Super City: Threat of urban sprawl worries rural locals

Rodney is very different from much of the Super City, a rural area with farmers markets and treasures such as the Muriwai gannet colony. Photo / NZ Herald

For residents in rural Rodney, Queen St seems another world away - which is why they are worried council decisions will be made in downtown Auckland rather than their own backyard come November.

Many do not see themselves having much in common with those living in urban Auckland.

This year local farmer Chris Thoroughgood told the Herald if she wanted to live in urban sprawl, she would not have moved into the country. "I moved up from Auckland to get away from Auckland. I would rather buy my own septic tank and water tank and stay out. We don't mind our rough roads. Warkworth is 20 minutes away if we want to go to town."

The city/country divide and urban expansion is a contentious issue for those living in each of Rodney's local board subdivisions, Kumeu, Warkworth, Wellsford and Dairy Flat.

For instance, planned changes allowing 1000 new houses to be built in Huapai has those in Kumeu up in arms as they struggle to see how water, waste and roading infrastructure will cope with the added pressure. However, as Auckland's population increases, the likes of Kumeu, Wellsford and Warkworth may well be areas where the Auckland Council deems suited to urban and industrial expansion.

Commentators say a larger, single council may be more willing to make decisions allowing land-zoning changes and more intense development that smaller, regional councils may have rejected.

However, in sitting on local boards, Rodney politicians will be using a new mouthpiece to let the others hear their views on urban development and expansion.

Rodney District Council does not currently have community boards as other local authorities in Auckland do. Instead, communities have relied on 12 councillors scattered over the district to feed local views in to council table debates.

But the Super City reforms, which dissolve the district council, create a local board of nine members to complement Auckland Council's "big picture" focus on issues.

Members of the Rodney Local Board will be elected from four areas, or divisions. This should fix the old Rodney problem of rural-dwelling councillors deciding what happens in the townships.

For Dairy Flat's one seat, three people are standing, including civil engineer John McLean, who currently chairs the Albany Community Board in North Shore City, and Alan Curtis, a Coatesville businessman who stood for the Rodney mayoralty in 2007. Mr McLean says the task is to "listen closely at grassroots level but get your voice heard at the senior level".

Kumeu has four seats, which have drawn eight nominees. They include sitting Waitakere City councillor Warren Flaunty, former Helensville MP Brian Neeson and former Rodney District councillor Thomas Grace.

Warkworth's three seats are being sought by five people, including sitting Rodney District councillor June Turner and former mayoral candidate Larry Mitchell, a finance and policy consultant to local government.

Five candidates are lined up for Wellsford's one seat, including Rodney Federated Farmers chairman James Colville.

CANDIDATES
DAIRY FLAT SUBDIVISION - 1 SEAT

* Alan Curtis
* John McLean, Independent
* Tim Murphy, North Now

KUMEU SUBDIVISION - 4 SEATS

* Rick Croft, Independent
* Sarah Ellis-Kirifi
* Warren William Flaunty, Independent
* Thomas Grace, Citizens & Ratepayers - South West Rodney
* Bob Howard, Citizens & Ratepayers - South West Rodney
* Brian Nelson, Independent
* Phelan Pirrie, Independent
* Brenda Steele

WARKWORTH SUBDIVISION - 3 SEATS

* Steven Garner
* Tracey Martin
* Larry Mitchell, Independent
* June Turner, Action With Results
* Jim Visser

WELLSFORD SUBDIVISION - 1 SEAT

* James Colville
* Greg Dempsey
* Stephanie Railey
* James Rolfe, Independent
* Sally Fiona Usher

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