1. Urgently transition towards low emissions communities by prioritising and increasing, not reducing, investment in walking and cycling infrastructure
The mayoral proposal aims to “cut low-value initiatives, including raised pedestrian crossings and expensive gold-plated cycleways”. In monetary terms, this means cutting funding for cycleways by $141.5 million.
Increasing funding for active transport infrastructure is a smart investment that can benefit the economy, the environment and public health. Cycling is a low-cost, low-carbon and low-impact mode of transport that can reduce congestion, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Cycling also promotes daily, incidental physical activity, mental well-being and social inclusion. By improving the safety, accessibility and attractiveness of walking and cycling, more people will be encouraged to choose it as a regular means of travel, creating a virtuous cycle of benefits. This approach also creates better use of existing roading assets by making space for those who cannot choose cycling, walking or public transit.
2. Ensure public transport is affordable, accessible and reliable, prioritising investment in public transport infrastructure over road spending
The Mayoral Proposal includes a goal to “Make public transport faster, more reliable and easier to use”. Methods in achieving this are proposed to include; $50 weekly public transport pass, a maximum weekly charge for adults, exploring an annual pass, enabling payment with payWave, network optimisation, dynamic lanes and finishing existing Rapid Transit projects (including CRL and Eastern Busway).
There is also the goal to “reduce transport emissions in line with the target to reach net zero by 2050”.
Accompanying these great objectives, the mayor is also asking AT to undergo significant and concerning cost savings of $70 million (in net operating savings).
We agree with the mayor that “Aucklanders are more likely to use public transport if it is fast, reliable, and easy to use” which is why we are calling for public transport investment to be the top priority in the LTP.
3. Reduce private transport emissions by investing in community organisations and tools to assist behavioural change
To reduce private vehicle dependency in Auckland, we need both individual and collective actions.
Many people are already choosing low-emissions modes of transport, but Council and AT can support them by adopting measures that encourage more sustainable behaviours. We support congestion charging, which has been recommended in the proposal. This can help manage traffic and generate revenue for public transport (rather than fund new roading projects).
However, congestion charging is not the only solution, and Council should also invest in other ways to make our region more livable and less polluted. We acknowledge that some people need to use private or company vehicles. By reducing unnecessary car trips, we can also benefit those who need to drive by easing congestion and simultaneously improving air quality.
4. Lower emissions by becoming a leader in localised renewable energy generation
The Mayor has indicated that he would like to see the Council reduce their emissions and energy costs by generating renewable electricity on underutilised Council land and assets. This is a win-win for ratepayers and the region's emissions and may pave the way for similar initiatives throughout Auckland and other Councils.
Council should expand this workstream to include an analysis focused on understanding how they can support local integrated energy solutions to support community owned energy groups (such as the Otaki Energy Project). This would empower communities while creating affordable, renewable energy, increasing the region's resilience while decreasing emissions.
5. Continue to support moves to a circular economy and zero waste, ensuring waste materials are seen as resources to be repurposed, reused, recycled and repaired, and are diverted from landfill.
Achieving zero waste is a fundamental climate action. To be effective in this space, Council should ensure that the LTP aligns with their Waste Minimisation & Management Plan. It's crucial to support community organisations that have modelled effective para kore zero waste behaviour change approaches in partnership with Council and stakeholders. Adequate funding and support is essential to drive meaningful change.
6. Support frontline, volunteer powered communities by ensuring local boards are adequately funded
The mayoral proposal discusses the idea of ‘Accelerating fairer funding for Local Boards’ from a combination of new funding and reallocation as well as providing better support to local boards in the hope of making them more efficient and empowered.
The Mayor has proposed to use a 50% reallocation of funding from some local boards and 50% of new funding to get 18 Local Boards within 5% of “the magic funding equity line”. It has also been proposed to allocate a total of “$20 million of operational funding and $30 million of capital funding to be allocated in years two and three of the LTP ($10 million opex in each of years two and three, and $15 million capex in each of years two and three).”
Local board grants and investment into community groups and organisations provide great value to Aucklanders. For every dollar that Council invests we get back many more volunteer hours. Many local boards invest a significant amount into support for local community conservation to protect taonga species and landscapes. Community efforts like these are important for nature and communities, enabling and empowering residents to take action for themselves, increasing ownership of our environmental challenges across the community resulting in long-term sustainability for conservation.
