The Tree Council has collaborated with Forest & Bird to make it easy for you to make a quick submission on Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed austerity budget, which if implemented will cut a huge number of programmes and services that protect our environment, the arts and our communities.

We need to get as many submissions opposing this budget in as possible before the deadline of 11pm on Tuesday 28 March. So, please click on this link and do yours now. It will only take a minute:
https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/tell-mayor-wayne-brown-budget-must-prioritise-nature-and-communities

We have a crafted a number of bullet points in the submission form, but you might want to add your own words to the ones we have written. You might also like to include the following points:

• Rates should increase to the current rate of inflation (7.2%). Anything less than this is a net cut at a time when the repair job for Auckland is of utmost importance.
• I support increasing borrowing. Instead of making these drastic proposed cuts to operating budgets and services Council should increase borrowing up to the limit of its ability.
• I oppose selling the airport shares. These will start paying dividends again later this year and are appreciating in value. In fact they have tripled in value in the last 10 years. Selling them now will cost us in the long term and is ignoring the value of future capital gains. Council’s debt is serviced at an interest rate of only 1.2% and selling assets to pay down this debt is not good financial practice. Shares in an airport are automatically considered a strategic asset under the Local Government Act and Auckland Airport is the largest in the country, so is therefore a nationally and regionally significant strategic asset. Selling Council’s shares in this monopoly asset is both irresponsible and anti-democratic. These shares belong to all of the people of Auckland, not just the current Mayor and Councillors. Any proposed sale should be the subject of a public referendum.

Please share this email with your friends and family and let’s send a clear message to the Mayor & Councillors that austerity will not fix our city and we cannot afford to cut the programmes and services that matter most to Aucklanders.

If you prefer to write your own individual submission rather than use our template then you can do so. You can either fill in the Council form on their website, or you can send your own document or email to: akhaveyoursay@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Thank you!