Aotea Great Barrier Island will benefit from Auckland Council’s record capital investment over the next 10-years focussed on keeping the region running and continuing to build for the future.
The council’s Governing Body adopted the 10-year recovery budget (2021-2031) last week which provides for a $31.8 billion capital expenditure programme. The spending is at its highest level ever despite difficult financial circumstances the organisation is facing in the short term due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Waitematā and Gulf ward councillor Pippa Coom says despite those financial pressures, the 10-year recovery budget still enables the organisation to deliver on the activities and services expected, while also investing in protecting the environment and improving water quality, reducing emissions, and investing in communities.
“The record $31.8 billion investment package will support Auckland’s recovery from the on-going impacts of COVID-19 and delivers locally for Aotea Great Barrier with significant investment into a number of local board projects.
“I’m particularly pleased that Healthy Waters regional funding will be allocated to the establishment of an emergency water supply on the island to supply residents with during extreme shortages. This will really help Aotea to increase its resilience in the face of climate change.”
Local investment
Among the local asset improvements budgeted for in the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board area are:
Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board
- Community grant funding - to mana whenua and community groups to support welfare, education, tourism, arts, resilience, and housing.
- Food resilience – working with mana whenua and the community to strengthen our food security through community projects, education, markets, and community gardening.
- Emergency water supply - to provide an emergency water supply and plan for Aotea residents, including the internal design of a small water treatment system.
- Freshwater management - to improve water quality outcomes through onsite wastewater assessments, school and community education sessions, citizen science, stream and wetland restoration, and grants for planting and fencing projects.
- Marine education programme – working with mana whenua and community to increase understanding and coordinated monitoring of Aotea / Great Barrier's marine environment.
- Mulberry Grove - seawall renewal. A multi-year programme to renew the Mulberry Grove seawall to prevent erosion.
- Integrated pest management - expansion of integrated pest management across high value sites on Aotea Great Barrier island. This work now covers 10,000 hectares of high value ecosystems and contributes to the protection of threatened species including pāteke and black petrel. Further investment enabled an Argentine ant eradication to protect the island’s unique environment. Although these programmes are primarily funded through the Natural Environment Targeted Rate, they are complemented through the local board's LDI funding.
Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board Chair Izzy Fordham is pleased with the investment into Aotea and says the island will benefit from it.
“Consultation with residents helped to set our key advocacy issues and local priorities - water security, food resilience, marine protection and support for community and environmental groups.
"The budget funding is a good outcome for Aotea and means we can move ahead with our work in these areas.”
As part of the 10-year recovery budget, each of the local boards also consulted on its Local Board Agreements for 2021/2022 year which outline its priorities, activities, and budgets for the 2021/2022 year.
Find out more about what’s in the 10-year recovery budget at our website.
