.

Myconcluding comment to the hearing was as follows:

"In assessing the merits of this application the board’s concern isthat the risk of spreading kauri dieback through the valley is far too high andthe potential consequences catastrophic. The local board remains opposed to the application.  In fact based on the expert evidence ouropposition is now more determined."

The panelhas recommended that the various experts caucus and present a brief to thepanel indicating what is agreed to and what is disputed.

Thevalley immediately below the site is the home of some of the most significantand magnificent Kauri out west.  I trustthe panel will take all necessary care in determining this application.

To add tothis the planned mitigation is not enough. To mitigate the clear felling of a forest would require funding for ahundred year plan.

Thisdiscovery has reinforced my view that the Local Board was correct in itsopposition to the plant.  We will see inthe future what the commissioners conducting the hearing think.

Waitakere Heritage Area Gateway Sign project

This hasbeen on the Local Board's work programme for a while and until recentlyprogress has been slow.  But the boardrecently had a very welcome presentation by a new staff member Keren Alleyneand by Claire Walker, a contractor also recently involved in the project.

Theboard's thinking is that some form of artwork is preferrable to signs, that ageneric design with local variations would be better, and that the artworkshould act as markers on the edge of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area.  In terms of the artwork a suggestion is thatfor cost and durability reasons laser cut steel could be an option.

We wantconsultation with Te Kawarau a Maki and with local ratepayers groups includingthe group of residents who had worked on the proposal to occur.  We will hopefully then be in a position towork out selection of an artist to provide us with a concept for the project.

Fundingwill be sought from different sources as to do it properly would be beyond themeans of the local board.

Annual Plan and Local Board Agreement consultation

This isnow under way.  The one particularproposal that affects the  WaitakereRanges local board area is the future of the septic tank pump out service.  This is a service paid for by residents witholder style septic tanks and ensures that every three years they will havetheir tanks pumped out.  The way I see itthere are two benefits, we get the advantage of scale and fees can be keptreasonable for everyone, and secondly all relevant tanks are pumped out.  To my way of thinking there is a significantrisk to the environment if the scheme is discontinued and this is why thecurrent scheme, with a regional subsidy, should be continued.  After all we are dealing with the WaitakereRanges Heritage Area and special care should be exercised.

We havealso been talking to local communities about our three year plan and whatpeople think should be in it.  So farthere have been two drop in sessions, a meeting with the Trustees of the GlenEden Mosque, and a meeting with the Methodist congregation.  Feedback was received during Waitangi day atHoani Waititi Marae and on line and further meetings are planned althoughadjusting to Corovirus is making this problematic.

By allmeans let us know your views.  What doyou think is important for our area in the next three years and what should thelocal board be doing?

Kauri Karnival

Afterreceiving advice Council decided to proceed with the Kauri Karnival.  The risk was assessed to be low and thenature of the event, with crowds spread out and no identified people facingthreats was not the sort that demanded cancellation.

Numberswere down on last year, which given the circumstances was understandable.  But the event delivered top quality music andsome very interesting stalls as well as a number of activities which were childfriendly and child pleasing.

Shadbolt House

This hasbeen on the local board's work plan for a few years.  The Going West Trust has expressed aninterest in converting the house into a writer's residence.  The house was originally purchased byWaitakere City Council with this intent. The Colin McCahon House shows what can be done with this sort of model.

Staff arebeing cautious and have raised health and safety concerns.  I am confident that this can be taken care ofhowever and that working with the trust they can be overcome.

There isa feeling that Titirangi's art sector is more than adequate.  I am a fan of it being exceptional.