Source: Auckland Council
Manurewa will be a winner as Auckland Council moves to a fairer funding model as part of the Long-term Plan, the area’s councillor Daniel Newman says.
Without having to reallocate funding between the city’s 21 local boards, budget will be based on factors other than their existing asset level, which has favoured some areas.
The change provides an extra $84 million of operating funding and $56 million of capital funding over the next three years, and moves funding to a 80 percent population, 15 percent deprivation and 5 percent geographic size formula.
Newman serves on the Joint Governance Working Party that negotiated funding so boards such as Manurewa, previously disadvantaged under asset-based funding, would do better.
“Manurewa stands to benefit from $13.1 million in increased operating funding over three years as part of a deal that will see many boards doing better, but none left worse off.
“My hope is that boards can move quickly to recast their work programmes to help accelerate the maintenance and renewal of assets and facilities, and that projects such as the redevelopment of War Memorial Park can be enabled,” he says.
Manurewa Local Board chair Matt Winiata has lobbied for better funding for boards and says the task now is to review work programmes and repackage ‘fix and finish’ projects to take advantage of funding established by the Long-term Plan.
“Not a single dollar of ratepayer money can be wasted. Any new operating funding will need to build on our work programme to support our built and natural environment.”
He says he’d also like to see progress on improvements to sports fields and repairs to community assets.
“I want to negotiate partnerships that allow us to match funding we can secure from third-party funders such as the Wiri Licensing Trust. Working with the trust has enabled us to redevelop facilities at rugby clubs in Manurewa and Weymouth, the Homai Bowls Club, the Manurewa Methodist Church, and soon at both the Manurewa and Jellicoe tennis clubs.”
“We need to progress multi-sport assets at War Memorial Park, which is a much-needed facility given the growing demand for active sport and recreation as our community grows.”
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