Happy New Year! As we close the door on ’24, we hope you thrive in ’25. To prepare for the year ahead, let’s look at the year just gone.
We held our AGM on 2 December 2024 at the Grey Lynn RSC, Francis Street, Grey Lynn. It has been another productive year for your committee. Here’s what we got up to…
Committee Report for AGM 2 December 2024
It has been another productive year for the committee of the Grey Lynn Residents Association (GLRA), with one longstanding project coming to fruition and others progressing well.
Plan Change 78 – drifting on
Back in 2022 GLRA submitted on proposed plan change 78, a plan change prepared in response to housing intensification directives from central government embodied in the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) and a later amendment that introduced Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS).
The original schedule for the plan change would have seen hearings take place in 2023 and the final decisions on the plan change made at the end of March 2024.
However, the process has been delayed several times, and with good reason. The Auckland floods of early 2023 had devastating effects on parts of Auckland, and some areas that had not previously been considered prone to natural hazards were affected.
Auckland Council is gathering vital information on natural hazards and flooding, and it is expected that variations will be made to the plan change in response to the new information.
We await further news on variations to the plan change and dates for relevant hearings.
Thanks to Tania Mace for preparing the original submission and her ongoing monitoring of Plan Change 78.
Great North Road Improvements Project – finally confirmed
Brandon Wilcox and David Batten started working on this project in 2016, when funding was received from Waitematā Local Board for a community-led vision plan.
We undertook extensive community feedback during the research phase, had numerous meetings with AT, often with Grey Lynn Business Association alongside, and produced the Great North Road Community-led Vision.
There was insufficient funding for AT to implement our full vision, and so, recognising that Perfect mustn’t be the enemy of Good, we switched to supporting AT’s plan and advocated strongly to influence the most favourable outcome possible for our Grey Lynn community.
Eight years later, following several pauses, reviews, Covid, 2023 Anniversary weekend floods, a recession and budgetary constraints leading to moves to defer (i.e. cancel) the project altogether, and political rhetoric emanating from the mayor, council and government, a contractor has finally been appointed and work will start in January 2025.
We will breathe a sigh of relief when we see actual diggers on the ground.
One year ago the enabling works were in full swing with Potatau Street closed to all traffic except residents. Then followed works in Great North Road and Northland Street.
Our expectation that the works in Potatau Street and Great North Road would lead to separation of sewerage and stormwater, plus improvements in reticulated water pressure at the top of Potatau Street, did not eventuate and the unsatisfactory status quo remains.
This disappointment was further exacerbated with the discovery that the substantial enabling works that closed Potatau Street for three months were actually about correcting Watercare’s sewerage and stormwater connection from the Crest building on Great North Road.
We would like to thank AT, an entity better known as a target for a barrage of brick-bats, and especially Steve Willis, who throughout the enabling works kept us and affected residents informed. Residents comments and concerns were immediately acted upon, even down to the minutiae of individual residents’ rubbish collections.
Surrey Crescent Road Resurfacing Project – a big win
Surrey Crescent is scheduled for road resurfacing as part of AT’s regular road maintenance program. We campaigned alongside Grey Lynn School, Kāinga Ora, Cohaus and Bike Auckland for AT to improve the road rather than just delivering a like-for-like replacement of the existing infrastructure.
In particular, we wanted to see the temporary speed bumps and hit-sticks outside Grey Lynn School replaced with a more appropriate long-term solution that will both support the school and not cause unnecessary restrictions to motorists.
We also wanted to see cycleways included, as originally intended by the Waitematā Safe Routes project, which was meant to have been completed in 2018. This would connect the Karangahape Road and Great North Road cycleways with the Point Chevalier and Meola Road cycleways, providing safe passage for cyclists from Pt Chev all the way to the CBD and Auckland Hospital.
