Media release
12 November 2013

Auckland’s future: Angel Landlords, Bees Alive, AK Splash and Guerrilla Playspaces.

Twenty four inspiring Aucklanders graduate from the Committee for Auckland’s Future Leaders Programme at a ceremony at the Auckland Museum tonight with four inspiring ‘legacy projects’ which will enhance the city.

The Future Auckland Leaders initiative is a key strategy of the Committee’s programme to ignite leadership in order to make Auckland one of the world’s great places to live and work. Committee members span the public, private and not for profit sectors and are focused on delivering collaborative projects important in the development and growth of Auckland city and the region.

Nominated by Committee for Auckland members from within their respective organisations, participants are individuals who possess strong leadership skills and succession potential. The Future Auckland Leaders’ Programme taps into the energy and insight of the city’s emerging leaders, cultivating their passion for Auckland and helping channel it into city-enhancing projects. Every two years, Future Auckland Leaders’ present their projects to the broader Committee for Auckland membership. The four legacy projects for 2013 are: Angel Landlords, Bees Alive, AK Splash and Guerrilla Playspaces

Two of these legacy projects – Angel Landlords and Guerilla Playspaces - are focused on the transformation of existing buildings and public spaces, both of which are well aligned with the City’s unitary plan. AK Splash arose from a concern at the amount of drownings in our waters and was a hugely successful event held on 9th November with 4,000 people attending. Bees Alive increases awareness of the importance of bees in our urban landscapes through delivery of an educational and ‘practitioner’ programme.

Executive Director of the Committee for Auckland, Heather Shotter is impressed with the Member & public engagement and the connections with community groups that are represented in each project.
“Future Leaders’ Programme graduates continue to deliver innovative projects meeting community needs. Graduates have considered the Committee’s vision for Auckland and connected and engaged with leading organisations to deliver projects that will enhance our city now and in the future. We are exceedingly proud of the class of 2013 who have pooled their individual strengths to deliver visionary thinking with tangible outcomes” she says

For more information:

Suzanne McNicol – Communications Manager
021 466 907 suzanne.mcnicol@committeeforauckland.co.nz

About the Committee for Auckland
• The Committee for Auckland is an independent, cross-sector group of senior Auckland leaders, who work to identify issues, generate good ideas, and move these ideas into action.
• Members include corporate businesses, not for profits, local and central government agencies and tertiary institutions.
• The Committee for Auckland's work programme is designed around an understanding that initiatives which foster talented people and a dynamic city-region economy will deliver a successful international city.
ENDS

Appendices: EMERGING LEADERS 2013 – PROJECT SUMMARIES

BEES ALIVE
The purpose of Bee’s Alive is to raise awareness of the pivotal role of bees to the identity of Auckland, while informing and engaging people to contribute to improving the health of bees in Auckland City.
A free online e-resource ‘Auckland Buzzing’ provided a local view to inspire the public to help natures pollinator’s maintain Auckland’s beautiful native plants and gardens, as well as our multi-million dollar agricultural exports. The ‘Bees Alive’ Host and Hive education programme aims to increase bee populations and healthy hives in both urban and rural environments within the Auckland region. Discussions held with various groups to match land owners with professional bee keepers have had a positive response from Iwi, community and corporate groups.

Project members & sponsors: Mei Hill (Sir Hugh Kawharu Foundation), Dana Alexander (Homestar NZGreen Building Council), Amy Feng (Auckland City Mission), Colleen Leauanae (AUT University), Kevin Maloney (KPMG /The Point Group Limited)

ANGEL LANDLORDS:
This project works with property owners to find productive short and medium term uses for properties currently disused, vacant and/ or awaiting development. Property owners are asked to grant a rolling 30-day licence to Angel Landlords, which in turn grants a slightly shorter sub-licence / occupancy agreement to suitable occupants.

The first Angel Landlords initiative was launched on the 1st November 2013 in a vacant retail space within the Stamford Plaza. Further sites are currently being finalised and strong relationships formed with Auckland Council and Business Associations around Central Auckland have meant that Angel Landlords has strong support going into the future.

Project members include:
Mark Burlace (Auckland Arts Festival), Vincent Lipanovich (Auckland Museum)
Tony Dench (BNZ), Susan Lindsay (Kiwi Income Property Trust), Kate Healy (Minter Ellison)
Matt Collis (Waterfront Auckland)

AK SPLASH

On Saturday 9th November thousands of Auckland families spent time at a fun, family orientated and informative event that raised awareness of water safety issues and encouraged lifelong fun in the Moana.
The event aimed to reduce Auckland’s open water drowning rates by increasing water safety awareness and encouraging greater collaboration between key water safety stakeholders. Joint water safety agencies gave away more than 500 free life jackets to South Auckland families. It is hoped that AkSplash will become an annual event.

Project members:
James Hawkes (Steelpipe Ltd), Amber Henderson (Fuji Xerox), Megan Horton (Todd Properties), Antony de Pont (Ports of Auckland Ltd), Jonathan Hulme (Ports of Auckland )

GUERILLA PLAYSPACES:
Guerrilla Playspaces brings opportunities for play and a sense of wonder to Auckland's CBD by delivering pop-up installations to enliven prominent, but under-used, areas of the Auckland CBD.

Over the past six months Aucklanders have enjoyed interactive planter-boxers at Waitemata place, drawn on new flower-petal tables in corporate boardrooms, sat on the guerrilla loungers in Silo Park, built pool-noodle forts at Coyle park and climbed on a pop-up playground at Mangere Bridge.
The aim is to leave behind an on-going ‘Guerrilla Playspaces’ programme throughout the CBD and other urban areas, leading to an increased opportunity for play on a permanent basis within Auckland’s urban centres.

Project Team Members :
Admir Mullaaliu (SkyCity Entertainment group), Alexandra-JaYeun Lee (New Zealand Institute of Architects), Helen White (Auckland Council), Lavinia Perumal (Regional district Health board), Liz Gellert (Simpson Grierson), Luke Krieg (AUT University), Richard Taylor (Opus Consultants)

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