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Posted on 17-9-2004
Tamaki Drive Protection Society Debate
Speech by Christine Fletcher, 17 Sept04
You have asked me to give my views on the Eastern Motorway, the Marina
Development at Okahu Bay and growth developments in this area. Firstly
however, I want to tell you about the regionally agreed vision for
transport in Auckland.
We are seeing an enormous effort by the roading lobby to influence you to
support the Eastern Motorway. The Mayor has staked his reputation on it.
I want to tell you it is time for Auckland Business Forum, Mr. Banks and
Mr. Hubbard to stop wasting everyone's time and money driving their own
agenda on the Eastern Motorway. We must support the urgent regional
priorities to give immediate relief to the congestion clogging our roads.
So what is in this plan for Auckland?
The adoption of the Regional Transport Plan prioritises SH20 for
completion. We have Government support for funding. We need to accelerate
the consenting process whilst looking for strategies to minimise
environment effects like cut and cover. We have to upgrade our existing,
under-utilised railway investment now we finally have the rail corridors
back in control with new state the art fast electric trains linking our
region. Light Rail (option 2A - aboveground trams-based, linking the CBD
through Britomart with universities, Newmarket and Western Line, cancelled
by this current Council)
Don't let them fool you that we have to become a larger city for light
rail to work. That is nonsense. We can do it now on our existing
population base We need to finish the bus lanes, provide really safe
"park and ride" facilities that are convenient for people and not crowd
existing inner-city streets. Provide"walker and bicycle" friendly services
by improving the
footpaths. New piers and greater choice of ferry services, taking
advantage of our harbour city status, just as Sydney has done. Integrate
the ticketing to make it simple and inexpensive to use and ensure 24 hour
service. I have followed the Eastern Corridor debate now for 15 years.
As MP for Epsom it was apparent to me that population growth coupled with
the decision to allow unlimited cheap second hand cars to congest our
roads meant the country was going to have to make substantial investment
in public transport infrastructure. As MP I polled Auckland issues every
three months. From 1996 on I polled the electorate on the Eastern
Motorway. These polls repeatedly demonstrated that the Epsom electorate
(Parnell, Remuera, Mt. Eden, and Epsom) favoured urgent investment in
rail-based public transport and wanted the retention of the assets of the
Auckland Regional Services Trust to provide seeding funds for these
initiatives. At no time did they support an Eastern Motorway.
I chaired the Transport and Environment Select Committee In Parliament
working closely with the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment
Morgan Williams. As a result of an inquiry we undertook we managed to get
statutory changes being made to Transfund in to enable the funding of
public transport as well as roading. Acquisition of the rail corridors
became the next major obstacle to overcome.
Britomart became the circuit breaker. I am very proud of what the previous
Council achieved on Britomart. It is difficult to achieve any major
projects inside of a three year electoral cycle but managed to cancel the
flawed contract that would have cost the city up to $300 Million in
liabilities; stage an international competition of best design for a state
of the art transport interchange; also allowing for the best use of 5.2
hectare site with the preservation of the 18 heritage buildings to
transform the most grotty and rundown part of the CBD to become a vital
area of waterfront development that generates further investment and
growth in the CBD waterfront area and adds to the Viaduct area; completing
all consenting and funding contracts in place prior to elections.
We achieved with a council that did not have a majority. That was how we
ultimately brought the region together. It will be the hub of a new state
of the art system if we get on with it. The roading lobby throughout the
period kept up a relentless attack on rail. I knew we needed data and
reasoned arguments to defeat the nonsense being promoted by them and on
talk back pushing the issue on the emotions of a frustrated public not on
well founded facts or policy.
In May 2001 Catherine Harland as the Chair of the Transport Committee and
I asked for information that I knew would torpedo the project once and for
all. I believe we have been successful because none of these questions
have been answered to date. The May 2001 resolution required Council to
report on:
1. That the impact of any transport development along the Eastern
corridor will be predominately experienced by Auckland City communities
and for this reason their concerns must be identified and taken priority
over those of other interest groups.
