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RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Councillors hit back at Wayne Brown's 'Pacific victims' remark
Councillors Lotu Fuli, left, and Alf Filipaina, right, with Mayor Wayne Brown, centre, who accused them of 'being Pacific victims' despite data showing they attended more meetings than him in the last quarter. Photo: Auckland Council/RNZ/Stuff Ricky Wilson via LDR A South Auckland councillor says she doesn't buy into the racist rhetoric that "brown people are lazy", after mayor Wayne Brown accused her of playing a 'Pacific victim' card. Two Manukau ward councillors have clashed with Brown after he claimed they are not showing up to do the work. Councillors Lotu Fuli and Alf Filipaina pointed to official data that shows they have outperformed him in attendance. "It's a bit rich for him to talk about attendance when his is quite low," Filipaina says. In response, the mayor said the councillors were "doing what they always do, being Pacific victims". The comments followed a public grilling from Brown last week over councillors not attending meetings in person. "My attendance is 92 per cent, Lotu's is 98 per cent, and the mayor's is 88 per cent," Filipaina says. Brown dismissed the figures as "very selective" and says councillors were "playing the victim" while neglecting workshops, where he says most of the work happens. "It's just rubbish. And so whoever's given you those, a very selective use of statistics, that," Brown says. The mayor claimed the councillors attended very few workshops. "They are doing what they always do, being Pacific victims. They're always victims." He also criticised remote participation from the councillors. "Lotu in particular mostly attends digitally and doesn't turn her phone on, doesn't turn her picture on, so we don't know where she is." Fuli says the mayor's comments were "not only wrong, but damaging". "Don't buy into that racist rhetoric that brown people are lazy. Fact-check them. My record stands for itself - I'm there all the time, I'm out in our community all the time." She says the mayor's remarks echoed attacks made against former mayoral candidate Fa'anānā Efeso Collins. "They used that against him so much, I think because he's brown." Fuli says Brown had himself missed a key six-hour Governing Body meeting the previous week. "He didn't attend online, he didn't attend at all. He was absent - and that was a really, really important meeting." Brown says he had a family issue so couldn't attend. Fuli called the mayor's decision to single out councillors "very unusual". "He was going through them one at a time, making disparaging comments... is this because it's election year and the media's there?" Filipaina says he had both knees replaced but continued serving the community regardless. "I go online. That's exactly what we've been doing, representing our community." He questioned the mayor's motivation. "He's just making everything political now because he doesn't want people on the Governing Body table that are going to disagree with him." Fuli agreed: "He doesn't like the fact that he can't bully me and Alf. We've actually been bold - we voted against the cuts he's proposed." Fuli says the impact of the mayor's claims extends beyond council chambers. "It's perpetuating that myth that brown people are lazy. That we're not turning up. That Manukau doesn't have a strong voice. But the fact is, we've been bold. Alf and I have stood up when others didn't." Councillor Josephine Bartley, the only other Pacific member on the Governing Body, had an 86 per cent attendance rate and confirmed she had taken bereavement leave. Brown defended his connection to South Auckland. "I've got more votes than either of those do in South Auckland. So I represent everywhere - and I employ people in South Auckland." He rejected claims of racism and bias. "Everything's picking on Pacific and South Auckland. It's bulls**t, you know. That's not true." No Governing Body meeting this term has failed to reach quorum. Only two committees, Performance and Appointments, and Finance and Expenditure, have done so, and the mayor was absent from at least one. Auckland Council data shows that in the last quarter, Fuli attended 94 per cent of meetings, with another 4 per cent recorded as council business. Filipaina attended 88 per cent, plus 4 per cent on council business. Auckland's mayor attended 79 per cent, with 9 per cent on council business, totalling 88 per cent. LDR is local body journalism funded by RNZ and NZ on Air.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Māngere family says 'yes for now' to buyout after two-year wait for answers
