Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill Submission

We have serious concerns  regarding the third and final of the Super City Bills.  Here is our draft submission that is due by Friday 12th February. We strongly urge everyone in the community to put forward their opposition to the Bill.

A useful submission guide can be found on the Greens website. The Bill can be downloaded here.

Your submission can be made via the online submission form

Or by posting two hard copies of your submission to:

The Select Committee Clerk
Auckland Governance Legislation Committee
Parliament Buildings
Wellington

Grey Lynn 2030’s draft submission to the Select Committee on Auckland Governance Legislation 

Why Grey Lynn 2030 opposes the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill.

As a grassroots community group we value our community voice and the opportunity to actively participate, influence and engage in local decision making. We are deeply concerned that the Bill is a direct assault on local democracy and fails to put in place a model of governance that provides for effective community participation in local government. The management of public assets as provided for in the Bill, with a clear view to the eventual sale of these public assets, is an unjustified and an undue extension of an inappropriate corporate model into the affairs of local government.

We are particularly concerned with the failure of the Bill to clarify the important roles the new Local Boards will fulfil and to even clarify the principles and criteria for deciding on these roles. It is essential that the Bill gives the Boards a list of local specific and significant powers that provide an adequate counter balance to a centralised Council.

We would like to see experienced and suitable individuals on our Local Board. Candidates must be able to make informed decisions about whether they have the skills, interests and time commitment required to fill the boards’ roles.

We believe that the Bill undermines democratic control of local Government in Auckland by transferring power and decision-making in many areas to unelected Ministerial appointees.  It also paves the way for the privatisation of assets that will be transferred to the Auckland Council.  The Bill introduces measures not recommended or supported by the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance.

We further oppose measures contained in the Bill for the following reasons:

• The Minister of Local Government, rather than democratically elected local politicians, will decide what Council Controlled Organisations to establish and appoint their initial directors.
• The new Council Controlled Organisation “Auckland Transport” will have between 6 and 8 voting directors, but only 2 of them can be elected members of the Auckland Council.  This transfers effective control of transport-related powers and functions from elected councillors to unelected Ministerial appointees.
• Elected councillors will be prohibited from being directors of all other Council Controlled Organisations, again transferring effective control of vast areas of Auckland’s governance from elected councillors to unelected Ministerial appointees.
• Watercare Services Limited’s water pricing will not be subject to Auckland Council policy or direction from mid-2015, and the Auckland Council will be permitted to privatise it from that date.
• The Auckland Council will be permitted to sell strategic assets from mid-2012, meaning that privatisation plans can be completed before voters get a chance to have a say on them at the 2013  local elections.
• A tokenistic and toothless board will be appointed to advise the Auckland Council on issues of significance for mana whenua and Maori within Auckland.  The Auckland Council will have no obligation to follow its advice.

In addition we strongly object to the inadequate and rushed legislative process, the lack of consultation and the unnecessary stream roller of changes to Auckland’s governance driven by Rodney Hide without any consensus or mandate from the many diverse communities of Auckland.

GL2030’s specific submissions to the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill

Powers of Local Boards (clause 17)

We support the principle of strong Local Boards that will act as an effective  counter-balance to the powers of the Auckland Council. We submit that the local boards be given significant powers, otherwise local communities will lose their voice, and result in the total centralization of power in the 20-member Auckland Council.  Rodney Hide promised that this Bill would set out the powers and responsibilities of the local boards.  However, the Bill as proposed passes the initial allocation of powers to the Auckland Transition Authority (ATA).

We submit that more detail relating to the powers of the local boards is required to ensure that local boards will have the ability to control local issues.   We oppose the provision that shifts responsibility to the Transition Authority and call on the Government to clarify the powers and responsibilities of local boards.

We submit that as a minimum requirement, Clause 17 Section 19(1A)(a) should require the allocation of decision-making responsibilities for the boards and the Council to be done in consultation with existing Auckland local authorities and community boards. The bill should specify some specific roles for the Council and also for the Boards, and also elaborate on the criteria in the second Act that the ATA must use in making this allocation e.g. the local aspects of regional services must be determined by the Boards.

Ethnic Advisory Boards (clauses 11 and 24)

Under the Bill as proposed, the Mayor alone will control the establishment of the Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel and the Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel.  GL2030 submits that the elected Council should have some input into this process. We also advocate for the consultation of the existing Pasifika boards in the establishment of the Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel.

