City Vision Auckland : Policy

2007 Policy

All policy for the 2007 campaign is now available. There is a short list of our philosophy (City Vision Believes); our basic beliefs (Why Vote City Vision?); and a more detailed article which outlines our vision for our city (Tomorrow's Auckland). These pdf documents are also pasted below for easy viewing.

Further below are links to our additional eight policy documents for the 2007 campaign in pdf format.

City Vision believes that:

Council must be accountable to the community.
Community assets that provide essential services or generate major income must be retained in Council ownership and control.
Water is a basic human right and should be provided at minimum cost.
We must care for our environment by reducing land, air and water pollution.
Heritage conservation and quality urban development is vital.
Local initiatives, supported by Council, are the way to enhance our diverse cultures and communities.
Better bus and train services, cycleways and safer walking routes must be provided.
A fair rating system is necessary to generate the income to pay for these community services.

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Why Vote City Vision?

City Vision wants a dynamic, democratic and caring city. To achieve that aim the City Vision led Council will:

Retain public ownership and control of community services and assets.
Deal effectively with Auckland's transport problems by promoting public transport, cycling and walking in preference to new roading.
Promote enterprise, innovation, environmental sustainability and employment in the city economy.
Make Auckland City Council more democratic through effective public participation and political accountability.
Give priority to caring for the environment, ecological sustainability and preserving and expanding our public open spaces.
Promote a diverse city that provides opportunities for participation and belonging for people from a wide range of social and ethnic backgrounds.
Conserve our heritage, promote quality urban design and celebrate our arts and diverse cultures.
Honour the Treaty of Waitangi and continue to strengthen our partnership with tangata whenua.
Enhance the principles of public service in our Council through responsible social, financial and environmental approaches to the management of the city.
Encourage a sense of place and self reliance through strong and inclusive community development.
Give more decision-making and resources to Community Boards to further the interests of the neighbourhoods and communities they represent.
Implement policies that address social and economic inequalities in the community.

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Tomorrow's Auckland

Good leaders take people with them

Auckland City needs leadership that respects people, cares for the environment, encourages flourishing communities and innovative businesses. It must have a region-wide, as well as citywide focus. Aucklanders deserve to have leaders who take notice of their views. City Vision Councillors and Community Board members listen to you and your community. They reflect, decide and act.

People matter. City Vision invests in people to strengthen communities

Remember when people worked together to help their neighbours? In strong, healthy and safe communities people take part and have a sense of belonging. We all know people develop real skills of cooperation, participation and trust by working together in local neighbourhoods.

City Vision recognizes that teamwork skills, generated in local communities, are vital to Auckland's economy. They are also important for people-based solutions to traffic congestion, community safety, crime prevention, care for the environment and reducing poverty among children and pensioners.

Auckland should be a shared city that can celebrate its diversity. City Vision will build on the Treaty based relationships established with tangata whenua. We will encourage participation by developing partnerships with Pacific, Asian and other ethnic and minority communities, such as the gay and lesbian communities, and communities of people with disabilities.

Transport matters too. Auckland needs to move people and goods, not just cars and trucks

City Vision supports a fully integrated, balanced, affordable and effective transport strategy to reduce traffic congestion and limit urban sprawl.

Public Transport (bus, rail and ferry) is our first priority.
Key transport links need improvement but we oppose the Eastern Highway and the surface link proposed through Waterview.
We support community-based solutions including walking school buses, car-pooling and glide time.
We promote improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
We oppose road tolling as a means of meeting shortfalls in government funding.

Point of differentiation: The Green Party's policy is for a moratorium on new major roading projects until adequate sustainable transport systems are developed in urban areas.

Communities prosper when they are well-housed, safe and with accessible community facilities

Access to affordable housing is a key issue. City Vision will partner government, voluntary agencies and the business sector to increase the stock of affordable housing.

We will provide affordable access to community facilities such as community centres, sports fields and swimming pools and ensure that arts and culture flourish. We will promote a well-resourced, responsive, community-based library service.

Aucklanders value our natural environment

City Vision will continue to protect and enhance our harbours and beaches, our waterways, our air quality, our parks and our trees.

Aucklanders want a city that is healthy to live and play in. City Vision supports cleaning-up and preserving our natural environment so our children and our children's children will be proud of being Aucklanders.

Aucklanders want a strong economy with good jobs and decent conditions

City Vision will take responsibility for working in partnership with business, industry, trade unions, voluntary and community groups and government to encourage economic innovation and create real jobs.

We will develop the economic prosperity of New Zealand's largest city through an economic development strategy including approaches that foster sustainable development in which people and the environment matter. City Vision will foster business confidence and assist the sustainable and ethical development of key industries such as biotechnology, information technology, the marine industry, the tourist industry, the creative industries, hi-tech telecommunications including broadband, renewable energy technologies, waste management and recycling, organic agriculture and horticulture. We will work with Government and other local authorities to achieve the genuine benefits of the Rugby World Cup in 2011.

City Vision will not sell our key assets

Public ownership and control of key assets is important. Retaining assets and prudent borrowing for them enables the council to spread the load of infrastructure development over this and future generations. City Vision believes in continued public ownership of transport, roading, water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, including Ports of Auckland Ltd. We will also retain the city's remaining airport shares.

Our rating policy will be fair

City Vision supports a fair rating policy based on ability to pay. We oppose policies that place unfair burdens on individuals and families on low and middle incomes. We have ensured rates and charges are set at a level to ensure the restoration of an adequate public transport system and community and physical infrastructure. In the interests of fairness, we will abolish the uniform annual general charge.

We will set water and wastewater charges at the level required to provide those services in a financially and environmentally sustainable way, but not as a source of profit or to subsidise other Council activities.

We will minimise rate increases through sound management of the city's affairs and maintain our ways of assisting those who have difficulty paying their rates and water charges.

Our city vision is for a sustainable Auckland

We want Auckland to be a beautiful, healthy and environmentally sustainable city. A City Vision Council will take the lead in promoting good urban design and intelligent planning. We will encourage the provision of affordable housing and protect communities from over-development. We will keep local people informed and involved and ensure that local planning decisions have input from their elected representatives.

Auckland Regional Growth Strategy recognises that Auckland City has to accommodate more people. But we do not want our precious open spaces gobbled up. City Vision supports high quality medium density intensive housing that is people friendly with more services, better access to facilities, together with keeping and creating plenty of parks and reserves. Each development will only be considered after extensive consultation with local communities and under strict social and environmental criteria and quality controls.

With good planning, Aucklanders will enjoy a sense of place and will know that their heritage, historic buildings and landscapes are valued. Aucklanders will be proud of their city.

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Further City Vision policy documents

Here are our further eight policy documents for the 2007 campaign in pdf format:

2004 Policy

City Vision Policy Principles

Here are links to a short list of our basic beliefs (Why Vote City Vision) and a more detailed article of our vision for the city (Tomorrow's Auckland).

Links to our further eight policy documents from the 2004 campaign are below:

City Vision - "Bringing Auckland Together"