Daisy Taufoou and her husband have been championing their Hinau Road community. Photo: Marika Khabazi / RNZ A Māngere family is faced with a difficult decision after learning that their home is considered an "intolerable risk to life". After waiting two years for answers, the Taufoous are now forced to choose between staying uninsured or leaving the community they have built over decades. While Auckland Council claims that the buyout is fair and voluntary, local leaders, including Councillor Alf Filipaina, argue that families should have access to all relevant information before making their decision. Daisy Taufoou, who has lived on Hinau Road for 42 years, is shocked to return to her flood-damaged home only to discover that it is now categorised as high-risk. Along with her husband, children, and elderly parents, the family has decided to proceed with Auckland Council's voluntary buyout process to understand the implications of their choices. They must notify the council of their decision by 17 July. Like their neighbours, they wish to stay , but after extensive deliberation, they feel they need to explore all options before making a decision. Taufoou said the buyout situation felt like a lose-lose for many families on Hinau Road. "It's been an emotional rollercoaster for us trying to decide what to do," she said. "We have decided to move forward in the process so that we can understand what we're saying yes or we're saying no to. Because at any time, we can still say no and pull out. "It's a lose-lose. If we go, we lose our community. If we stay, we lose insurance and can't get cover for the next flood." Unlike some homeowners eager to receive a category three designation to escape flood-prone properties, Taufoou and her neighbours never wanted the buyout label. They wanted to remain in their homes. She criticised the limited timeframe they were given to decide on a buyout process after a lengthy two-year wait to learn their street was classified as category three. She says it has taken countless hours of unpaid effort to pursue reports and briefings. "Our whole street have repaired their homes or renovated their homes fully and we're all back into our homes. And then to hear two years later, that it is an intolerable risk to life… just doesn't sit right with us. "Unlike the council staff who work on this eight hours a day, we have full-time jobs, kids and elderly parents. We're doing this in the evenings and weekends, just to figure out what's true." Hinau Road in Māngere - an entire street uniting to make a collective choice about their future after repeated flooding. Photo: LDR/Mary Afemata In response to inquiries, Nick Vigar, Auckland Council's head of Planning for Healthy Waters, said Māngere was prioritised for major flood reduction projects. But assessing how upgrades like the Walmsley Road Bridge would affect each home's risk took time. "Hinau Road sits very low and close to the stream, which means that even with these major upgrades, the risk to life during another major storm would still be too high," Vigar said. "Because of this, these homes remain eligible for a voluntary buyout. We know this is incredibly difficult, so we extended their timeframe and put extra support in place to help residents make an informed choice." Vigar said while the upgrade to Walmsley Road Bridge and the wider Māngere Flood Resilience Project would reduce flooding for many homes, Hinau Road is an exception due to its location in the more hazardous 10-year floodplain. This means that floods may occur more frequently than in surrounding areas. "The unfortunate thing for Hinau Road is that while they are part of the big floodplain, they are developed in an area which we currently call the 10-year or 10 percent floodplain. That means those properties can expect to get hit more frequently than everyone else." Taufoou said the council's data did not align with the reality residents experience. She insisted that drains and upstream ponds have not been adequately maintained and that minor repairs have been neglected. "They keep talking about the bridge, but what about the drains? The worst of the damage came from blocked stormwater drains. It just doesn't seem fair to decide our lives on one big flood when fixing the small things could help," she says. Vigar said the council wished it could have provided families with answers sooner, but final modelling and funding approvals required time to complete. "It would have been preferable to come to them earlier and say, hey, this is the situation, but the reality is it took time to secure funding, do the design, update the flood models and get approval. It's really unfortunate for these people," he says. Vigar admitted that the technical language around flood risk could be difficult for families to understand. He said opting into the buyout process does not commit families to follow through with it or agree to a set buyout price. "We talk about flood risk, 100-year events, 10-year events. It's really technical. I always worry that people won't fully understand what that means for them. "Opting into the buyout process does not lock a homeowner into going through with the buyout or a specific buyout price. "But it does give homeowners access to a dedicated property adviser, plus $5000 for legal and valuation costs, to help them understand what they would get from council, including reimbursement for insurance repairs they have already done in good faith." Vigar said the added risk of losing insurance complicated the decision. "More and more, the insurance industry is requiring higher premiums or declining cover for flood-prone properties. It's not just about risk to life. There are real difficulties for higher-risk properties to get insurance," he says. Filipaina said