Staff Transition (clause 24)

We oppose the provisions of this clause whereby the Transition Authority is not required to provide staff with their existing conditions when they are transferred to another job within the city as promised by. Rodney Hide. We submit that these protections be included in the Bill.

Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) (clauses 24 and 45)

We oppose the provisions of these clauses that establish Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) as being removed from the control of the elected representatives of the Auckland Council. In particular Sections 35H and 35I of Clause 24 are strongly opposed as in no circumstances should the Minister appoint the initial directors of any CCOs, including Auckland Transport.

We are not opposed to the establishment of CCOS per se however we submit that the Transition Authority should act in a “caretaker” role in the establishment of the CCOs, leaving the elected members of the Auckland Council to fill the board positions including the positions of directors of the CCOs.

The structure as proposed, will allow Rodney Hide, and not the elected members of the Auckland Council, to have the power to decide what functions are carried out by CCOs, and the power to make the initial appointment of directors for all CCOs, including Auckland Transport which will control all transport-related powers.

The model proposed takes the core business of Council out of the hands of democratically elected representatives, so that Aucklanders will lose the ability to hold councillors accountable for much of what the council does.

We oppose the new section 76 which prohibits councillors from being directors of CCOs and effectively removes any possibility of elected representatives exercising any democratic control over CCOs. We support a majority of CCO board members being elected councillors.

Important areas like the transport agency, waterfront development, economic development, tourism and events are of interest to our community and should be subject to the democratic process which will be denied under the proposed CCO model.

Transport, in particular, is a very important priority to our community and should not be run as a profit making enterprise. We therefore submit that the transport agency be run as an in-house business unit of the Auckland Council and that the elected representatives be held accountable for transport decisions.

There is an important opportunity in the proposed (1)(b) of Clause 45 Section 37 to amend the definition of the Auckland Transport System to take out of the definition things that should be done not by Auckland Transport but by the Council or, preferably, local boards e.g. footpaths, berms, those parts of road reserves not used as road, street vegetation, street furniture and utilities buried in or otherwise utilizing road reserve space.

In addition “Energy efficient, people friendly, efficient and appropriate land use, sustainable and minimally polluting” should be added to the objectives of Auckland Transport. Auckland Transport should also be obliged to contribute to the economic, environmental, cultural and social wellbeing of Auckland.

Clause 45, Section 47(2) must be amended so that all of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) must apply to all aspects of Auckland Transport and to all the other CCOs. LGOIMA already exempts commercial secrecy and personal privacy and that is the only exemption required.

Maori Representation (clause 45, new part 7)

GL2030 opposes the provisions of this clause that propose a statutory board for mana whenua and instead support the inclusion of Maori seats on the Auckland Council.  The Minister of Maori Affairs approves a selection body who then select the members of the board – an undemocratic appointment process for a local government body.  The board is purely advisory and has no real power.

Ports of Auckland (clause 49)

GL2030 opposes the provisions of this clause on the grounds that our community has been very clear about its desire to see Auckland assets remain in public ownership.  We believe that this Bill opens the way for the privatisation of the Ports of Auckland by removing existing protections that require an Auckland-wide referendum before the Ports can be sold.

We oppose clause 49 as it repeals the Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Act 2004, including section  of that Act, which currently imposes restrictions on any proposed sale by Auckland Regional Holdings of its shareholding in the Ports of Auckland.  This will facilitate the privatisation of Ports of Auckland.   We support a savings provision to retain section 28 of the Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Act 2004.

Campaign spending limits (Schedule 3)

We oppose the proposal in Schedule 3 that pushes campaign spending limits up from $70,000 for a population over 250,000 to $100,000 + 50c for each registered voter in constituencies exceeding one million.  This would allow Super City mayoral candidates (with 960,000 voters) to spend $580,000 in the last three months.  This is a very significant increase that would benefit wealthy candidates and those with big business backing.  Limiting the ability of candidates to stand, undermines the principles of the democratic process.

We therefore support a formula based on either an amalgamation of the spending limits of the current councils, or one based on the parliamentary limits.

First Past Post (clause 60)

The Bill requires that as well as the 2010 council election, the 2013 election also be held under the First Past Post system and denies Aucklanders the democratic right under the Local Electoral Act 2001 to opt for a more proportional system. We therefore oppose clause 60.

