Staff Reporter
Auckland, April 13, 2017
While Indians in Auckland bitterly complain on matters relating how their City is run, they are among those least bothered to voice their opinions through appropriate channels.
The latest Press Note from Auckland Council shows that only 147 Indians living in the City gave their submissions on the Auckland Councils Annual Budget.
That number represented just 3% of the total number of 8058 submissions that the Council received last month.
According to 2013 Census, there were 106,329 people of Indian origin living in Auckland.
Indian Newslink will present a detailed analysis over this apathy in its May 1, 2016 issue.
Following is the Press Note received from the Auckland Council today:
Auckland Councils Annual Budget consultation received 8,058 written submissions – an increase of more than 140% on the previous year and triple the number of submissions compared to 2014-2015.
In addition to written submissions, 103 comments were received via social media while nearly 1500 Aucklanders attended one of the Have Your Say and other feedback events across Auckland.
More feedback was received from Aucklands diverse communities, including Mori, Pasifika and Asian Aucklanders, than ever before. This represents 44% of the total – up from 18% last year.
Aucklanders also provided feedback on a number of key policy proposals:
On the level of rates rises, the majority (57%) agreed with the proposed 2.5% increase
Two thirds of Aucklanders (66%) supported the targeted rate on accommodation providers
66% of respondents supported growth infrastructure charges
The living wage policy for council staff received strong support with 71 per cent supporting the proposal.
Increasing response
Finance & Performance Committee Chair, Councillor Ross Clow, said the level of interest in the consultation showed Aucklanders are keen to have their voices heard.
I want to thank Aucklanders for taking the time to consider how the council spends their money and to express their views on the councils priorities over the coming financial year. With record numbers of submissions received for this Annual Budget, Auckland residents can have confidence that theyve been heard and that their elected members will be able to make informed decisions when it comes to setting the citys budget in June, he said.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said it was pleasing to see support for the councils policies to share the burden of growth and help underprivileged Aucklanders lead a decent life.
Ratepayers have shouldered the burden of Aucklands growth for too long. It is time for those that enjoy the benefits of growth to pay their fair share, and the feedback suggests that Aucklanders share that sentiment with broad support for the targeted rate on accommodation providers and growth infrastructure chargers.
Aucklanders have also shown strong support for the council to pay all its staff a living wage. It sends a clear message to the council that we should lead by example and ensure those people who carry out the important services our city needs can afford to live a decent life.
Elected members will now consider the feedback in a series of briefings and workshops ahead of final decisions, which will be made on June 1, 2017.
The plan will be formally adopted by the council on 29 June and the final plan, including 21 local board agreements will be available on the council website in July.
