Albert-Eden-Puketapapa Candidates 2022

Yes. Free Public Transport will help address some challenges that impact communities and our city. Including transport poverty, and climate change it will favor increased use of P.T and reduce carbon emission. Therefore will contribute to minimizing the impact of climate change.

2) What other measures will you take to incentivise public transport use and reduce congestion? 

• Reward Hop card users,
• Educate people on public transport use, accessible use, faster routes and community benefits of public transport usage.

3) How will you address the causes of crime?

• Support government initiatives dealing with the causes of crime.
• Poverty
• Education system
• Deprivation
• Rationality and Subrationality
• Emotions
• Support initiatives such as Meals for schools programs,
• After school educational programs
• Helping students with learning barriers

4) Do you support or oppose halting construction of the marina at Pūtiki Bay?

The marina at Putiki Bay has resource consent tested through courts actions and the decision is therefore not in the hands of elected representatives.

5) What measures will you take to protect renters, including tackling rising rents? 

I have signed up to Renters United ask for local government candidates. I will support the council to provide support to the tenant advocacy group.

6) Will you vote for the creation of Māori wards in time for the 2025 elections?

Yes I will support the creation of Maori wards.

7) What will you do to end houselessness in Auckland?

I will support the funding of Housing First and the work of the Auckland City Mission and Lifewise working directly with the homeless. I will also support council funded services to address homelessness and specialist staff.

• Advocate for acute addiction treatment and rehabilitation center in Mt Roskill/ Mt Albert.
• Acute Mental health treatment center in Mt Roskill

8) Would you support Auckland Council procuring or building council housing, or financially assisting communities and iwi to procure or build additional housing to combat the housing crisis?

Yes I will, I support the procurement of social housing.

9) What will you do to implement Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri (Auckland’s Climate Plan) and ensure Auckland reaches its 2030 and 2050 climate goals?

Support the implementation of the Auckland council 10 years budget 2030 and the climate targeted rate of the budget 2030

10) What is your position on sections of the Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw 2013 which have empowered police actions against rough sleepers?

I do not agree with the position of police taking action against rough sleepers, the police is not a social or health service. I will therefore support the provision of services needed to help but not criminalize them.

11) Academics Joanna Kidman and Vincent O’Malley recently highlighted once again the continuing presence of statues and street names celebrating colonial figures. Following the recent example of Hamilton City Council and others, will you invite mana whenua to decide what should happen with these symbols of colonisation? 

Yes. Colonization has had a generational impact on Maori people, culture and heritage. I will therefore support the mana whenua taking part in deciding what should happen with the symbols of colonization.

12) Limited trials of a 4-day working week with full pay show minimal or no loss in productivity, while studies suggest a shorter working week would significantly reduce emissions. Would you support a 4-day working week for council staff? 

I would support the four day working week for council staff as it will contribute to carbon emission reduction and low impact on productivity.

13) In your opinion, should Auckland Council allow the use of public venues by controversial speakers who are seen as pushing misinformation, such as conspiracies related to Covid-19, or hate speech like racism, homophobia and transphobia?

NO, public venues should not be used to push hateful ideologies, nor used by hate groups, and council facilities should have a policy and procedures in place against hate, racism, discrimination and the report and record of hate incidents.

Yes. It may be that we need to do trials for various sections of the community most at need, eg the Free Fares proposal, or that we do certain geographic areas and expand it over time.

2) What other measures will you take to incentivise public transport use and reduce congestion? 

We know that one of the other key barriers to public transport use, beyond cost, is frequency and reliability. I will support measures to address those problems, in particular around improving transport workers’ pay and conditions as shortages of staff is a big problem at the moment. Promoting active transport modes, and land use rules that enable people to meet their needs within a short walk or bike from home will also help. I have supported increasing investment in both public and active transport in my 12 years on the Puketāpapa Local Board, including local Greenways network planning and improvements, and successfully advocating to Auckland Transport for a new bus route for Lynfield.

3) How will you address the causes of crime?

Research over many years and contexts tells us that the strongest ways to reduce crime are to address poverty and community disconnection, as well as working on housing everyone and assisting with addictions and mental health issues. I am a long time supporter of the Living Wage, have pushed for local and regional initiatives to improve social cohesion, and also support the Housing First model and increasing the provision of social housing. In regard to addictions and mental health issues, while a lot of this falls with central government, I have been an advocate to reduce stigma and to resource services that work directly with those impacted.

 4) Do you support or oppose halting construction of the marina at Pūtiki Bay?

Noting the strong support from some mana whenua and the local board to halt construction, I respect those views and agree with that position.

5) What measures will you take to protect renters, including tackling rising rents? 

I have signed up to the Renters United asks for local government candidates, and am particularly interested in the support council can offer to tenant advocacy groups and around enforcement of rental rules, as well as council being an advocate to central government to rebalance the power mismatch between landlords and tenants.

6) Will you vote for the creation of Māori wards in time for the 2025 elections?

As central government is removing the legal cap on the number of councillors for Auckland, yes.

7) What will you do to end houselessness in Auckland?

I strongly support the Housing First model and the partnership work council has been doing with Lifewise and the Auckland City Mission. Council also has a role to create and inclusive and violence free society – many of the young people who are without a home from being rejected by their family after coming out, while for many women leaving an abusive relationship is when they end up living in a car or without housing security.

