Advocacy comes in many forms. It isn’t just about making formal written submissions, it also relies upon positive working relationships and making the most of opportunities to have conversations with the key people in a variety of different environments – opportunities which generally only arise from these working relationships.
New Zealand continues to be challenged by COVID-19 as businesses do their utmost to survive and hopefully thrive. Business North Harbour (BNH) continues to work very hard to explore other opportunities to have conversations and influence decisions which have an effect on the economic development and prosperity of our members. We have openly requested that, moving forwards, Auckland Council and CCOs (council-controlled organisations) in particular, undertake authentic consultation processes where opinions are duly considered and acted upon, rather than being sought to simply satisfy a process.
In June’s FYI, BNH asked members to have their say on Auckland Council’s Emergency Budget, uniquely proposed in response to the financial impacts of the pandemic. I’m pleased to report that there was an unprecedented response with around 35,000 submissions across the city, hopefully a number coming from BNH members. The Emergency Budget has now been adopted by the council with some positive outcomes for businesses and property owners.
Click here to see a summary.
There were also some positive outcomes from the CCO review where BNH and many other business improvement districts (BIDs) cited lack of transparency and authentic consultation along with generally poor communication and relationships with CCOs, as being of concern. It has been noted that the relationships between the council and CCOs, BIDs and CCOs, and local boards and CCOs all need to improve if we are to optimise a collaborative approach to identify and mitigate Auckland’s challenges.
Click here to see the CCO review report.
In addition to our submission to the Emergency Budget, BNH also made formal submissions on the Upper Harbour Local Board Draft Plan 2020, re. 115 Apollo Drive and the Northern Pathway Akoranga to Constellation Drive, and we have maintained our ongoing advocacy regarding Rosedale Bus Station. Informal advocacy has been undertaken with a variety of articles in local publications such as the North Harbour Networker, Channel Magazine and the North Shore Times, where shopping local buying locally produced goods and utilising locally available services have been consistent messages as we continue to find ways to support our members through these difficult times.
The positive working relationships noted above have also seen BNH invited to meet with Auckland Transport (AT) to discuss how AT can support economic recovery, along with an invitation to present to members of the north and west local boards regarding the effects of COVID-19 on business and what local boards can do to support economic recovery.
In closing I can also report that our “Bridge to the Future” strategy (now called “Shore Unity”) is nearing the completion of stage two. This means that we will publish a final report for consideration in time for the AGM in October, to enable members to make an informed decision as to the ongoing feasibility of the initiative.
Kevin O’Leary
BNH General Manager