Ward Boundaries (clause 45, new section 83)

We oppose the provisions of this clause preventing Aucklanders from making any changes to the current ward boundaries, number of ward representatives, and local board boundaries until after the 2013 election on the grounds that this is undemocratic.  We submit that our community should be able to make changes it sees as appropriate.

Watercare Provisions (clauses 65 – 74)

Grey Lynn 2030 opposes the provisions that reduce the transparency of decision-making at Watercare after June 2012 and provide that Watercare will not be subject to Auckland Council policies or directions in setting prices for water after 30 June 2015.  We submit that existing privatisation protections promised by the government still apply to Watercare.

We oppose clause 67 as the information provisions of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 must continue to apply to Watercare Services Limited after  30 June 2012 so that the decision-making about water services and pricing is not able to be made in secret.

We oppose clause 71 as it provides that Watercare Services Limited not be subject to Auckland Council policies or directions in setting prices for water after 30 June 2015, thereby removing water pricing from democratic oversight.

We oppose clause 72 as it  provides that no member of the Auckland Council can be a director of Watercare Services Limited – effectively removing it from any semblance of democratic oversight.

We oppose Clause 73 as it opens up the possibility of privatisation of Watercare Services Limited by the Auckland Council from 1 July 2015.

Spatial plans (clause 45)

GL2030 supports the introduction of spatial planning for Auckland under the proposed Part 6. However the purpose of the spatial plan must be strengthened so that the planning process facilitates growth and development in a manner that is sustainable and sensitive to Auckland’s cultural, environmental and historic heritage.

The following provisions should be added:

• The specific requirement that spatial planning be sustainable just as is in the Local Government Act and RMA.
• Powers to delegate appropriate functions under the RMA and the spatial plan to the Maori board and to the Local boards.
• Powers with respect to the co-ordination of utilities like broadband, electric power, gas and telcos
• A reference to recreational activities and open space in Subsection (3)(h) and these should be protected as are ecological areas in 3i.

The CCO’s must be required to give effect to the spatial plan. The provisions are currently disconnected from what the Auckland Council should be expected to control.

Summary

This submission raises our very real concerns about the assault on local democracy introduced by the bill. We ask the Select Committee to fully consider the implications of a Bill and the proposed structure of local governance that will shut the community out of local decision making and lead to the disengagement in the affairs of local government.  The Bill is an anachronism in the face of a worldwide trend for community engagement through strengthened localised structures.

The Chief Executive Officer
Local Government Commission
Email: info@lgc.govt.nz

From: Grey Lynn 2030

Submission on proposal for wards and boundaries for Auckland Council

1.    This submission is made by Grey Lynn 2030 – transition community.

2.    Grey Lynn 2030 is a participatory community organisation aimed at facilitating and supporting focus groups working towards creating a positive, connected, sustainable, resilient community through practical action.

3.    We take our terms of reference from the Transition Initiative which is a positive response to the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil. The Transition Town movement helps people to reskill and take more responsibility. There are currently 55 Transition Towns throughout New Zealand.

4.    Grey Lynn 2030 is based in Grey Lynn, Auckland, encompassing the surrounding neighbourhoods that form part of the Western Bays Community Board area (including Westmere, Ponsonby, Freeman’s Bay, Kingsland, Herne Bay and St Mary’s Bay). We have over 700 supporters.

5.    We have monthly meetings at the Grey Lynn Community Centre and active focus groups which are presently:

• Gardening (Community Gardens such as the Wilton St community Garden, projects to encourage local composting facilities, urban food production and seed sharing);
• Green Screen – monthly screenings of DVDs at the Grey Lynn Community Centre for those who want to be entertained and learn more about sustainability and the environment;
• Local government group (who liaise with the local community board and the Auckland City Council);
• Traffic calming;
• Waste Away Group (this group recently ran a successful eWaste Action Day); and
• Water Group (working on regenerating local streams)

6.    Grey Lynn 2030 is a local movement with a wide support base.  We have many active members representing a wide range of interests.  As a grassroots organisation access to local political representation is vital to our effective functioning and continued growth.  Representation needs be local and accessible to reflect the particular needs and aspirations of our distinct local community.

Key Points

7.    The Auckland City ward and local boundaries must be determined to ensure “communities of interest” are maintained and encouraged and to ensure effective local representation for the new council and local boards. The Local Government Commission’s (LGC) proposal currently fails to achieve these objectives.