the council's proposal aims to provide people with choices, but that they needed all the information to make informed decisions. He said Hinau Road was one of the streets most at risk, despite nearby flood mitigation works. "We as an Auckland Council… we cannot say that if there's another major flood or cyclone that you will end up being safe," Filipaina said. "This is why we're asking you to please consider the buyout option. If you have all the information and it says to leave, but you don't want to leave, well then you take on the burden if anything happens." Workers upgrade Walmsley Road Bridge as part of flood resilience projects aimed at reducing future flooding in Māngere. Photo: Mary Afemata / LDR Taufoou said her neighbours have rallied to push back against the proposal, organising street-wide meetings with the council and seeking support from Community Law and local board members to challenge the findings collectively. She said they still worried about the future of the land if they decided to leave. "What we did was unique. No other area has come together like this to challenge the council as a street. We're proud of that," Taufoou said. "You can't tell me Māngere won't be developed later. If we leave, will this land really stay empty? That's hard to believe." The council stated that no final decision has been made about the land, but its policy means that most category three sites will remain undeveloped for flood resilience or public use. Future residential development is "highly unlikely" because of the high hazard risk. For now, Taufoou's focus is on staying informed, asking questions, and reminding families that they still have the option to walk away if the buyout does not feel right. "It's about being able to reach out and ask for help and question things if they don't make sense. I don't want any of our families to feel like they're alone in this." LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
09-07-2025
- RNZ News
Church's $100k fine shows importance of due diligence for Pacific communities, leaders say
Photo: Auckland Council A six-figure fine imposed on a Māngere church for illegal construction should serve as a reminder to all Pacific churches of the importance of conducting necessary checks before starting any project, community leaders say. They emphasise the need for other Pacific congregations to ask questions, verify credentials, and seek proper advice to safeguard the contributions of their members. Their comments follow the Auckland District Court's ruling that the Sāmoan Congregational Christian Church of New Zealand Māngere Trust and its representative, Sean Palala, were guilty of 15 breaches of the Building Act and Resource Management Act due to unlawful construction and use of a church and community centre on McKenzie Road in Māngere. The Trust was fined more than $80,000 and ordered to pay an additional $25,300 to Auckland Council for costs. Palala also received a $7000 fine and was sentenced to 400 hours of community service. The court heard that the church continued to use the building for gatherings despite receiving notices of its hazardous condition and orders to stop using the complex. Pacific community leader Alf Filipaina says the church trust paid the price because it relied on someone who claimed to understand council processes but was uninformed about them. The Manukau ward councillor says other churches can avoid making the same mistake by consulting with other congregations, verifying credentials and asking the right questions. "They ended up contracting someone who indicated he knew the processes for building and resource consents, and he did not," he said. "Having that talanoa first is so important. Talk to other churches. Who did you use? How did you do it? Always double check, triple check.". The Māngere church boarded up after the Auckland District Court ruling, highlighting the consequences of ignoring stop-use orders. Photo: Auckland Council Filipaina cites two recent projects as examples of how Pacific churches can successfully navigate these processes when they engage with the right people. He says the Sāmoan Consulate complex, Maota Fale o Sāmoa, and the new LDS (Mormon) temple in Manukau both succeeded because they used certified planners who guided them throughout every step of the process. He adds that investing in professional help upfront is more cost-effective than facing hefty fines later. Filipaina recently spent over $5300 on a building consent for renovations to his own home. "When you have someone who truly knows the process -resource consents, building consents, inspections - it goes smoothly. That is the difference. "That is money upfront, but that is nothing compared to the $100,000 they are paying now. Sometimes paying early saves your people later." Apulu Reece Autagavaia, chair of the Ōtara Papatoetoe Local Board, says many small churches mistakenly believe they can handle complex consent processes on their own, but it is wiser to hire professionals to assist with these procedures. He suggests that Pacific families engage younger generations, who are more adept at navigating the system, and use community or business networks to find trustworthy assistance. "I encourage our