Meet the Papakura Board

Voters have chosen the six people who will represent residents on the Papakura Local Board for the next three years.

Brent Catchpole has been re-elected for a sixth term and is looking forward to getting work done in the Papakura area.

“I’m absolutely delighted to get back and continue the work that we’ve been doing over the last term,” he told the Franklin Times.

One of the things he would love to see is the sports fields brought up to a standard where they provide a much more improved service to the community, particularly around Opaheke Park.

There are two fields there that are operational, but six others that need to be worked on to bring them up to a standard where they will be usable.

“We’ve got plans to do the next two, and gradually, as funds become available, carry on upgrading those,” Catchpole said.

He said congestion in Takanini needs to be addressed and planned to work with Auckland Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency to sort this out.

Andrew Webster has been elected for a second term and said he was pleased to be able to represent his community.

“The Papakura Action Team have been strong and dominant in delivering special work programmes. We are collaborating to continue the great work that we have achieved over the last two terms.

“The new issues are cost pressures that we’re experiencing, and we are being asked by the governing body to reduce our budget by $670,000 in the next financial year.

“That means that there will be a challenge to services moving forward. I hear loud and clear from our community that they want us to get stuff done and fix issues within our community.

“So that’s our challenge, to ensure services are kept to a high standard, to ensure issues are being fixed but with no extra cost.”

Webster is the youngest member to be elected to the Papakura Local Board, and the first representative of Indian – Ngāi Tahu descent.

Kelvin Hieatt said his focus was on improving community facilities and working closely with the Franklin Local Board in areas that are close to their mutual boundary.

“We know what we’re doing, we’ve got a good work programme in place which runs for another year. Then we start work in the new year on our new work programme.”

Hieatt aims to include the community and improve residents’ associations, so they can run better and can help make their communities safer and more enjoyable.

As an avid mountain biker and former president of the Tōtara Park Mountain Bike Club Hieatt is eager to see bike clubs properly maintained, and natural waterways kept clean for the community.

“I’ve been involved with the Tōtara Park Mountain Bike Club since its foundation since 2013. I was involved with the tracks, the mountain bike tracks in Totara Park in Manukau, and I’ve been involved as part of the track renewal and track maintenance.

“I’ve carried that ethos on and worked with the club to maintain the tracks but also supporting projects like the Papakura stream plantings with the headwaters of the Papakura stream and other projects that involve ecological restoration, with our streams and our stormwater ponds around Papakura.”

When contacted, Felicity Auva’a did not want to comment until a board chairperson had been elected. She did say, however, that she was looking forward to serving on the Papakura Local Board. Jan Robinson was sick with suspected bronchitis when approached for comment. Franklin Times reached out to George Hawkins, but he was unavailable for comment at the time of writing this article.

• The inauguration of the new Papakura Local Board will take place today, October 29 from 4.30pm to 6.30pm at Whaataapaka Marae, 258C Whatapaka Road, Te Hihi.