John Palino Launches Campaign and Confirms Support for Transport Investment

At his official campaign launch on Saturday Auckland Mayoral Candidate John Palino identified Auckland’s big four issues and set out his vision for the region.

“The Auckland Council has had three years to set the region on a path to a prosperous future, where our environment and our people are protected and nurtured for the betterment of all.

Instead, we’ve seen one lingering regional issue remain unaddressed and three more arise which threaten the stability and future of our city.

Congestion remains top of many Aucklanders’ list of the most frustrating things about our city. Far from developing a plan which addresses congestion, the Council’s planning increases it and the only thing keeping our city moving currently is massive central government expenditure in rail and roading.

Aucklanders might be able to understand increasing congestion if the Council was trying to rein in spending, but we’ve seen rates increase above the rate of inflation every year over the past three years, despite promises that a single authority would bring efficiency.

This spending has gone just about everywhere except to where it is arguably needed most – the development of new housing. We have a housing crisis in Auckland. Given that nowhere else in New Zealand except in earthquake-hit Christchurch finds itself in this position, I think there’s a pretty compelling case to say it is the Council’s policy which is responsible for Auckland’s housing problem.

Like its response to the congestion issue, the Council has deferred responsibility for housing unaffordability. It could have sought to ensure houses were built and resident’s most fundamental needs met, but instead chose to focus on removing Aucklanders’ rights to have a say in the development of their neighbourhoods. The Unitary Plan should be the seminal document for the Supercity and the symbol of local democracy in action. Instead it has left many feeling ignored, disempowered and hurt.

In my speech on Saturday, I outlined how I would address these four issues, starting with my vision to progress a satellite urban strategy to meet the future needs of the region.

In establishing a satellite city, potentially around Manukau, we can alleviate future congestion by spreading the flow of traffic around the city and by carefully locating new growth along public transport corridors.

We will be able to house Auckland’s growing population, sustainably and efficiently, by removing Council restrictions on development aligned with satellite growth.

By concentrating new development in an area which we can service effectively with public transport, water and other high cost Council infrastructure, we can keep rates below the rate of inflation.

And I’m going to do this through a collaborative, community-focused and democratic approach to governance. I’m not going to force growth on communities that don’t want it and I’m going to ensure that benefits from satellite developments are directed back into local areas.

That’s how I’m going to address Auckland’s big issues over the long term, but I also recognise that we need to make difference now. That’s why in my first months as Mayor, I’ll be focused on:

• funding and delivering park and rides at rail and busway stations

• signing and implementing the Housing Accord with the Government

• reviewing the Unitary Plan in partnership with local boards and communities

• and I’ll be doing this in a much more disciplined way that we’ve seen in the past three years – rates are not going up above the level of inflation.

Auckland has a big future ahead and big challenges to address. To get there is going to take more than just one person or one Council. That not only means working together as a region, it means working closely with central government.

That’s why, contrary to some recent reports, I support the Government’s recent commitment to transport in Auckland, including a new harbour crossing and its share of the CRL and AMETI-East West Link projects.

But what the Council must really focus on is how it can get the most out of big commitments. At the moment, these projects are not delivering the benefits that they otherwise could – a fact illustrated in successive analyses by Council and Government agencies which show poor economic returns and long term congestion.

I’m not afraid of big investment if it delivers big results. To do that, the Council, Government, business and communities need to come together and agree how we’re going to make that happen.

If I’m Mayor, I’ll be extracting the most possible value from large projects like AMETI, the harbour crossing and CRL, because that’s how we’re going to keep rates down and incomes up,” said Palino.

The Office of John Palino 63 Ponsonby Road, Auckland
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