communities to do the due diligence and get the experts in to provide professional advice. It might cost a bit, but it is worth it because then you have safeguards when things do go wrong. "There are plenty of churches out there starting out. Do it the right way, get professional advice. If you do not know where to start, Pacific business organisations can help, or even your bank," Apulu said. Tauanu'u Nick Bakulich, chair of the Māngere Ōtāhuhu Local Board, says good intentions are not enough when families contribute money in good faith. "This situation shows how important it is to involve experts in building projects who can give qualified advice on regulatory matters," he said. The Māngere property has since been sold, meaning the building is no longer owned by the church. Filipaina says this makes the lesson even clearer for other congregations. "Our people gave to build that church. Now it is gone and they are paying fines on top of that. That is why you check first and do it the right way, so you do not lose what you worked so hard for." An earlier image showing the church under construction on McKenzie Road, Māngere - a project that proceeded without proper building consents. Photo: Auckland Council Auckland Council's David Pawson says ignoring court orders and using unsafe buildings would not be tolerated. "Compliance with building and resource consent laws is essential for the safety of our communities," Pawson said. Filipaina says the key takeaway is protecting the sacrifices of church members who contribute with goodwill and expect an orderly process. "Our people give with their hearts. They deserve to know their sacrifice will not be wasted. We have seen it work when it is done right. Do the checks, protect what you build and protect your people." Pacific leaders advise that any church planning a new building or renovation should consult with other churches that have successfully navigated the process. Filipaina stresses the importance of hiring a qualified planner or consent expert and thoroughly verifying their credentials carefully. "It's money well spent." Other recommendations include budgeting for proper compliance costs upfront and requesting a pre-application meeting with the council to address any uncertainties. ' Use trusted Pacific business networks for support. The Sāmoan Congregational Christian Church of New Zealand Māngere Trust and Sean Palala could not be reached for comment. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
27-06-2025
- RNZ News
Residents need clarity over Auckland Council, police agreement
From left: Acting Superintendent Sila Fagaesea Siaki, Auckland Council Chief Executive Phil Wilson, Manukau Ward Councillor Alf Filipaina, and Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers. Photo: Auckland Council/LinkedIn/Tulai/File/LDR Auckland Council and the police have signed a formal agreement to strengthen their team work on community safety. But a South Auckland councillor is concerned that the public still needs clarity regarding the implications of the deal. A memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed on 13 June, aims to strengthen work between police and council on common interests, including community safety and emergency planning. Councillor Alf Filipaina, of the Manukau ward, say the agreement formalises what's already been happening for years. "But what does that actually mean? That still needs to be communicated to the community." Acting Superintendent Sila Fagaesea Siaki, director of Tāmaki Makaurau Partnerships, says the agreement sits at the highest level and filters down to all workgroups within each of our organisations. It helps to provide leadership in the planning, development and implementation of community safety and crime prevention initiatives for Auckland, which covers all community groups, including Pasifika, he said. But Filipaina, who oversees Auckland Council's safety portfolio, is concerned about the lack of clarity around implementing the agreement, especially given the safety issues facing many South Auckland communities. "I would have loved to have attended as the safety portfolio holder, but that didn't happen," he said. "I don't know how this is going to work in practice, but once I do, I'll be making sure our community understands, especially in relation to our local facilities." Filipaina, a former police officer, welcomes the formal partnership, saying it sends a positive message to Aucklanders. "From my perspective, it shows our community that both organisations are committed to working together to enhance safety in Tāmaki Makaurau. We've just formally signed an MOU that says safety will remain at the heart of this relationship. "It cements the partnership between Police and Auckland Council and puts it out there publicly that we're working together to keep the community safe, and that will continue." Public safety is at the heart of the new Police-Council agreement, aimed at enhancing safety across Auckland. Photo: Auckland Council Local Democracy Reporting inquired how the MOU addresses issues in areas like South and West Auckland, where youth offending and public trust in police are ongoing concerns. Siaki said both parties will strive for a consistent