Response from Chimene Del La Varis, received 15/9/22
Nga mihi maioha ki a koutou,
As the Green Party candidate for Henderson-Massey Local Board in 2022 I'd like to express my full and enthusiastic support for your Charter.
If elected I undertake to do everything I can to advocate for the prioritisation of work to reduce sewerage overflows into Te Wai o Pareira and other local tributaries and beaches.
I believe a host of solutions are needed to address effluent run off and contaminant discharge into West Auckland waterways.
We need to accelerate work on both green and gray infrastructure to address the pressing problem of urban intensification especially in Henderson-Massey where 6000 newbuilds are consented or already underway.
The heavy rainfall events that are becoming more frequent have resulted in a combined sewerage overflow that sends raw effluent into our awa and moana. Safe swimming at our local beaches has become a thing of the past as the quality of both freshwater and sea water has deteriorated drastically. The ecological impact on our marine environment cannot be understated and we have an obligation to act decisively.
If I’m elected to HMLB, I will advocate for the adoption of bioretention measures throughout our area. I support constructed wetlands, rain gardens and bioswales as effective solutions to the short-term problem.
I also fully support coastal planting,urban tree canopy expansion, affordable access to rain water storage and permeable pavements as additional ways of reusing stormwater flows.
In the long-run, I believe that capturing and treating gray water at source through redesigning our buildings for onsite water reuse is the best way forward.
In my view, HMLB also has a role in pushing for work on the next phase of the Northern Interceptor project to be fast-tracked to keep up with the speed of urban development.
Attached is a short video I made expressing the urgent need to address our wastewater management issues.
Kia kaha,
Chimene
--
Chimene del la Varis