By Damian Light, Howick Local Board chairperson
As Matariki rises in the morning sky during winter, it calls us to cluster together to celebrate our world, our people and our home by remembering our loved ones, celebrating who we are today and who we hope to be in the future.
It鈥檚 been wonderful to see locals embrace this with community events and activities for all ages.
On Thursday, June 19, the Howick Local Board confirmed our annual plan, considering the inputs of public consultation together with staff advice, to balance the needs of our community within our constrained budget.
The majority (84 per cent) of our funding goes towards essential maintenance and operation of our parks, libraries, and leisure centres.
The remaining $3.3 million is used to fund community groups, environmental action, and arts and culture opportunities.
We鈥檙e extremely grateful for our community partners who work with us to deliver more than we could alone.
The highlight of our budget is funding for a temporary library for Flat Bush within the Ormiston Town Centre!
For many years we鈥檝e been working hard to secure funding for the much-needed Community Centre and Library, as well as the Pool and Leisure Centre.
With funding allocated to build these over the next nine years, we remain committed to delivering these essential community facilities as soon as possible.
In the meantime, from early next year Flat Bush will have access to core library services like the 3.4 million items in the Auckland Council Libraries鈥 collection, computers, printing, and activities.
We know providing a space for our community to grow and connect is critical and we鈥檙e pleased to be able to achieve this sooner.
Other highlights include our increased investment into environmental action with funding allocated to provide scientific monitoring of pollution.
Together with new funding for the T膩maki Estuary Waterways Collective, we鈥檙e continuing to empower local community groups and individuals to protect and restore the environment.
In response to strong community feedback, we鈥檙e stepping up action against illegal dumping of rubbish with dedicated funding for cameras and other innovations.
鈥婩ind out more and stay in touch:
Website: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/howick
Facebook: facebook.com/HowickLB
Monthly eNewsletter: https://bit.ly/42kdAlK