Auckland Council devising PR blitz to avoid 'reputational risk' over parks selloff dispute

Monday, 13 August 2018

Councillor and environment and community committee chairwoman Penny Hulse says talk of a mass park sale in Auckland is 'fundamentally not true'.

Auckland Council is investigating ways to protect its reputation following an uproar over suggestions it is considering a multimillion-dollar selloff of the region's public parks.

Councillor Penny Hulse, who chairs the local body's environment and community committee, says the matter has become a 'confidence issue' between ratepayers and Auckland Council.

A council paper released in June showed the organisation could pocket between $200 million and $600 million in the next 10 years if it improved its divestment policy for parks and open spaces.

A new report, being considered by Hulse's environment committee this week, shows staff are now recommending 'communication initiatives' to 'highlight the new parks and open spaces acquired', saying these could 'help dispel the reputational risk that council is disposing of open space land'.

Auckland Council is considering ways to avoid further 'reputational damage' over the supposed sale of council parks.

Hulse said there had been talk of council selling off its public space because it was 'cash strapped and in trouble'.

'That narrative is fundamentally not true,' she said.

Hulse acknowledged the council had to look at what land was surplus to requirements or no longer useful.

'There was certainly a time when developments were done and the developer … would give council a piece of land as open space,' she said.

'Many of these were dark, gloomy places, or drainage or places that were just not useful and it's quite right for us to look at can they be sold, can they be amalgamated with other titles, can they be better used and can we use some of that money to get spaces that are actually used by a community?'

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says the amount of public space in the region is increasing 'by the biggest ever amount in the history of the city'.

However, figures showing acquisitions against disposals, to be presented to the environment committee, would show disposal of land represented '0.1 per cent of the entire budget'.

'We're buying a heck of a lot more than we're selling, so I think we do need to go out there and talk to people about that because it's a confidence issue and it's certainly something that comes up as I'm out and about and in my community,' Hulse said.

'People are a bit worried about the fact that we're getting rid of all the open space.'

Councillor Daniel Newman has previously 'totally rejected' the value for money committee report, which he said recommended 'a three-year rolling sale plan for parks land and open space that is deemed to not meet the council's Parks Provision Policy'.

'We are about the only property owner in Auckland that is actively considering a blueprint to sell-off hundreds of millions of dollars in landholdings, real slapstick Laurel and Hardy stuff,' Newman said.

'In the case of the sell-off of 'non-service' parks assets, the fire-sale would be justified in-part because of a need to contribute to the council's 10-year plan financial targets.

'After we've offended almost every community in Auckland and netted between $200 and $600 million worth from the proceeds of sale of parks and open space land, what will be left to sell?'

Goff meanwhile rubbished suggestions of a park selloff, saying the amount of public space was 'actually increasing it by the biggest ever amount in the history of the city'.

'I'm spending another $1.3 billion on purchasing new land so that we can intensify, absorb the extra population, but still have a city that's got lots of public open space,' he said.