approach across the Auckland region. "There is no specific focus on any one particular area." The agreement does not prevent Pacific communities from forming their own partnerships with police or council, he said. "It reassures our people that these agencies are committed to aligning services to the needs of our communities." Siaki says the agreement provides an opportunity for all local board members, councillors and NZ Police staff to work together on any given project that falls within 'common interest' areas - from community safety to emergency management. Phil Wilson, Auckland Council chief executive, says the MOU is a formalisation of an already good working relationship. "Auckland Council and NZ Police have had a healthy and effective working relationship for many years, which ultimately benefits Aucklanders." Wilson says council teams work with police daily to ensure public spaces and vulnerable residents are cared for, noting that public safety is crucial for the city's economic well-being. "In recent years, Auckland has seen a raft of community safety issues such as ram raids, aggravated robberies and retail crime come to the fore with the public," he said. "These are complex issues that impact the whole region, which no one organisation can effectively deal with alone." Acting Deputy Commisioner Northern Region Jill Rogers and Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson. Photo: Auckland Council Jill Rogers, the Acting Deputy Commissioner for the Northern Region, says police are eager to build on the work established under the new MOU. "We have seen a decrease in the offending we experienced a couple of years ago," Rogers says. "There has been a concerted and coordinated approach undertaken by police and council to address these concerns. Much has been made public about increased visibility and focusing on disorder and theft-related crime." Auckland Council is responsible for a wide range of bylaws and regulatory functions, from dog control to public nuisance enforcement. Under the Policing Act, police are responsible for law enforcement, community safety, and emergency response. The agreement is set to be reviewed within the next five years. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
30-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Pacific wardens funding will improve coordination
Manukau Ward councillor Alf Filipaina. Photo: RNZ / Mata Community leaders say a funding injection for Pacific wardens could pave the way for a national structure similar to the Māori wardens model. Pacific wardens are volunteers who provide support at big community events and activities. They operate in different parts of the country, including Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Waikato. Among this year's budget announcements was NZ$1 million in funding for the Auckland Pacific Wardens Trust . The funding has been allocated over four years, with the trust due to receive $250,000 per year to co-ordinate the service in Auckland and Waikato. Long-serving Auckland councillor Alf Filipaina and Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti discussed the potential impacts of the funding at a community event on Wednesday in Māngere, Auckland. Filipaina said the funding would enable training for volunteers and would improve co-ordination between different groups of wardens across the city. "It will really get them radios, communication... jackets, so when they are deployed anywhere around Tāmaki Makaurau, they know where they come from." It would also help support wardens through petrol vouchers and phone cards, he said. In 2010, Filipaina was one of four community leaders who brought together different Pacific warden groups across Auckland into one co-ordinated service. Filipaina said this year's multi-year budget funding announcement was particularly significant for building capacity in the Pacific warden service. Photo: Teuila Fuatai/RNZ He believed there were between 100 and 120 Pacific wardens in Auckland currently. "You could utilise this money to build that capacity, even a national Pacific wardens organisation," Filipaina said. "We're starting [with] this region [and] Waikato. I think there's [Pacific wardens] in Christchurch. But…we need to bring all those together, that's the key thing…and on a very similar model [to] the Māori Wwardens. "Because why should we start looking at another model when their model works?" Māori wardens have been operating in communities across the country for more than 150 years. They have legal responsibilities under the Māori Community Development Act 1962, and work in a range of ways, including by providing emergency management, being present at big events, and supporting whānau in the justice system. Reti said he wanted to see Pacific wardens providing support across different types of community activities and events. "My expectations are to have increased visibility of Pacific wardens in the community - not just at events, but generally in the community," Reti said. "I would like to think that that could go beyond that, from the one-off big events to day-to-day, weekend-to-weekend presence and visibility of the Pacific wardens, where they could be most utilised and most valued."
