21 January 2011

Mayor looks to Auckland’s environmental future

In his goal to make Auckland the world’s most liveable city, the Mayor is focusing on Auckland’s environmental credentials and future as he announces a range of new initiatives.

Len Brown is asking council staff to look at the feasibility of rolling out the Eco-City model adopted by the former Waitakere City across Auckland.

“Cities with a reputation for high quality liveability, such as Melbourne, Vancouver, Portland, Seattle and San Francisco, all have a strong environmental focus,” says Len Brown.

Eco-Cities are inclusive, creative and resilient, focusing on more than just the physical environment. They recognise relationships between people, environment and the economy. Within Eco-Cities, urban and rural policy and planning set economic, social and environmental objectives while considering the potential impacts of factors such as technological transformation, changing demographic patterns, increasing resource scarcity, climate change, globalisation and worldview shifts.

“Auckland has a stunning natural environment. We will build on the achievements of former councils. It’s our responsibility to current and future Aucklanders to protect and improve it, and make sustainable choices.”

Achieving a low carbon future is fundamental for the Mayor’s vision of Auckland as the world’s most liveable city.

“The challenge for Auckland is to break the link between development, economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions, and move from a high energy-use, wasteful society to an Auckland that saves energy and resources and reduces waste. Aucklanders can tackle these challenges together with good policies and partnerships.”

Len Brown is asking staff to evaluate setting an aspirational target to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2025.

In line with the Mayor’s carbon reduction goal is an investigation into solar energy opportunities for water heating and electricity generation within Auckland.

An assessment of organic waste collection and processing as part of Auckland’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan is underway, and recommendations go to the Environment and Sustainability Forum in February.

As well as assessing new services, existing recycling services will be standardised across Auckland. From September, Papakura residents will receive wheelie bins for recycling, and Rodney residents by 2013, to allow for existing contractual arrangements. (Residents of former Papakura and Rodney council areas do not currently have wheelie bins for recycling.)

The Mayor is also looking into extending two programmes to enhance Auckland’s waterways.

‘Daylighting’ opens up piped streams, improving stormwater quality, reducing flooding, providing usable recreational open space on the banks, enhancing local sense of place and community, and contributes to a beautiful city.

Project Twin Streams is an environmental restoration and stormwater management project using a community development approach. Local residents and community organisations replant stream banks with native trees and shrubs. This stabilises the banks from erosion, creates a cool, shaded environment for ecology to thrive and filters toxins entering the streams, and ultimately the harbours.

A major step toward an open sanctuary at Shakespear Regional Park is almost complete. Construction of a 1.7km pest-proof fence built across the Whangaparaoa Peninsula is well underway with just installation of the gates to go, by the end of February. This project will eventually see the reintroduction of native species to more than 500 hectares of parkland, providing an important opportunity to conserve some of the region’s threatened species. The resulting Shakespear Open Sanctuary, a council community partnership, will become one of New Zealand’s most visited and accessible wildlife sanctuaries, integrating conservation with recreation and farming at this popular regional park.

Early next month, Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse will represent Auckland at an international mayoral biodiversity forum in South Africa. The LAB (Local Action for Biodiversity) International Workshop brings together mayors and technical experts from around the world to share to forge relationships, share research and practical experience. The costs of attending this forum are being met by the host organisation and government.

“We’ve seen amazing environmental initiatives and achievements in our former Auckland councils. Often these were excellent partnerships between the councils and local communities to enhance our wonderful natural heritage,” says Councillor Wayne Walker, Chairman of the Environmental and Sustainability Forum. “Now we can step up to take these initiatives across Auckland, to make it a sustainable, liveable and more beautiful city. I endorse these projects that the Mayor is setting out, I’m 100 per cent behind them.”

ENDS

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