Some things are going to change Yes I made my submission to the annual plan joined by many of my fellow citizens. You will have seen a copy of the submission during the week. There are 17 Councillors on our Council plus the Mayor and yet only five Councillors were present in Botany to hear submissions. If there is a time when the whole Council should be present to hear from the community, it is at Annual Plan hearings.

Our Councillors are now being paid between $50,000 to $80,000 per annum. This remuneration is well above the national average. It is a reasonable full-time wage, and it is time for our representatives to treat the job as their primary task.

We need our leaders to step forward

Our city now has $6 billion of assets and has an annual budget of $200 million. This Council needs our Councillors to lead the policy debate and give strong direction to officers. They need to be meeting through the day, not at night after their “work”. How can we drive down costs, confront the problem of youth gangs and graffiti, grapple with the environmental impact of residential growth and increasing gridlock on our roads when some of our representatives can only attend to civic matters after five.

It is time for a serious rethink of our Council’s political structure to ensure our communities’ hopes and aspirations, reflected through their representatives, are driving this Council and city forward during this next crucial stage of our city’s development.

Scars on the Heart - Star of the Sea

I have sailed back into the debate over the future of the Star of the Sea building in Granger Road Howick. Some issues in communities bleed and fester like an open wound with people never able to finish a debate, decide an issue for better or worse, and then move on. This issue is one of those.

I have proposed a resolution to the Howick community. This old school building sits on reserve land overlooking Howick Beach. Having tried to persuade Council to sell the building and land to private interests, and failed after a very long process, I believe we should now make the best of the building and put it to part-commercial/part-community use.

I suspect that neither the supporters nor detractors will find this suggestion much to their liking but I have found in my law practice that often the best solution is one neither party likes. Some will give me a whipping for my view on this, but I don’t think the community could go too far wrong with this proposal. As your Mayor I would refuse to allow these open sores to fester and divide the community for too long without resolution.

Papatoetoe Sports Awards

These awards were celebrated for the 21st time last Sunday night. It was a great show and congratulations to Ian McGechie and his team for an excellent evening. The awards lapsed for ten years after Papatoetoe was integrated into Manukau in 1990. Fortunately the awards have been reinstated.

This evening celebrates “Papatoetoe-ness”, and is parochial, which is great. It celebrates civic pride and achievement, particularly of our young people. In these days in the face of challenges from drugs, gangs and disrespect for community, the attraction of sport and its importance in shaping healthy, disciplined and balanced young people is more crucial than ever.

Volunteers - the back bone of great communities

The best part of the Papatoetoe sports awards evening was the recognition given to those who had for decades served their clubs and ensured their continued operation for the benefit of the kids. Thousands of unpaid hours, hundreds of sausage sizzles and bottle drives by parents, all for the love of their kids. Together with friends and neighbours, their passion for sport and commitment to their community means it can be a place they are proud to call home. My respect and regards to you all. Well done Papatoetoe!

Len Brown,

Mayoral Candidate, Manukau City, 2007.

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