Councillor Julie Fairey

06/09/2026

Sunday summary of my week that was 🙂

I’ve been dealing with one of those boomerang colds this week so haven’t left the house much - working online does not result in many photos!

Monday 31st August - I was pretty unwell so only managed one meeting - the Play Leadership Group which brings together elected members interested in how to make AKL a more playful city to learn and explore possibilities. I suggested that we talk about some of the ways to include play in unusual settings, not just as a playground in a park. Some good discussion and ideas.

Tuesday 1st September - Spring! I attended the Governing Body meeting online, and most of the Eden Park Community Liaison Group.

Wednesday 2nd September - again online, for a confidential committee workshop on unanticipated growth (like residential fast tracks putting hundreds of new homes into previously rural areas with no council infrastructure). We will be having more debate about this on Tuesday too. In the evening I made it out of the house to hold a councillor clinic at Lynfield Youth & Leisure Clinic.

Thursday 3rd September - did my fortnightly 95bFM interview for The Wire, and attended an Albert-Eden Local Board workshop on local board funding. I have some serious reservations about changes being suggested.

Friday 4th September I was too unwell to do much other than emails and sharing info about Plan Change 120.

Saturday 5th September I did a clinic at Mount Roskill Library and was busy the whole time helping with various queries, mostly about PC120. Thanks to the very helpful staff who were v patient with me as we got to closing time.

Sunday 6th September - finally made it to a planting day; one of the last for the season! Muddy fun at Walmsley Park with Friends of Oakley Creek and my junior junior associate.

02/09/2026

I’m at Lynfield Youth & Leisure Centre until 7.30pm, for my Councillor chat - Lynfield, over by the badminton hall, for your council related kōrero :)

30/08/2026

Sunday summary for my week that was 🙂

Monday 24th August
- Briefings for Elected Members on the amended PC120 proposal - I attended the general session, then specific sessions for both Albert-Eden Local Board and Puketāpapa Local Board
- a prep meeting for September’s Policy, Planning & Development Committee, with chair Richard Hills (I’m deputy)
- observing the City Centre Advisory Panel, which includes reps from Auckland City Centre Residents' Group - CCRG, tertiary institutions based in the city, Auckland City Mission, major landowners, the arts sector, hospitality and other businesses, and Waitematā Local Board, as well as Mayor Wayne Brown and others - discussions were mainly around the surprise announcement the day before that National had changed their mind about the bed night levy, and more positively about how best to invest the City Centre Targeted Rate over the next three years.

Tuesday 25th August was the Transport & Infrastructure Delivery Committee which took up most of the day - items included updates from Auckland Transport, City Rail Link, and the Midtown Trial, with the shape of public consultation on Time in Use aka Congestion Charging being the big debate of the day.

Wednesday 26th August I wasn’t feeling too good so missed a couple of early commitments, then had a catch-up with my admin person, spoke to a council staff leadership session about life as an elected member (with Cr Hills), and attended committee workshops on Resource Management law changes and the impact on the land and environment planning system, and the future of the central wharves.

Thursday 27th August:
- attended the Albert-Eden local board meeting and spoke to my July report
- observed the Puketāpapa Local Board workshop on local board funding changes
- catch-up with reps from Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, with Councillor Sarah Paterson-Hamlin
- constituent visit to look at development impact on a property in Ōwairaka

Friday 28th August:
- staff briefing for Cr Hills and I ahead of a workshop next week about unanticipated development
- Kura Kāwana session on how to use standing orders, with a bunch of local board members including many of my City Vision colleagues, and Cr Paterson-Hamlin
- Catch-up with Members Smith & Thorp of Albert Eden Local Board about Eden Park (we all attend the community liaison group)
- meeting with staff about the Own Your Own Home scheme (now closed)
- went to the Music of John Williams concert put on by Auckland Philharmonia, with my junior junior associate - amazing and great to hear so many iconic movie themes live!

Over the weekend I’ve been sorting some home things as we were without power for three days, which is not a lot of fun when it’s unplanned and the end is unclear. Almost fine now.

27/08/2026

Amended Plan Change 120 is notified and open for public submissions.

All the info at the link below, including links to the online map viewer, updated info sheets, and details for webinars coming up in the next fortnight.

I’ll be adding some extra clinics soon for folks to have a chat, which I’ll share here when confirmed. I already have one coming up in Lynfield on Wednesday 2nd Sept from 6pm to 7.30pm - Councillor chat - Lynfield

Aucklanders have another opportunity to have their say on proposed changes to Plan Change 120, providing more housing choices alongside stronger protections from natural hazards.

26/08/2026

A while back I was asked about Auckland Council’s approach to carparking at 135 Albert St (the main council staff building in the city centre) given Te Waihorotiu Station is opening across the road very soon.

The query was about wanting to check if Auckland Council staff and elected members do what they encourage our community to do, in this case using options to get to work in the city as much as possible without using private cars.

