Allowing future generations to live their best life in one of Auckland’s most desirable places is the goal of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board Plan 2023.
The three-year plan was adopted at a recent business meeting and chair Gary Brown says he wants everyone to enjoy and experience the local board area – from Waiwera to Campbells Bay – with its stunning beaches, beautiful parks and incredible views.
“Yes, our local board’s vision is bold, and yes, our objectives may not be achieved quickly, but we feel given how desirable our area is, it is vital to have a strong vision for how to keep it so special,” he explains.
The region’s 21 local boards are required by law to produce a plan every three years and community feedback has helped shape the Hibiscus and Bays board’s priorities.
They are:
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Māori outcomes
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Climate action
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Our people
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Our environment
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Our community
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Our places and economy.
Brown believes the board can achieve its objectives by providing funding for local facilities, prioritising initiatives that align with the plan’s goals, and through advocacy on important topics.
“First, we must continue to upgrade and maintain our parks, libraries, leisure centres and venues for hire along with the services they run which make a huge difference to our community,” he says.
“Secondly, we will prioritise initiatives that will support our goals such as community-led resilience groups and coordinating pest-trapping programmes.
“Thirdly, we will lobby on behalf of local people to other decision makers, including the mayor and central government. We know that advocacy achieves results, and it’s through the longstanding lobbying of our board that O Mahurangi Penlink is getting built with funding from central government.”
Another strong focus of the plan are sports teams, youth networks, ecological restoration, the arts, and theatre. It’s here that volunteers and community groups dedicate many unpaid hours and make a huge contribution to the area through their efforts.
“Much of the work we do as a local board is supported by them and this goodwill, more than anything else, makes Hibiscus and Bays a great place to live,” Brown adds.
Other initiatives included in the plan are resilience planning for the future including preparing for emergencies and climate change. Helping youth to thrive by supporting the clubs and groups that help them. Making it easier to get around; advocating for it to be quicker to drive, more convenient to take public transport and safer to walk.
Brown says adopting the plan is a significant milestone and it will be used as the basis for the board’s work programmes and annual budgets.
“It sends a strong message now that the board has recently passed the one-year in office mark.
“We take our decision-making seriously and have goals that will continue to challenge us to work innovatively and do more with less.”
The adopted plan is here and the final plan will soon be published on the council website.
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