Councillor's Comment

Everyone wins when we have a common goal.

When I rode into my role as the Atawhai Liaison Councillor nine months ago, two local priorities became quickly apparent. The first was the need for community facilities in the area, and the second was the requested safety improvements for children making their way to Clifton Terrace School.

Council delivers such a broad range of services meeting countless priorities, that it can be easy for the needs within smaller communities to become overlooked. It is also impossible to fully deliver on every need, with even our scaled-back budgets resulting in often unpalatable rates increases. The most effective advocacy often requires compromise, and I’ve seen some excellent examples where that has been achieved.

The first is the recent installation of a public toilet adjacent to the playcentre at Corder Park. This isn’t a fully-fledged community centre, and it’s not even a gold-plated architecturally designed toileting experience. It’s just a humble place to go for a wee, and it’s that fact that enabled us to get on and do it, unlocking the area as a destination for families, senior citizens, runners, cyclists, and more.

The second was the incredible community advocacy to the Minister of Transport to pause planned speed limit increases adjacent to Clifton Terrace School and instead consult with the local community. I know that some would have liked to see speeds decrease further, or to see urgent investment in safety upgrades, but these additional priorities may have been a barrier to being heard by the Government.

Instead, the community organised itself around a shared goal. This case was communicated so effectively, that when I finally sat down with the Minister of Transport to discuss the issue, there was nothing more to be added. The Government has now committed to changing their approach, and while it may seem like a small win, the community now has a chance to have its say.

None of this is to say that we shouldn’t dream big. We absolutely should. I would love to see a community hub develop in Atawhai, and to see a safe cycle path extend to Todd’s Valley and The Glen. The challenge with change is to find a way to bring everyone along for the journey, and sometimes that requires small steps, compromise, and conversation. 

However you view it, the past two weeks are proof that little wins can make all the difference.