Albert-Eden Local Board I Te Poari ā-Rohe o Albert-Eden

This consultation closed on 13 August 2020. Thank you for having your say.

We received 305 submissions, providing valuable insights from individuals and groups across our area.

Adopting the Albert-Eden Local Board Plan 2020-2023

The final Albert-Eden Local Board Plan 2020-2023 was adopted at our 10 November 2020 business meeting. We have attached an interim copy of the plan. The final plan, including formatting and photographs, will be uploaded to the Albert-Eden Local Board page on the Auckland Council website early next year.

The six plan outcomes are:

1. Resilient, connected and empowered communities who value diversity
2. Neighbourhoods that reflect and value our heritage and unique identity now and into the future
3. High-quality natural environments and sustainable lifestyles
4. A strong local economy with thriving town centres
5. Parks and community facilities meet a wide range of needs
6. Safe, easy and sustainable options for moving around.

Our response to community feedback

We received a lot of positive feedback from the community on our draft plan, particularly the focus on the community and on the environment and sustainability. We were pleased to hear we were on the right track, and it shows how valuable it is to get community input early on in the process.

In response to submissions we have:

• incorporated feedback we received from children and young people to reflect what is important to them.
• added a section about how our facilities are accessible to all and provide relevant programmes for our diverse community.
• strengthened the narrative and objectives to address concerns around the effects of intensification and implementation of the Auckland Unitary Plan.
• added new initiatives for advocacy topics that are important to you (e.g. retaining a pool in our area).

In addition, we received lots of ideas for projects we could fund or that we could advocate for when we speak to the Governing Body or Auckland Transport. As the local board plan is a strategic, direction setting document we have collated these ideas and will refer to them in future when we plan our projects or speak to other parts of council.

What’s next: Auckland Council’s 10-year budget

As well as helping us develop our local board plan for the next three years, and the work programmes to deliver on it, your feedback also helps us to advocate to the Governing Body on issues facing Albert-Eden.

You’re welcome to register to have your say on the 10-year budget (Long Term Plan), where we’ll be advocating on behalf of Albert-Eden for:

• funding to upgrade our sportsfields to address the current and future shortfall in sports capacity. We need an increase in playing and competition hours for the growing numbers of sports teams.
• funding to realign the Chamberlain Park 18-hole golf course, to develop a new park, walking and cycling connections and stream restoration.
• continuing provision of aquatic facilities in the Mt Albert area.
• a civic square to be funded at 915-919 New North Rd, Mt Albert, to provide a focal point for the town centre and connection to the train station.

You can help support our advocacy items by having your say on the 10-year budget (Long Term Plan) from 22 February to 22 March next year.

Nga mihi,

Margi Watson
Albert-Eden Local Board Chair

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who shared ideas, insights and gave feedback on what the Albert-Eden Local Board should include in their next three-year plan. It has been great to hear from you and see your creative ideas and passion for your communities and neighbourhoods.

Who we heard from

We met with local community leaders and organised 19 opportunities to hear from our communities. These were in partnership with local groups and organisations including the Ethnic Community Leaders’ Forum, Albert-Eden Youth Board, Asian Network Inc., Auckland Central Chinese Community Coalition, Epsom Chinese Association, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Nga Maungarongo, Waterview Primary School, Mt Albert Primary School, the Balmoral Chinese Business Association, Aria Park Retirement Village and the Sandringham Project in Community Empowerment (SPiCE).

We also heard many of your views at 16 face to face events and received feedback through three surveys coordinated by community groups. We also surveyed Albert-Eden Local Board residents through the Auckland People’s Panel and gathered your ideas here on our online ideas hub.

In total we received over 900 contributions from around 840 people.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, some of our community events didn’t go ahead. We look forward to continuing the conversation now and in the future.

What you said

These are some of the key themes we heard from all the feedback received:

• you value the diversity and sense of community in Albert-Eden and want to continue to strengthen community connections through inclusive events for all ages. You also want more opportunities for cultural and social exchange
• community wellbeing is important to you. You want to see more support for young people, volunteers, community and safety initiatives
• you value culture, heritage, and the arts and would like our local Māori heritage to be more visible. Promoting local arts and cultural expression is important to the community
• being able to move around Albert-Eden easily and safely is important to you. You want to see more cycleways, safety for pedestrians, frequent and accessible public transport and less traffic
• you value our parks and open spaces and want to see a wider range of play equipment and spaces for active and passive recreation.
• protecting and enhancing our environment is important to you and you'd like more opportunities to be actively involved. Businesses, schools and community groups told us you want to do more to protect our birds, plants and waterways and address climate change
• you want community facilities that meet the needs of our changing population, and provide more diverse activities for people of all ages and cultures.
• you want to promote the unique character of our town centres to ensure our local economy is strong. Local businesses want parking issues around shops addressed and businesses supported through local development initiatives
• Keeping informed and engaged with our decision-making processes is important to you. You want our public engagement to be more accessible to all of our communities.

What happens next?

All 21 of Auckland’s Local Boards are developing their new 2020 Local Board Plans based on what we heard and other inputs such as the Auckland Plan 2050, Long Term Plan, and Annual Budget.

We have yet to fully determine the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our communities and it may mean some of our plans and aspirations may need to change as a result. Our response will be delivered via the annual budgeting process but the decisions we make will focus on ensuring benefits for our community.

In July we will come back to you with an opportunity to have your say on the draft Albert-Eden Local Board Plan. We will be back in touch when phase two opens.