8) Would you support Auckland Council procuring or building council housing, or financially assisting communities and iwi to procure or build additional housing to combat the housing crisis?

Yes. I have worked for many years to save social housing at Liston Village, in my community, and hope to convince the new Council to reinstate social housing provision in the former Auckland City area. Working with communities and iwi makes sense, particularly in the provision of housing types that suit a wide variety of households eg multi-generational, including people with disabilities. I have also supported the building of KO homes in Puketāpapa, including in my own neighbourhood of Waikōwhai.

9) What will you do to implement Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri (Auckland’s Climate Plan) and ensure Auckland reaches its 2030 and 2050 climate goals?

Climate action is essential and not a “nice-to-have”. I will support investment in measures to reduce carbon emissions, especially in relation to transport, and to allow urban and suburban development that will assist with creating the 15 minute city we need for the future (where you can access most services you need within a short walk from your home). Council also needs to stop doing the activities that increase carbon emissions and I am especially interested to investigate that further and support changing business as usual to exclude activities that increase carbon emissions.

10) What is your position on sections of the Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw 2013 which have empowered police actions against rough sleepers?

Overseas research shows that having the police as the first responders for social issues does not work well for anyone. At best it moves the problem, rather than solving it. I would like to see social agencies be the first port of call for any issues with rough sleepers, rather than a punitive approach under the bylaw.

11) Academics Joanna Kidman and Vincent O’Malley recently highlighted once again the continuing presence of statues and street names celebrating colonial figures. Following the recent example of Hamilton City Council and others, will you invite mana whenua to decide what should happen with these symbols of colonisation? 

Yes. I have supported the adoption of road naming guidelines for the Puketāpapa area that prioritise te reo names and local connection, and the additional of bilingual names for many local parks, and see this as a logical next step.

12) Limited trials of a 4-day working week with full pay show minimal or no loss in productivity, while studies suggest a shorter working week would significantly reduce emissions. Would you support a 4-day working week for council staff? 

I would support a trial, as it would likely need to be implemented differently in different departments, as Council is such a varied workplace. I supported our local staff to be able to work from home before the pandemic made that necessary. The focus should be on getting the work done well, not how many hours someone is sitting in an office.

13) In your opinion, should Auckland Council allow the use of public venues by controversial speakers who are seen as pushing misinformation, such as conspiracies related to Covid-19, or hate speech like racism, homophobia and transphobia?

No. Public venues need to as much as possible be free of hate and misinformation, for those who use them and those who work in them. There are many private venues available, and online options, which could be used instead, allowing for freedom of speech.

No, but do support lower fares and lower maximum day expenditure cap

2) What other measures will you take to incentivise public transport use and reduce congestion? 

Support electrification of fleet, driver pay rates improved to support reliability (and fairness), improved connections.

Transit lanes subject to community consultation and support. Improve connectivity between bus and rail.

3) How will you address the causes of crime?

I regard policing as a Government issue but believe local and national police need help to refocus their efforts.

The Police have dropped the ball and current excuses are not good enough, so work with police to secure changed resourcing and more effective results necessary. There must be consequences for crime perpetrators. Council must be relentless in getting improved policing and justice outcomes. This is a full across Auckland issue.

 4) Do you support or oppose halting construction of the marina at Pūtiki Bay?

No

5) What measures will you take to protect renters, including tackling rising rents? 

A Government issue but I will support council policies that encourage landlords to increase supply and help Government to fastrack construction of social housing. Improving supply of rental properties is the best thing we can do to reduce rents.

6) Will you vote for the creation of Māori wards in time for the 2025 elections?

No, but I would support a referendum on the matter.

7) What will you do to end houselessness in Auckland?

I want to see more wrap around services and focus on the homeless, making sure there is more supply of suitable emergency housing

8) Would you support Auckland Council procuring or building council housing, or financially assisting communities and iwi to procure or build additional housing to combat the housing crisis?

Possibly, would depend on council finances. Government is the primary supplier here, working co-operatively with Government on local plans would be supported.

9) What will you do to implement Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri (Auckland’s Climate Plan) and ensure Auckland reaches its 2030 and 2050 climate goals?

I want to review the plan to make sure that Council has the right balance of common sense and deliverable objectives for Auckland – I will support if the plan stands up to scrutiny. It seems to conflate ideological issues with saving the planet, this should be changed.

10) What is your position on sections of the Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw 2013 which have empowered police actions against rough sleepers?

Support with compassion.

11) Academics Joanna Kidman and Vincent O’Malley recently highlighted once again the continuing presence of statues and street names celebrating colonial figures. Following the recent example of Hamilton City Council and others, will you invite mana whenua to decide what should happen with these symbols of colonisation? 

No, I don’t understand this issue. Is the proposition that the whole world should eliminate all such monuments, etc due to their origins not aligning with current mores and thinking defined by a limited group? World would be a lesser place if we applied this test. Much art has been the result of patronage of often/sometimes not very nice people. Where does it end?

12) Limited trials of a 4-day working week with full pay show minimal or no loss in productivity, while studies suggest a shorter working week would significantly reduce emissions. Would you support a 4-day working week for council staff? 

No

13) In your opinion, should Auckland Council allow the use of public venues by controversial speakers who are seen as pushing misinformation, such as conspiracies related to Covid-19, or hate speech like racism, homophobia and transphobia?

There should be no limits unless the law is being broken.