8.    The LGC’s proposals undermine the potential for greater community engagement in local government at a time when groups like Grey Lynn 2030 are demonstrating the importance and desire of local communities to be engaged and actively involved in local issues.

9.    We believe that Auckland is currently “under governed” at local level, a situation which will be exacerbated if the LGC’s recommendations are adopted. As proposed a local board member will represent an average of 12,740 people which is completely inadequate to ensure effective representation.

10.  Given that Councillors will no longer be on the Local Boards, and that the proposed structure and high population ratio to councillors will effectively place councillors at some distance from local communities, the role of boards will be critical in ensuring effective representation and communication with local communities.   Given that there is no second tier in the structure, Local boards will be expected to perform the vital role of conduit between councillors and the wider community.   For this reason, we submit that commensurate with their large size and responsibilities, all Boards should have 8 or 9 members.

11.  Grey Lynn 2030 strongly urges the LGC to introduce a system of roughly equal sized single member local wards as much as is practicable throughout the new Auckland Council.

12.  It is absolutely vital that the new Auckland Council has representation, engagement and confidence from all significant communities across the whole region.

13.  Multimember wards will strongly tend to eliminate substantial geographical and ethnic communities, to make the elected representatives more remote and reduce access to the new Council. All councillors should therefore be elected from single member wards as we consider this is the best way to ensure that, in the makeup of the Council, there is a genuine reflection of the ethnic, socio-economic, political and geographical diversity of the Auckland Region.

14.  We support the Royal Commission’s original recommendation that there be 20 – 30 Local Boards.  It is not clear why the LGC has chosen to ignore this recommendation in favour of only 19 Local Boards.

15.  We are concerned that there are very high differences in population per councillor in the proposed wards which deviates unnecessarily from the principle of one person one vote. It is essential that all votes should be seen to be of roughly equal value.   Differences of up to 17,219 and 24.3% deviate too far from the +/-10% population rule.  We would strongly urge changes that would achieve much closer to equal representation while maintaining effective communities of interest.

16.  This submission focuses on recommendations in relation to the proposed “Maungawhau – Hauraki gulf ward” where the Grey Lynn 2030 community is located.

Waitamata– Hauraki gulf ward

17.  The name Waitamata – Hauraki Gulf would be more appropriate to this geographical location.  The name Mangawhau is associated with Mt Eden and is not representative of the wider area or the actual location and is therefore likely to create confusion.

18.  We propose that the Waitamata – Hauraki Gulf Ward is determined so that is has a population of approximately 74,000 and creates a more logical community of interest within this area by removing parts of Mt Albert Ward and all of the Parnell (because Parnell identifies so closely with Hobson Bay, Remuera and the Eastern Bays) but with the addition of the area around the zoo South of Old Mill Road.

19.  The ward would then have a Waitamata Board with 2 subdivisions:  Western Bays (rest of current Western Bays Community Board area in the new ward) with 4 members; and the distinctive new area, which is mainly in the CBD and Newmarket, to be called something like Karangahape  with 4 members, a total of 8.

20.  As proposed by LGC there should also be a Waiheke local board of 5 members; and a Great Barrier local board of 5 members.

21.  We support a Waitamata Local Board with 2 subdivisions and 8 members because this would be the minimum required to represent the local communities of this unique area.  This ward brings together areas of medium to high density housing including historic residential zones and the CBD – areas of financial and cultural significance to greater Auckland, that are already facing significant developmental and sustainability issues.  This area also hosts many people who visit to work and play in the area including tourists.  We believe the 5 members proposed for the “Maungawhau” ward would not be able to adequately serve and represent the interests of this population including the community of Grey Lynn 2030.

Drafted by Pippa Coom and Mandy McMullins for the Grey Lynn 2030 Steering Committee

Friday 11 December 2009

On the telly

Hello Grey Lynn 2030ers

Nothing to do this weekend?- there is plenty on in our community starting with Art with Love 2009 – Richmond Road School’s annual public art auction

The Gallery will be open during the weekend from 11am -4pm. Coffee supplied by Coffee Supreme
Auction is being held on Tuesday 10 November at 7pm, viewing from 5pm.
check out the website for more details www.artwithlove.org
Richmond Road School 113 Richmond Road Ponsonby, gallery entrance is on Douglas Street.
Queries email ange@artwithlove.org

Grey Lynn 2030 Monthly community meeting Wednesday 11 November
We have another monthly meeting coming up next Wednesday. Keeping it quite low key this month and thinking about what we can get up to in 2010. If you have a good idea for a local project and want to raise it and get some other like minded folk to get involved here is your chance to speak up and present to the group.