This led me to ask for information about how the carparking in the building is already managed, because as someone who doesn’t use the carpark at 135 Albert St I didn’t know for sure.

Here’s what I found out.
1. There is an internal “Corporate car park policy” that was last updated in June 2024 – it is created by staff because it is operational, and administered by Council’s Corporate Property team.

(NB Council has two types of property: community which is used to deliver services (eg local parks, library buildings, town centre squares) and corporate which is used to ensure the council organisation can do what it needs to do behind the scenes (eg office spaces and meeting rooms for staff at 135 Albert St, local board offices). This car parking policy is about those corporate buildings, not the community ones.)

2. Auckland Council has corporate office car parks provided at four locations, including 135 Albert St. The other three are in Albany, Henderson and Manukau, with those council offices.

3. Corporate office car parks are for:
- council fleet vehicles
- supporting staff accessibility needs
- elected members
- building contractors (accessing the building to fix things).

Generally council doesn’t provide staff carparking (with a few exceptions I’ll get to). No car parking is provided for the public or visitors at any of the four corporate office buildings. (NB: Local board offices sometimes do have public/visitor car parking spots).

4. For work purposes only and as space permits, staff can use the car parks in the corporate office buildings outside normal working hours and on weekends, but they must have approved after hours access rights and meet other rules too.

5. If there is space in the car parking areas that cannot be used for something else, a limited numbers of motorcycle parking can be used free of charge. Motorcylists accessing this must register. Use varies according to season and weather but generally there are no more than 20 people a day using these spaces.

6. Bicycle parking is provided free of charge – at 135 Albert St there are two spaces in the basement carpark, and another on the ground floor, and you need to register and have your swipe card set up for this (I use one of these spaces often!) Again use varies according to season, weather etc.

7. The breakdown of the 217 car park spaces underground at 135 Albert St:
• Fleet vehicles = 159
• Elected members and committee members = 22
• Contractors and deliveries = 18
• Staff carparks = 7 (some leased at market rates, some special arrangements)
• Accessibility needs for staff = 6
• Mayoral office = 3
• Police = 2 (at no charge, they are building tenants)

My observation as someone who goes in and out of the lobby at 135 Albert St a fair bit each week - at the start and end of normal working hours most people I see are using the front doors, that go out on to Albert and Wellesley St. If they were accessing the car parks at 135 (and the motorcycle and bike parking underground) they would go through the back doors, to get to a separate lift that goes to the car park.

Lots of council staff have mentioned to me how they are looking forward to Te Waihorotiu Station opening as it means their public transport journey will take them almost to the doorstep of 135 Albert St, instead of a bit of a walk. For me I live too far from the train lines to make it viable from home, but I'm excited to use the trains more for work, with my trusty e-bike, to travel all over our amazing city.

Photo taken tonight from one of the main meeting rooms used by councillors at 135 Albert St 🙂

23/08/2026

Sunday summary for my week that was 🙂

I’ve been working from home a lot this week due to illness and had to miss some things too. Thus not a lot of photos for this post.

Monday 17th August:
- monthly catch up on ward issues with Auckland Transport
- met with reps from What the Whau (Lynfield residents impacted by flooding)

Tuesday 18th August:
- RNZ interview on regional park land protection
- Budget & Performance Committee (over in less than half an hour!)
- MARA (Mt Albert Residents Association) meeting

Wednesday 19th August:
- councillors’ workshop about the new public transport CCO

Thursday 20th August:
- 95bFM fortnightly interview
- Puketāpapa Local Board meeting, including speaking to my monthly written report
- Two meetings with constituents about transport issues - one focused on Western Line level crossings and the other more wide ranging

Friday 21st August:
- popped into the Auckland Art Gallery with some junior associates
- went to Te Waihorotiu sneak peek

Saturday 21st August
- Te Waihorotiu open day (took my mum!)
- Received deliberative democracy session recommendations on pest plant management.

Still a bit under the weather so suspect there will be a bit more working from home this week too. Lots of bad bugs out there at the moment!

22/08/2026

Public open day at Te Waihorotiu station today, with pics from last night too.

Tens of thousands of Aucklanders have enjoyed these advance chances to see the new stations before they go into operation in September; to celebrate and experience and explore new parts of our city which could only be here in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland!

Huge congrats to the teams who have worked on these public transport treasures, and the tunnels and systems that will make it all work.

And well done to the event crews who pulled together the open days with not much notice or resource. It’s been wonderful to see how locals have embraced the opportunities to visits and how the team have tweaked arrangements each time to make it all work better too.

Next stop: an opening ceremony in a couple of weeks, then full operation from 13th September!

21/08/2026

Very lucky to be at the sneak peek for Te Waihorotiu Station tonight, and will be back with more whānau tomorrow for the First Look public open day. More pics then 🥰

21/08/2026

Interesting background about the amazing volcanic wall art at Maungawhau Station 😍