Meetings & Events attended / Discloures / Final Thoughts (originally submitted 5 Mar 2020)

- Meetings & Events attended

5 th Feb - Tamaki Drive Cycle Route Karakia
9 th Feb – Joined in the cycling Ride with Pride to enjoy The Big Gay Out

12 Feb – Joined a celebration of the Wynyard Quarter (fashionably late after school board of trustees meeting)
13 Feb – Monster Valley Launch, and Organic Wine Tasting with the Grey Lynn Business Association
14 Feb – Joined a tour of Newmarket with Newmarket Business Association head Mark Knoff Thomas
15 Feb – Engaged with locals on the future of Waitemata at Uptown Sounds at Basque Park.

16 Feb – Engaged with locals at Myers Park Medley, a family friendly festival in the centre of town.
18 Feb – Got into the saddle at the launch of the new shareable e-bikes Jump down in the Wynyard Quarter with Nikki Kay and Phil Goff. They are very fun.
19 Feb – I joined the Governing Body Planning Committee workshop and was involved in the local board submission to the committee.
20 Feb – I attended the Karangahape Business Association Committee Meeting with guest speaker Dr Stephen Rainbow.
Then, I attended the youth participation meeting, Seeing our Future, with the goal to create a child- and youth-friendly Waitemata.
I also attended the Newmarket Olympic Pool’s 80 th birthday celebration before attending The Chicks do Shakespeare as part of the fringe festival.
21 st Feb – celebrated the opening of Western Springs, a gold enviro-school with a dual governance policy.
Then went to a talk by the Productivity Commission on local government before meeting with Herne Bay Residents Association.
22 nd Feb – I participated in a Women in Urbanism hui.
24 th Feb – Richard Northey and I met with Alessandra Zecchini to discuss the future of the Festival Italiano
25 th Feb – Attended the CLG Karangahape Road information meeting before going to the Fringe Festival opening night events (see above) and party
26 th Feb – Attended the Museum Medals ceremony at the Memorial Museum which was incredibly inspiring. The medals are given to volunteers who have substantially added to the store of knowledge. The work they have done for the benefit of the community goes above and beyond. Recognised in the evening were Meryl Wright, Sheridan Waitai, Doris de Pont, and Dr Wendy Nelson.
27 th February – City Centre Network Meeting to share ideas on the future of Waitemata. In the evening I attended the Auckland Conversations event at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on the State of the Hauraki Gulf. Much needs to be done. On most measures progress is not being made, in fact things may be going backwards. Where there is hope is the cross sector agreement to slow speeds in the gulf that is reducing the death of Bryde’s whales in the gulf, in no-take areas where stocks are doing better, and in some of the projects funded by Foundation North.
29 th February – Beating the Bounds. With other local board members from Waitemata, Albert/Eden and Orakei, we walked the political boundary from Meola Creek to Great North Road, over to Mount Eden station and across Newmarket, Remuera and to the border with Orakei down Newmarket Stream which is crying out for some stream restoration work and pest control. We finished with the Hobson Bay walkway which is a curate’s egg, some incredibly beautiful bits, some broken bits and slippery bits, and then it stops. Private landowners have not always supported extension of the project so this may not be an easy
fix. It is wise to take care. According to Paul Moon, traditionally Maori may mark the edge of boundaries with a rock. He was jabbed in the leg by one of his Maori guides so he didn’t forget the spot. After six hours of walking, I don’t think I’ll forget the spots either.

2 nd March – Local Board Members Forum – a terrific opportunity to see members across Auckland and share issues and possible solutions. On this occasion we considered pest control in the Waitakere ranges and the setting up of bus services in Rodney that AT were reluctant to set up. After a year ridership has exceeded AT expectations and may be judged a success. The buses, and two park’n’ride carparks in the design phase are funded by a targeted rate.
3 rd March – Attended the Community Hearing at the Waitemata Local Board offices.
4 th March – Met Tom Peters of Ecomatters to talk about waste management.
5 th March – celebrated the end of the STARS pilot project funded by the Waitemata Local
Board. The goal was to build capacity in sustainable practices for local businesses.

Conferences / member development
 Kura Kawana – Point of order! Standing orders training
 Treaty of Waitangi Historical Overview with Paul Moon

- Dislosures

I am doing a phD in the Dance Department of the University of Auckland, studying the potential roles of playful arts practices in coproducing the Playful City. I am a member of Women in Urbanism, an occasional walking tour guide with Auckland Free Walking Tours and a parent trustee on the Richmond Road School board. My husband is director of dog walking company Fetch.

In the last month I have accepted a fruju and glass of lemonade from Jo Malcolm and Anne
Coney, also handmade chutney from Anne Coney.

- Final Thoughts

I am very pleased to report that there are now Mind Your Head stickers on the 806 bus which has a telescoping walkway to the back of the bus. I felt like an idiot bumping my head there in the past, and a colleague had been caught out too. But no more.

I am on Facebook and I have set up a website alexbonham.co.nz in which I discuss some of the issues that are crossing our desks and give more information and links on engagement with council. Julie Sandilands and I are leading a pilot “local government tv on Facebook”, a to engage the community with issues that may matter to them. Anyone living in Waitemata is very welcome to get in touch with me or to come and meet me between 10 and 11am at the Grey Lynn Farmers Market on the last Sunday of the month.