There were moves within AT to separate the road resurfacing project from the Waitematā Safe Routes project, with the latter to be deferred to an undefined later date. Our belief was that it would be supremely wasteful, and disruptive to local businesses, to do a halfway implementation now and then ‘dig again’ to complete the project at a later date.
We pointed out that doing both as one project supports the Mayor’s directive to “refocus cycle programmes on low-cost opportunities to complete the network and that can be delivered with minimal disruption.”
AT listened and their current plans are to undertake the road maintenance work and road improvements, including cycleways, as one project.
We are still working with AT on design details and are strongly focused on two areas:
- Advocating strongly on behalf to residents on the route to minimise and mitigate any loss of parking.
- Advocating on behalf of cyclists to improve aspects of the design to deliver safer and more efficient passage for cycles.
Thanks to Brandon Wilcox for his ongoing work on this project.
Parks & Reserves
Grey Lynn Park – great progress
Work by the Friends of Grey Lynn Park has continued in the Rose Road gully during the year. Several GLRA members are involved in this residents group, which meets every few weeks to weed and mulch in the gully and to restore the habitat there.
We have worked with council officers to have more trees planted in the main area of the park and hope for more to go in in the coming planting season.
Thanks to Nicola Legat and Joanna Hurst for the tireless work in the park.
Hakanoa Reserve – looking good
Our Friends of Hakanoa Reserve group continue in their work to make that area a truly beautiful sanctuary.
Grey Lynn Park to Hakanoa Reserve Blue-Green Corridor – new project
Joanna Hurst is working with Auckland Council on planning for the use of the blue-green corridor between the bottom of Grey Lynn Park in Dryden Street and the top of Hakanoa Reserve in Cockburn Street.
This corridor was created by the recent removal of homes that were damaged, and whose residents’ safety was endangered, in the 2023 Anniversary weekend floods.
Defence Force Pocket Park Proposal – progressing
David Batten continues to progress the concept of a pocket park on the NZ Defence Force land at 204 Great North Road. The changing political landscape has, however, impeded progress.
Cr Mike Lee made representations on our behalf to Helen White MP, which came to nothing, and the Hon Judith Collins Minister of Defence, who responded that the NZDF intends to create a car park on the site, supposedly “to alleviate pressure on adjoining streets”.
Our first objective is to gain an audience. We will continue to pursue that objective and have made contact with Melissa Lee MP, who as a list MP has more time on her hands for such matters compared to her previous tenure.
Arch Hill Advocacy
David Batten continues to advocate on behalf of the residents of Arch Hill on such matters as…
- Residents’ complaints regarding itinerant drug use and behavioural issues at the bottom of Cooper Street, Niger Street and Bond Street.
- Residents’ concerns regarding path lighting between Niger Street and Arch Hill Reserve.
- Liaison with AT, Watercare, traffic safety, and Auckland Council rubbish removal during the Great North Road enabling works.
Quiet Sky Waitematā – Coxs Bay helicopter application
4 helicopter movements a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year between 7am and 10pm. That’s what the owners of 38 Rawene Ave, Westmere have applied for on the headland in Coxs Bay.
Auckland Council believes that this application could have detrimental impacts on birdlife, trees and the neighbourhood so invited the public to submit on the Resource Consent application.
We have been active in supporting the Quiet Sky Waitematā group and submitting on the Resource Consent application.
Western Isthmus Stormwater and Wastewater Upgrades Community Liaison Group
The Central Interceptor project is a 4.5 metre diameter tunnel from Māngere to Grey Lynn. It will collect wastewater from the existing network and take it to the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The aim of the Central Interceptor project is to improve water quality by reducing overflows by storing wastewater in the tunnel prior to treatment. There are currently 219 places affected by overflows. This will reduce to 7 once the Central Interceptor comes online.
“As soon as it comes online in Grey Lynn, it will reduce the total volume of overflows by about 80% and that’s the biggest step change that’s coming down the track.”
Big thanks to Paul Shortland for standing in for us as a community representative on this project.
