Auckland Council Needs a Kick in the Arse.
Poor priorities. Worse execution.
Auckland Council has lost the trust and respect of ratepayers.
That’s why I’m standing.
1: Better Decisions. Better Outcomes.
Like most of Auckland, I look at the things Council thinks are important to waste money on, and I’m baffled.
We currently owe around $13.2 billion - you read that right - with debt forecast to grow to $22 billion over the next decade, according to the long-term plan. I think that’s a plan that will keep ratepayers impoverished and in debt servitude for the next 1000 years, so isn’t really much of a plan at all.
Coupled with a culture of secrecy about expenditure that forces ratepayers into Offical Information Requests just to find out how their money is spent, and an impenetrable bureaucracy that adds further cost and pain onto Auckland at every turn, we’re on an expensive new motorway into the ocean.
I don’t understand why we have organic rubbish collection at a cost of $36 million a year.
I don’t understand why it costs $667,000 to put in a raised pedestrian crossing and three speed bumps (more than it costs to build a quality three bedroom home).
I definitely don’t understand why it cost $15.3 million a kilometre for a cycleway.
And I’m not alone.
That’s why my number one priority as a candidate is to see Council start making better decisions - ones that achieve better outcomes for the people of Auckland.
We’re supposed to be a nation renowned for our creativity and innovation.
We can do better.
2: Better support for small businesses.
Newsflash: small businesses are the economic lifeblood of our suburbs and communities. They provide local jobs, pay taxes, and contribute to local culture and vibrancy. That Council would become so captured by ideology it would enact any policy to hurt them shows we have a crisis of leadership and imagination.
I support the return of parking outside suburban small businesses.
I also want to see Council’s insane bureaucracy and mafia-like fees for small entrepreneurs fixed. We need more markets, pop-up food events, pop-up businesses, and local entertainment in our communities, but Council impedes these initiatives with absurd regulations and costs.
I want to know what Council’s 130 “Communications and Engagement Team” - a roster that must make it the biggest advertising agency in Auckland - are doing to help promote our local businesses. Answer: not much.
We also need a one-stop business support desk in Council to help all our small businesses with answers on everything from permits and consenting to grants and services in ONE PLACE.
I’ll say it again - we can do better.
3: Our Ground. Our Way.
Auckland is doing it tougher than other parts of the country in the current cost of living crisis. From higher unemployment, homelessness, and business failure, to suburban centres filled with “For Lease” signs, many Aucklanders are doing life exceptionally hard.
Surprise - Council’s not helping.
It’s time to cancel our stupid bylaws about edible berms. Let’s plant them with evergreen fruit trees instead of deciduous exotics that cast their leaves, clogging our drains and increasing our risk of flooding. According to AT, edible berms are a safety hazard. So is the “choice” for families between heating and eating.
I also support greatly increased funding for Auckland’s community gardens. They are a shining example of community-led efforts creating real and positive outcomes for Aucklanders. As I understand it, they got a total of $350K last financial year (less than half what it cost to build a raised pedestrian crossing and three speed humps).
Community gardens provide food for people who are struggling, as well as building a shared sense of community spirit and goodwill. Council should be supporting them with funding, equipment, and expertise wherever it can.
Lastly, double specified solar power on all appropriate Council buildings and infrastructure. There’s plenty of environmental reasons if you need them, but mostly it pays off in just six years. The excess power can then be sold back into the gird or used to subsidise households and businesses that need it.
Yes. We can do better.
Vote ZWARTZ!
If you agree, then Vote ZWARTZ on October 13.
Or don’t - it’s up to you.
But VOTE.