Positive Vision, Practical Action evening

Grey Lynn 2030 has a vision of a self –reliant, positive, resilient, vibrant, connected and sustainable community. This month  the focus groups are updating  on making this vision a reality through practical steps. The Grey Lynn Farmers Market is a great example of what amazing results come out of our monthly meetings and community engagement.

Please come a long to get involved and share your ideas with the current focus groups (Waste Away, Traffic calming, Edgars Stream Restoration, Community gardens, Green Screen, Local Government Relations) or to get new focus groups up and running. All welcome at 7.30pm at the Grey Lynn Community Centre

Wilton St Community Garden
We had a fantastic day on Nov 4th with the BNZ CLOSED FOR GOOD crew at the garden.

We managed to clear all the rest of the jasmine and load all the pile of garden waste off the site, filling the 10 cm bin (almost all jasmine root) and paint the fence. Lesson learnt here for home gardeners, jasmine is very invasive.

The day was fine, BNZ team were lovely, we had no accidents and we even finished early. Everything ran like clockwork thanks to our incredibly fantastic team of Wilton Street gardeners who worked so hard to make the day a success – especially Jacqui for juggling childcare and taking care of the fantastic catering, Margo who took the day off work, Sarah for getting the paint donated from Ponsonby Resenes and overseeing the painting.

Thanks also to all those who contributed lovely baking and the people who dropped by during the day to see how it was all going and have a cuppa. Thanks to GL2030 for the bin.

If you are up at the Farmers Market this Sunday, do come over and see us. We are just behind the Gypsy Tea Room and we will be there on Sunday morning.

Mandy

Waste Away Group
Auckland Freecycle

Do you know about Freecycle? In Auckland there are now 1120 members and we are wishing to grow further.

Can you get involved to keep good things out of landfills and helping out our community in keeping New Zealand clean and green. So when you have something that is too much hassle to sell, you don’t want to see destroyed by the scrap metalers in the inorganic and you have nobody to give it to. Freecyle is the thing.

Once you join, please tell your friends, boss, co-workers, family, neighbours about this way of parting with usable items so that somebody else can use them.
If you got only one person to join it would make a huge difference in expanding our purpose and making our community a cleaner place to live.

http://groups.freecycle.org/aucklandfreecycle

Grey Lynn Farmers Market

Nothing much to eat in the house? Never fear, the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market is here to entertain you this Sunday morning, plus provide you with all the fresh produce you will need for a delic\ous Sunday lunch and see you through the week to come.

Every Sunday but the last of the month the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market stallholders are serving you with a smile and story of their local produce. From meat and fish, to nuts and honey, to the freshest vegetables of all varieties, it’s all there. And to mark the beginning of summer, fresh strawberries will be available at the market this weekend.

If you have a surplus of fresh produce or seedling, remember you can bring it along to sell or barter at the Ooooby stall. It’s a real help if you can bag it up in saleable units before you arrive and pop your name and a price on the bags.

Save the date: the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market is hosting a Twilight Market on the last Saturday before Christmas, 19th December from 6pm to 9pm, Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn.

We look forward to seeing you all at the market tomorrow.

From the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market Committee

Grey Lynn Festival
Do you love living in Grey Lynn?… Grey Lynn Park Festival needs local volunteers for the information tent and other areas of the festival
The festival is on Saturday 28 November at Grey Lynn Park..The festival has changed over recent years. It got very big and now the aim is to bring it back to our community. If you have been scared off by the crowds in the past it is quite different now. Note the lack of big name bands and big publicity. For those of you who have been in the neighbourhood a while it is a great chance to catch up with old friends.
There are the usual smorgasboard of stalls and activities going on through the day, there will be a surprise around every corner! Grey Lynn 2030 will be there in the community space with the community gardens, the Farmers Market and other local groups.

Visit the KidZone on the top field
If your child would like to have a children’s stall, we will have a free marketplace area especially set up from 10 -12 for traders under 13 please register beforehand!
And also we have a scarecrow competition, create a scarecrow, bring it to the Childrens Area Coordinator, Monique who will be in the ASB tent and then they will be judged and announced on the Whanau stage at 1pm

Just like the Farmers Market, it is good if you can bring cash and leave your car at home.