Website and Facebook
The website is maintained by Brandon Wilcox and has been well used, with a number of blog posts on key issues during the year.
David Batten has maintained our GLRA Facebook page as well as the Arch Hill Matters Facebook page. Thanks to both Brandon and David.
David reports that over the last 12 months both Facebook pages have shown positive growth. GLRA has 669 followers; Arch Hill Matters has 386 followers.
Brandon reports that the top 5 most viewed pages on our website this year are…
- Home page
- Community Contacts page
- Blog post “Grey Lynn Public Toilets: Historic Loos Get Posh Makeover” [published April 2024]
- Blog post “Fatal Dog Attack in Grey Lynn Park – Malamute or Husky + Woman Owner” [published March 2017]
- Blog post “Great North Road Improvement Plan: Read our Open Letter to AT Board” [published June 2023]
We have 401 active email subscribers and our average open rate is between 50% and 70%. Our open rates are exceptionally high compared to the 21% average email open rate for all industries, and 25% for non-profits.
Constitution – new legislation for incorporated societies
Grey Lynn Residents Association Inc was incorporated under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908. In order to comply with the new Incorporated Societies Act 2022 we need to reregister under the 2022 Act if we want to remain as an incorporated society.
There are a few things we need to do before we reregister, such as preparing a new constitution and adopting some new processes to comply with the 2022 Act.
The 2022 Act modernises the way societies operate. It is more comprehensive than the 1908 Act and is designed to integrate best practice processes into all societies (for example, ensuring societies have good mechanisms in place for handling internal disputes and prepare financial statements to a consistent set of standards).
The 2022 Act places a stronger emphasis on officers acting in the best interest of the society, not its members.
Our first task was to prepare a new constitution that meets the requirements of the 2022 Act. This has now been completed and is being tabled for approval at the 2024 AGM.
Many thanks to our constitution sub-committee of Brandon Wilcox, Dan Salmon and Peter Bell for their work on this important project.
Finances
Thanks to sponsorship from Marc Collins of Barfoot & Thompson Grey Lynn we are able to continue providing membership to our members at a $0 annual membership fee.
Marc’s sponsorship also covers the hosting and support costs of our website and our Xero subscription.
The 2024 Annual Financial Report has been circulated amongst the committee and will be presented at the AGM.
- A surplus of $328 has been recorded for the year to 31 March 2024.
- Grant income of $520 has been recognised, being the remaining Community-Led Vision grant following the discharge of the society’s obligations.
- The only expenditure is the Xero subscription of $190 for the year.
- Cash at Bank is $691, a decrease of $190.
Many thanks to Paul Shortland for his time in preparing the reports for us, and Tania Mace for stepping in as not-the-treasurer while that position is vacant. If you would like to join the GLRA committee and help out in this regard, please step forward!
Thanks
Thanks are due to all the GLRA committee members, who have worked so hard this year for the neighbourhood despite their own busy working and family lives.
Special thanks to Tania ‘not-the-treasurer’ Mace and Dan ‘not-the-secretary’ Salmon for stepping in to support the committee while these positions are vacant.
Thanks also to Paul Shortland for his off-the-committee work and support.
Notable Achievements
In February GLRA chair Brandon Wilcox and committee member David Batten were presented with Good Citizens Awards by Auckland Council’s Waitematā Local Board in recognition of their tireless work on the Community-led Vision for Great North Road, and community advocacy.
In September, local historian and GLRA committee member Tania Mace launched her new book The Near West – A history of Grey Lynn, Arch Hill and Westmere chronicling the story of our neighbourhood through time.
A Notable Passing
We would like to acknowledge the passing of Nikki Kaye, our former local MP and staunch supporter of the area stretching right back to the Bunnings development, the early stages of the Great North Road Community-led Vision, and more recently a meeting to discuss the Defence Force pocket park concept over a couple of medicinal glasses of Spanish red. She left us with a dose of her usual invaluable insight and a list of potential contacts of substance.
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