Super City: Challenge to forge links

Auckland, North Shore Aerials - Stanley Point, Devonport, North Shore towards Auckland City. Photo / NZ Herald

Hitching the string of villages on the Upper Waitemata Harbour to landmarks North Harbour Stadium, Albany Shopping Centre and Paremoremo Prison for the purposes of local government has a few residents scratching their heads.

"We are familiar with Albany - there's a lot of crossing over the bridge for work and school but we're a minor part of it," said June Kearney, who is president of Hobsonville West Harbour Residents' Association and a candidate for the new Upper Harbour Local Board.

Although many windows of Albany homes look out across water to Hobsonville, Whenuapai and Herald Island, residents see themselves as part of North Shore City, rather than Waitakere.

The election campaign of 18 board candidates will highlight that difference.

As a Herald Island resident said: "It's all new territory, new faces for everybody. The big problem is the people on the Shore have no idea of the area over here. It's new to them and the people here have no idea of what the people do on the Shore."

Asked what residents of the new board area have in common, candidate Graeme Hunt said: "Wealth. It's a well-heeled area and people want to preserve their property values; they want everything organised. They don't care about the Super City as long as their berms are mown every two weeks."

Greenhithe, where Mr Hunt lives, was the star performer in the September 2008 city-wide property revaluation, with values rising 25 per cent in land value in three years, compared with 17 per cent in the Albany Basin and 19 per cent in Paremoremo. Homes sell from mid-$600,000.

Greenhithe residents, fearful its green village character will be ruined by development, have candidates trained to their way of thinking.

"To protect the special lifestyle that Greenhithe residents have," is the election pledge of Sara Wei Walker.

At Hobsonville, Mrs Kearney is concerned existing residents are not overwhelmed by plans to build a town the size of Morrinsville (population 8000) on the former Hobsonville Air Base.

"Albany lacks a heart, and I will lobby to build a civic precinct with a town hall, skate park and basketball court to bring the community together," said Uzra Balouch.

Albany Community Board chairman John McLean said that there were issues such as adequate parks and infrastructure to serve an area growing at 5 per cent a year. But problems specific to communities needed fixing.

He said Greenhithe residents had tried for years to get council consent to remove nuisance pine trees from their boundaries and a stretch of Schnapper Rock Rd still had no footpaths.

Candidates include city councillors Callum Blair, who campaigned in the last election against a commercial airport at Whenuapai, and Margaret Miles, of Paremoremo, and Lisa Whyte, of Albany. They are joined by board members Laurie Conder and Andy Riley.

Also trying for the six seats are former MP Brian Neeson and Waitakere City Council member Warren Flaunty.

Albany's large Korean population is represented by Stanley Park, who is working to establish a $1.6 million Korean Garden in Takapuna, partly to honour New Zealanders who died in the Korean War.

Graeme Hunt, a journalist and author, joins Auckland Regional Council member and fellow Greenhithe resident Christine Rankin on the North Now ticket.

A Shore Voice candidate, Chris Kemp, of Greenhithe, said he wanted to ensure that the rates generated from the community were spent wisely for that community.

Mrs Whyte, also on that ticket, is keen to see extension of the park and ride at Albany Bus Station and improved feeder bus services to the Northern Busway. "Our property prices are among the highest in the region so we need value for money."

CANDIDATES

HIBISCUS & BAYS BOARD

EAST COAST BAYS SUBDIVISION - 4 SEATS

* Warwick Barrington-Nash, Independent
* Heather Brown, East Coast Bays Independent
* Jackie Brown Independent
* Sally Cargill
* Brian Casey Shore Voice
* Laurie Conder Independent
* David Cooper, Independent
* Gary Holmes Independent
* Toby Hutton, North Now
* Bob Jones
* Alan Mcculloch, Independent
* Julia Parfitt, Proudly Independent
* Dean Reynolds, Shore Voice
* Lisa Whyte, Shore Voice

HIBISCUS & BAYS SUBDIVISION - 4 SEATS

* Brian Chamberlin, Citizens & Ratepayers
* John Drury, Independent
* Colin Forster
* Gaye Harding, Independent
* Jennifer Kipfer, Independent
* John Kirikiri, Proudly Independent
* Neil Miller, Putting People First
* Greg Sayers
* Leanne Smith
* Zane Taylor
* Virginia Warriner, Independent
* John Watson, Putting People First
* Ross Yeager Independent

UPPER HARBOUR BOARD - 6 SEATS

* Uzra Balouch, Independent
* Rodney Bell, Independent
* Callum Blair, Independent
* Laurie Conder, Independent
* Warren William Flaunty, Independent
* Peter Henley, Independent
* Graeme Hunt, North Now
* June Kearney, Citizens & Ratepayers
* Chris Kemp Shore Voice
* Jonathan McDonald
* John Mclean, Independent
* Margaret Miles, Shore Voice
* Brian Neeson, Independent
* Stanley Park, Independent
* Christine Rankin, North Now
* Andy Riley, Independent
* Sara Walker, Wei Shore Voice
* Lisa Whyte, Shore Voice

* From the New Zealand Herald feature, 'Super City - Election Guide'