2. That the study must not concentrate solely on transport and
accessibility issues but it must include an assessment of the growth and
land-use objectives which Council and the region are seeking to achieve.
3. The study must include detailed consideration of the wider effects
of any transport developments in the Eastern Corridor and take into
account: The effects on the sensitive natural environments including an
assessment of the impact on the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park
* Community severance and or cohesion
* Priority provision for a separate rail based rapid transit facility
through the corridor
* Auckland City Council Strategic Plan "Effective Transport" outcomes
* Auckland City Council Liveable Communities Strategy
* The Regional Plan: Coastal
* Other relevant plans and legislative requirements
* Options for using only portions of the corridor for roading purposes
* Iwi concerns
* A traffic impact assessment of a highway upon Tamaki Drive and the CBD
That there is no presumption in the Study that the Eastern Corridor will
automatically become part of the State Highway/Motorway network and
therefore must be designed to meet those standards.
That the Manager Transport Planning be authorised to approach Transfund NZ
for a subsidy to undertake the phase 1 study with costs estimated at
$200,000 (it is noted that the study will not proceed if the Council is
not successful in gaining a substantial subsidy from Transfund.)
This was 2001. Here we are today, three years later with the most senior
officers of council unable to answer any of these issues. I might add the
budget we set of $200,000 has under Banks run without into the millions
whilst not being disclosed within the city's budget.
The only response Auckland City has made has been in the area of route
protection. The designation has been extended for a further 10 years. The
fact is the implications of the Eastern Motorway are so devastating on
community, environment and so ridiculously expensive that there are no
answers. Hence no officer of Council has been able to sign off a report
to proceed.
The June 2004 report to the Transport Committee was signed out at the
highest level of Council under Director McPherson. This report states
there is no authorisation for Council support or publicly commit to the
component of the Eastern Corridor that is roading. The report says on
page 5 " is clear that more work is needed in all of these areas to
develop a comprehensive understanding of the extent and range of impacts
and processes that will need to be addressed to enable the project to be
progressed."
I don't have time to outline the many concerns this report identifies,
however read pages 60 -63 and the heading under Consistency with National
and Regional Policy Framework.
Never in my 15 years of political life have a seen a senior Officers
report on policy that is so openly damning of a project. I am happy to take
any further questions on this matter later in the meeting.
On the matter of growth in this area I am concerned that the Central
Sector Agreement has not sufficiently taken into account the vital social
services that make up communities. There is little or no provision for
planning for schools, hospitals, parks, and open space. I believe that a
review must be put in place on the population targets that exceed 250,000
additional residents inside of the next twenty years.
I also believe that there are far too many developments being pushed ahead
Auckland anticipating this growth and many of these are being processed on
a non notified basis. If there is one thing we must urgently do in the
city it is to demand that this stop and where intensive development is
taking place applications be notified.
The status of the marina development is that Resource Consents were
obtained in August 2003 and finalised in May 2004 after appeal for a 172
berth marina. I understand that they were lodged by a Mr Tony Mair with
Orakei Marina Developments. I am surprised that the consents were approved
because I would have thought the proposal inconsistent with the city plan.
Finally Auckland's strategic plan calls for a boardwalk from St Heliers
through to Westhaven and Herne Bay; with international events like the
Volvo stopover to complement Auckland's reputation as a premier
harbour-city tourism destination. I want Auckland to build an eco-economy
that builds on the city's unique icons, with tourism and marine events; we
need real business and not just property development. We cannot achieve
this without clean and unpolluted water, land, and air. The investments
in our water/waste water/stormwater infrastructure are urgent and overdue.
The challenge is to ensure that the costs are shared equitably over the
generations that will share these services. Council must begin must
imposing the new provisions of the Local Government Act by increasing
developer financial contribution to city infrastructure where any new
growth is occurring.
I look for your support for based on my experience of the issues, my
political independence, and my demonstrated ability to work for Auckland
with or without a majority.
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