Please come on down and celebrate the 25th gathering of our Festival

For any queries please either email Angela at greylynnparkfestival@gmail.com or call me on 027 202 9609

Auckland Energy Consumer Trust election campaign

Unfortunately Pippa didn’t make it to be on the AECT. The Citizens and Ratepayers group were the winners. Well done to Pippa for giving it a go.
What a lot we have learned! Thanks to those who voted and helped. Here is Pippa’s update.
www.pippacoom.co.nz

Other Local Events and Groups

New Zealand Youth Delegation

The New Zealand Youth Delegation are 12 passionate young Kiwis, working to ensure our climate policies look after the planet and people for generations to come. We’re heading to the United Nations Climate Change Conference this December, in Copenhagen, Denmark. . .

Join NZYD for an evening of fun!
Charity auction.. Fun and celebrations.. Drinks & nibbles.. Live entertainment!..
All funds raised.. Helping us get to Copenhagen.
Thursday 19 November. 6pm.
Freemans Bay Community Hall, Auckland.

Please R.S.V.P. to nzyd2009@gmail.com

NZYD is a charities registered organisation, under the umbrella of 350 Aotearoa.
Suggested koha is $5 – $10 per person. For auction items we will gladly accept cash, cheque, and direct credit.

www.youthdelegation.org.nz

Fly My Pretties Competition
I work for  Ecostore and couldn’t resist sharing this with you as unless you are on the ecostore mailing list you wouldn’t know about the Fly My Pretties tickets competition. (If you say Who? this is not for you) Ecostore are sponsoring the Wellington based Fly My Pretties musicians in their upcoming “Encore” shows in Auckland (Dec 4th) and Wellington (Dec 5th). The Encore Show features work from their beautiful new album ‘A Story’. There are 2 tickets for each show to give away. If you want to enter the competition, please click to enter.

City Vision Special General Meeting
When: Wednesday, 11 November, 7.30pm
Where: Auckland Horticultural Society Hall, 990 Gt North Rd, Western Springs (opp Motion Rd)

City Vision (the Green Party, Labour, Alliance and like-minded community independents) is the campaigning organisation for the broad left in the local body elections in the (existing) Auckland City. For information on our principles and policy see cityvision.org.nz.
You are warmly invited to this Special General Meeting. There will be reports on current issues, including the all-important regional re-organisation, and our progress in developing an organisation to fight the supercity elections in October 2010.
To facilitate the development of a campaigning organisation for the new Auckland Council in 2010, the City Vision Steering Committee recommends we establish a Campaign Committee to structure ways of working with other like-minded political and community groups across the region. We hereby call for nominations for the City Vision Campaign Committee for 2010. If you are interested or for more information, please contact Gwen Shaw, Deputy Chair, on gwenshaw@xnet.co.nz, 378 2188.

Grey Lynn Community Centre
The GLCC are looking for a new board member. Our Grey Lynn community Centre is a beautiful local asset. We have a small management committee who meet once a month. If you are interested in this please contact me suzanne.kendrick@gmail.com We would particularly like a younger person. Young to us means somebody in their twenties! We would like to see the centre used more on Friday and Saturday nights so if somebody has a good idea for a regular event please get involved.
Will need to get in touch this week so you will be ready for AGM on Thursday 19th November. All welcome to the AGM.

Pt Chev School Fundraiser – 6th November
Pt Chev Primary would love to see you and your friends at this fun night out in support of our school.
This is the major fundraiser for the year and is to raise funds for a new junior playground.

You need to get a ticket which includes:
A free Indulge embossed wine glass and carrier.
Access to the food market for free sampling and drinking.
Entry to the auditorium to watch four professional culinary and wine demonstrations.
The opportunity to buy some of the best food and wine NZ has to offer at reasonable prices.
Live music.
A fun night out with others from our community.
The chance to win a series of food spot prizes

Please go to www.indulgefoodfestival.co.nz or email indulgeptchev@xtra.co.nz

Pt Chev Transition Town Meeting
Next meeting is Tuesday, November 9 – Resource Room, Pt Chevalier Primary School, Te Ra Rd.

Don’t forget to bring something along to swap or give for market place if you can – not to worry if you can’t!