Local boards are the government layer most closely in touch with communities. They are often community advocates, and are the point at which many stakeholders come together to make programmes possible. Reducing Local Board funding is a false economy as there would be missed opportunities and risks at local, sub-regional and regional levels.
7. Re-establish pre-2023/2024 budget funding for community and social services, including contestable grants (such as the Climate Action Grant), the Live Lightly programme, the Communities in Need programme, and supporting work on Council land and marae.
Last year, $7.9 million was taken away from a range of regional, community and social services. There is no mention of building this back up in the Mayor's proposal, leaving a hole in the community climate action space.
We are asking Council to re-establish these funds, specifically those that were allocated to climate action related programmes funded by general rates.
Auckland Council should support the sustainable funding of Enviroschools, programmes that support young Aucklanders to learn about climate change and services that better enable climate action from Asian and Pacific communities as well as Māori-led responses by both marae and rangatahi. This investment empowers the community to take action in both mitigation and adaptation creating a more resilient region, which we all know is much needed following the devastating events of 2023.
8. Re-establish the full funding of the Water Quality Targeted Rate (WQTR) and Natural Environment Targeted Rate (NETR) to pre-2023/2024 budget levels to ensure delivery and growth of related work programmes
In the 2023/2024 annual budget, the WQTR and NETR were significantly reduced by 77.7% and 48.8%. This reduction was promised to be temporary, lasting one year.
The Mayor has proposed the full programme of water quality stormwater projects ($779m) is funded, while setting the WQTR so that it covers only the annual programme operating and interest costs in each year. It is proposed that the NETR is resumed at the previously planned level to raise around $32.6m in 2024/2025.
Our terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments continue to struggle in the face of the biodiversity and climate crises. We need to urgently invest in what we have left before it’s too late. These targeted rates were the subject of detailed consultation in previous years, which saw Aucklanders submit in support in large numbers. It would be seen as a betrayal of those promises to refuse to reinstate their original delivery commitments..
9. Protect and work with communities by continuing to prioritise the funding and delivery of Making Space for Water in partnership with Central Government
As our climate changes, the frequency and severity of storm events are going to increase. We need to urgently change the way we interact with the natural environment.
Making Space for Water allows the land adjacent to waterways to flood safely, while providing for a whole range of other benefits such as riparian planting, wetland restoration, carbon sequestration, increased groundwater recharge, river habitat restoration for native fish and birds, and more recreation opportunities for people. It also offers opportunities to restore lost connections between Mana whenua with their local awa.
We strongly support this programme and believe it provides Council with a great opportunity to work with and understand the many community groups and organisations that provide such a significant and cost-effective range of benefits through protecting, restoring and enhancing nature in the region. Making Space for Water will provide a great platform for Council to better understand and promote nature-based solutions in an Auckland context.
Council will also have a key role in advocating for improved legislation relating to natural hazard decision-making (such as the NPS-NHD). Making Space for Water is fixing what we have. It is also critical that councils are enabled to avoid inappropriate and high-risk developments in the future, which will protect people, nature and significantly decrease financial risk.
10. Ensure appropriate funding is allocated to increase monitoring activity of current/active and future resource consents to enable better environmental outcomes.
Auckland is blessed with large areas of forest in the Waitākere & Hunua Ranges that provide significant natural carbon sinks, treat the city’s air pollution and provide us with recreation and respite, as well as being a haven for wildlife. But these forests are under significant pressure from weeds, pests, disease and overuse. Our indigenous wildlife need green corridors to move around the region and we are losing the trees and green spaces in the city as it intensifies. 60% of the urban forest is on private land and most of that is unprotected and may be lost within a decade. Developers may not need consent to remove trees or build new homes, but when they do it is important that the consent conditions intended to protect the environment while enabling development are implemented. This requires Council to monitor and enforce those conditions.
Each year, thousands of resource consents, including deforestation and waterway alteration, are submitted to Council. While granted under specific conditions to balance human activity and sustainable use of natural resources, some consent holders disregard these conditions, leading to harmful impacts on the environment. Many violations go unnoticed until it's too late, emphasising the urgent need for improved environmental protection against unlawful and poorly regulated activities.
The proposal sets out to "provide options that would increase our monitoring activity of current/active resource consents". It is crucial to prioritise this initiative. Having environmental protections in the form of consent conditions is ineffective if monitoring remains minimal.
The scope of this work must include the protection of trees through more effective regulation and by resourcing the evaluation of nominations for scheduling notable trees more promptly, so that these most special of trees remaining in our city can be retained for future generations.
