Media release
29 November 2012

Council call centre open 24/7 over the holidays

Auckland Council’s 24-hour call centre will operate as usual throughout the entire holiday period, available seven days a week including statuary holidays.

“Phoning our call centre on (09) 301 0101 is your first port of call should you need to contact council over the summer holidays,” says Manager of Customer Services Nigel King. “It’s available any hour of the day or night – even on Christmas.”

In addition to phoning the call centre, information on all council services, from parks to recycling, can be found online by visiting www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

While the call centre continues to operate as usual over the holiday period, there will be temporary changes to a selection of Auckland Council-provided services, reflecting the decreased need for these services at this time of year.

An outline of council’s temporary holiday hours and services is below:

Rubbish collections
From Tuesday 25 December (Christmas Day) until Sunday 6 January, most council rubbish and recycling collections will run one day later than usual.

The same rules apply for collections over the Auckland Anniversary Day holiday (Monday 28 January), with normal collections resuming on Monday 4 February.

During these holiday periods, there will be no changes to the Thursday night rubbish collections in Parnell and Newmarket, or to CBD rubbish and recycling collections.

Any questions can be directed to our call centre on (09) 301 01 01 or www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

Residents using private collection services should contact their service providers for holiday collection schedules.

Service centres
All council service centres close at 5pm on Friday 21 December, except for Graham Street (central Auckland), Waiheke and Great Barrier, which close at noon on Friday 21 December. All service centres reopen on Monday 7 January.

Local board offices
All local board offices will close from 12noon Friday 21 December and reopen on Monday 7 January.

Auckland Libraries
All libraries will be closed 25 December (Christmas Day), 26 December (Boxing Day), 1 January (New Years Day) and 2 January – except for:

Botany Library, which will be open 9am-5.30pm on 26 December and 10am-5.30pm on 1 and 2 January, and
Great Barrier Library, which will close at noon on Friday 21 December and reopen on Monday 7 January.

Pools and recreation centres
Closing times and holiday programmes at Manukau pool and recreation centres can be found at www.manukauleisure.co.nz.
For details on all other Auckland Council pool and recreation facilities’ holiday hours, visit www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or call 09 301 0101.

Transport
For holiday period timetables and other public transport queries, visit www.at.co.nz or call 0800 10 30 80.

All the above information on council services and hours during the holiday period is available on www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or by calling the 24-hour seven-day customer service line on 09 301 0101.

Ends.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On The 2013 Budget

Among Thursday’s main talking points:

We are apparently on track for a margin-of-error $75 million surplus, now in sight for 2014/15. But this sickly creature is hobbling out of the lab on the basis of all kinds of facilitative conjuring: such as trimming by $200 million the amount of new spending next time around.

With this strictly nominal surplus in sight, the 1984-ish justification for eternal austerity will have a news talisman: namely, getting Crown debt down to 20% of GDP by 2020. More>>

Budget Report, Lockup Audio & Images: Budget Day 2013 As always and especially after the managerial mishaps of the past few weeks and months, (e.g. Aaron Gilmore, the Mighty River Power share float, the GCSB mishaps) Budget Day 2013 was always going to be a pageant of reassurance... More>>

Budget 2013 Comment: Plain Sailing, But It's No America's Cup Pattrick Smellie: Compared to the last four budgets, this year's reflects an economy moving out of recession and into calmer waters... Yet if the fastest annual growth rate we can expect over the next two years is 3 percent - with the Christchurch rebuild in full swing - then you'd have to say New Zealand's underlying low-growth problem is far from fixed. More>>

Auckland Discord: Govt’s Power Hungry Housing Approach A Threat - Labour

Last week the Government said this, ‘The Government commits not to use any proposed or existing powers ... to override the council's planning and consenting processes’. But its housing Bill says this; ‘If an accord cannot be reached in an area of severe housing unaffordability, the Government can intervene by establishing special housing areas and issuing consents for developers’. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Housing accords legislation passes first reading - Legislation For Housing Accords, Land Supply - Housing package improves affordability, access
• Greens - Budget numbers show National’s failure on home affordability
• Auckland Chamber of Commerce - Budget 2013: Housing intervention needed
• Out-Link - Gareth Morgan: Response to housing problem limp-wristed
• Earlier, Pre-Budget - Auckland Accord announced

Extending Protest Ban, Relaxing Permit Rules: Govt Abuses Urgency To Extend Anadarko Amendment

The Government is trying to pass legislation under urgency which would make the Anadarko Amendment – which limits protest at sea – apply to an additional 1.7 million square kilometres, the Green Party said today. More>>

ALSO:

• Parliament Today - Parliament Resumes To Pass Budget Bills
• Labour - Government to extend protest ban
• Greenpeace NZ - Oil Companies Lacking ‘Expertise’ and ‘Financial Ability’ Set to Be Handed Drilling Permits
• 2010 image via: Pacific.Scoop - Media watcher gives NZ press nil score card for China oil spill coverage