PT. CHEV TREASURE HUNT
A fun, free event for the whole family and neighbourhood
Sunday, November 8th , 1 – 4 pm, All over Pt. Chevalier
1 pm start at Pt. Chevalier Library – Finish at Coyle Park

Bring your family, friends and lively spirits and travel around Pt. Chevalier collecting clues that piece together an understanding of the suburbs amazing history and natural beauty.
You can choose a leisurely walk to find clues and surprises, go hard out on your bicycle or scooter to cover the distance, or just sit back amongst the hustle and bustle. There will be something for everyone to participate in and enjoy!

Bicycles (singles and tandems) can be rented on the day from Adventure Cycles in Pt. Chevalier. For more info contact them directly or adventurecycles@woosh.co.nz

New Farmers Market – Royal Oak Market – opens 22 November(14 Erson Avenue, Royal Oak).  As a Transition Town group we support local initiatives. We are very pleased to see a new market has sprung up. We hope the locals will get behind this market and be able to walk or cycle there.. The market is being hosted by CCS Disability Action, a not for profit organisation that supports people with disabilities.  Over 40 stall holders will be selling a variety of artisan foods and products – french pastries, olive oil, cheese, honey, fresh fish, fruit and veges, artwork, jewellery, ceramics, kids clothing and gifts.

Do we have any Food Co-ops in Grey Lynn?
If anybody knows of any Grey Lynn food co-ops could they contact Joel Hildebrandtjoel@earthsong.org.nz at Earthsong, so we can share information and cooperate between cooperatives.

Calendar of Upcoming Local Events

November
6 – 10th Richmond Rd School – Art with Love Public Art Auction
Sun 8th Grey Lynn Farmers Market
Sun 8th- Pt Chevalier Treasure Hun
Tue 10th – Pt Chev Transition Town Meeting
Wed 11th Grey Lynn 2030 Monthly Meeting
Sat 28th – Grey Lynn Festival 10 – 6

December

Not at all local but would looks good…

16th December Climate Camp – http://www.climatecamp.org.nz/
19th Grey Lynn Farmers Market Twilight Market

Have a great weekend. Also am trying out some new email software www.mailchimp.com
Can you let me know if the formatting is OK at your end?Thanks

Suzanne Kendrick
Grey Lynn 2030 Steering Committee
www.greylynn2030.co.nz
www.Twitter.com/greylynn2030
www.facebook.com/GreyLynn2030

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead

With only 2 days remaining in the AECT election a disappointing 14.65% of eligible voters have so far returned postal ballots to decide the 5 trustees of the Trust. At the same time in the 2003 election the turnout was only slightly better at 17.5%.  Independent Candidate Pippa Coom, a lawyer who previously worked at Vector, visited nearly the whole Trust area over the course of her campaign and found a high level of ignorance about the Trust and very little awareness about the election.

 ”Voter apathy is a real concern but can be explained by the fact most people do not realise they are beneficiaries of a Trust which this year received income of $98m and has an asset valued at approximately $1.5bn. The current Trustees have clearly not being doing enough to communicate their role and to justify excessive Trustee fees” said Ms Coom

 ”The election has given me the opportunity to attend community meetings all over Manukau City. It has convinced me that you can’t beat face to face communication with the beneficiaries of the Trust.  I have been overwhelmed by the warm reception I have received and if elected will be heading straight back to South Auckland to start a conversation about what the community could best do with the $98m dividend”

 “I feel very fortunate to have been made redundant from Vector at the beginning of the year. Without that push I would not have thrown myself into working for the transition town movement through Grey Lynn 2030 nor with the support of Grey Lynn 2030 pursued the idea to run as an independent candidate with aim of putting community into the Trust and setting a sustainable direction for Vector.” said Ms Coom

 Suzanne Kendrick, steering committee member has really seen Grey Lynn 2030 grow from strength to strength in the first year of the group. “In only one year we have achieved so much through practical action in our community. We now have about 800 supporters on our contact list. The Grey Lynn Farmers Market is one of our biggest success stories. From one of our monthly meetings volunteers got together to make it happen and after 8 weeks of being open, the market is hugely popular for locals and is already running at a profit.  We have other groups focusing on stream restoration, minimising waste, community gardens, traffic calming – all through a shared positive vision to make our community sustainable.” said Ms Kendrick 

“If Pippa gets elected – and if the feedback I am receiving is anything to go by it is looking very likely that she will become a new trustee – it will be fantastic way to celebrate Grey Lynn 2030’s first anniversary. It will really show what can be achieved in the community when a group of people decide to make an idea a reality – after all it all comes back to us as a community, we have to appreciate how much power is in the hands of the community if people get into action” said Ms Kendrick

Ends

Your voting papers should have arrived for the AECT election.  Please use them don’t just recycle them.

