Liz November 12th, 2008
It is hard to believe that Auckland City is reducing spending on critical infrastructure projects. Waste water infrastructure is a fundamental need of cities. Auckland is clearly not going to meet it’s ‘BIG CITY BASELINE’ in this area - which is critical to the health and well being of Aucklanders.
“One project sure to disappoint Aucklanders is an $86 million cut in
stormwater spending that will almost certainly result in waste overflows
continuing at St Heliers and other city beaches for years longer than
planned.”
link:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article…cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10542482
meolacreek November 5th, 2008
The Press Release we issued last week has resulted in STEPS being interviewed by Triangle TV.
The interview is 10 minutes long and the program is “Scrutiny” - it is on at:
Wed 5 November 7.30 pm (Triangle TV) - and
Tues 11 November 9.30 pm (Stratos) - on SKY 89
Tags: media
Liz September 15th, 2008
In the case of Meola - it is not a creek when Housing NZ applied to Auckland Regional Council (ARC) for consent to cut off the meander at the top of the creek behind 96 Haverstock Rd. ARC chose to grant an UNNOTIFIED consent for Housing NZ to straighten the creek and build a concrete wall and lane over the creek bed as a permitted activity in a watercourse. So - by the time the Auckland City Council (ACC) public hearings for HNZ development of 41 units were held 2 months later - HNZ and ARC had already decided the creek’s fate. City Councillor Glenda Fryer has contacted ARC Chairman Mike Lee on behalf of the local community to ask how this happened.
We were pleased that the Kura Kaupapa in Haverstock Rd and the Environmental Network at Hort Research (who have planted around the wetland above the creek) joined STEPS and other submitters in raising concerns at the ACC Hearings in September. See attached JPG photos of the creek bed and the plantings above it done by the Environmental Network.
Our thanks to Community Board Chair Chris Dempsey - who appeared as a witness for STEPS and Meola Creek at the ACC Hearings. We await the decision from the hearings.
Meola Creek bed
4 months after Streamside planting June 2008
meolacreek May 14th, 2008
Stuff.co.nz is running a story on Mt Albert Grammar School head Dale Burden’s request for Metrowater to fence off the section of Meola Creek that runs through the school grounds. He says the water is so contaminated that rugby balls kicked in from the school’s nearby sports fields have to be retrieved with gloves on. Pat Prescott of the St Lukes Environmental Protection Society is quoted in the article:
“We’re hoping they’ll take some action now instead of waiting for another 20 years,” she says. “It’s filthy and full of bugs and really Third World.”
Pat points out that the creek has become polluted because the sewer system was built between 1900 to 1920 and cannot cope with the volume of people using it now.
Mr Burden of Mt Albert Grammar is quoted as saying that the problem is not the schools responsibility and that the authorities need to step in.
“I’m not interested in waiting 20 years for sewer separation to happen,” he says.
“They say they are a community friendly organisation but this is about as community friendly as the bubonic plague.
The full article can be accessed here: Action Call On Polluted Creek