Vote for our Grey Lynn 2030 Steering Committee member, Pippa Coom

Voters not aware of their valuable asset

Only 21% of eligible voters cast their votes in the last election for the trustees of the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust in 2006.  This low turnout is surprising because the asset of the Trust is worth approximately $1.5 billion – a 75.1% holding in Vector Ltd. The Trust received a $98 million dividend from its shareholding in Vector.  The low turnout is because power bill holders are unaware of the fact they are beneficiaries of the Trust and the important role that the trustees play in managing such a sizeable asset on behalf of electricity consumers.

Voting papers will be arriving in mail boxes in the Trust district from Friday 16 October and independent candidate, Ms Coom is taking steps to ensure that voters know about the election by visiting all of the super city–sized voting district over the next two weeks.

“It’s always harder for an independent to get elected but I think it is worthwhile getting out there so that voters know about their Trust, their ownership of a valuable and essential power asset as well as their option to vote for a credible, community focused, non-political candidate as one of the five Trustees” said Ms Coom, a corporate lawyer, most recently at Vector Ltd.   “Quite frankly, I have no idea why the political parties are so involved in these kinds of elections – especially for a non-political issue such as electricity supply.  I would have thought the main criteria for elect-ability was competence to address relevant issues rather than association with voting blocs” she said.

Trust beneficiaries have recently been paid a dividend of $320 by the Trust but the majority are still confused about where it comes from. Common misconceptions are that the money is paid by retail companies, the defunct power board or even one of the party tickets.

“We are entering a unique period in Auckland’s governance history with the implementation of the super city structure.  I think it is vitally important that Auckland’s energy consumers have someone on the board of trustees who is able to think about what is best for their interests without having to follow party allegiances” said Ms Coom.

Contact details

Pippa Coom
021 926 618
pippacoom@gmail.com
www.pippacoom.co.nz
twitter.com/pippacoom

Notes:

Profile -  Pippa Coom LLB (hons) Otago

Pippa has hands on experience of the energy sector and regulated industries. She is a corporate lawyer with over 15 years experience most recently at Vector – the Trust’s key asset.

Pippa has a life -long involvement involvement in community organisations. Her current work is focused on developing sustainable communities as part of Grey Lynn 2030: transition community, Cycle Action Auckland, Frocks on Bikes, and 350 Aotearoa (climate change action).

Pippa is standing as an independent candidate with the support of Grey Lynn 2030: Transition Community.

Come along to our Annual General Meeting and Special General Meeting

Date: 28th of October

Where: Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Rd. Same venue as the market
Time: 07:30 – 09:00pm

It’s a great chance to get to know other members and join in on a night of music, organic wine and kokako catering. Gardening personality Linda Hallinan is speaking, and there’s a couple of short films from The Outlook for Someday sustainability film challenge.

Not to mention lots of spot prizes from stallholders and local businesses, including wine giveaways, Yoga Ground and il buco vouchers and Weatherfield organic seedlings.

It’s also a chance to be involved in electing the Market’s official management committee (see below). To date the market has been run by an interim management team. We’re in need of keen beans to help keep the momentum of the Market going, particularly people with marketing and organizational experience.

We are now calling for Management Committee nominations

What is the Management Committee?

A small group of up to nine un-paid individuals who are passionate about the Grey Lynn Community and prepared to give up to three hours per week for the cause in addition to attending meetings as required.

How do I get involved?

Write a half page brief about yourself addressing the following:

1. What you can offer as a member of the GLFM  Management Committee.
2. Why you want to be involved.
3. What your vision is for the market.
4. How much time per week can you commit?

You can format your own submission or simply complete the attached template. Please submit all nominations to greylynnfarmersmarket@gmail.com by the 21st of October. These nominations, along with the AGM agenda, will then be circulated to all members for consideration before the AGM.

Thank you for your continued support – See you at the Market on Sunday.

The Interim Management Committee

Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market