Auckland City's 2002 Annual Report published

Auckland City’s annual report for the period from 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002 was published today.

The 2002 Annual Report entitled “A City On The Move” examines the council’s achievements, how much they cost for the financial year and effectively asks the question “how well did we measure up?”

Mayor John Banks says “the 2002 Annual Report is this council’s first report card. We want to move Auckland forward and to do so we are actioning ideas that for too long have only been talked about,” Mr Banks says.

“We are making bold investments, giving the best value for money, completing our city’s infrastructure and cracking down on crime. There is so much good in this city and plenty to celebrate. The 2002 Annual Report shows the council is well on its way to making Auckland a dynamic, internationally competitive and truly multicultural city with heart and soul.”

Highlights of the 2002 Annual Report include: Transport – an additional $45.6 million spent on capital projects to improve the city’s transport networks, including upgrading wharves and a computerised system for the city’s buses

Britomart – the successful signing of a contract to build the Britomart transport centre – the centre will cost $204 million and includes the construction of a bus interchange, a railway station, the restoration of Auckland’s historic chief post office and new public spaces

Recycling – one year after introducing smaller rubbish bins and improved recycling services, Aucklanders have increased their recycling by 50 per cent and the amount of household rubbish going to landfills has decreased by nearly 30 per cent

Events – 112 free events were successfully organised and attended by over 470,000 people.

The chairperson of the council’s Finance and Corporate Business Committee, Councillor Douglas Armstrong, says Auckland City has had a good year.

“The city is in good financial health and we will be working hard to continue to minimise the financial burden on ratepayers. The new council team will ensure the great progress to date continues during the next 12 months,” Councillor Armstrong says.

Chief Executive Bryan Taylor says “Auckland City is now one of New Zealand’s top 10 companies, with $6.2 billion in assets and annual revenue of $431 million. We are in good financial shape and have made significant progress on a wide range of large scale projects. Capital spending increased from $141 million to $169 million in the 2001/2002 financial year and we had $4 million extra in our operating budget surplus. This has allowed us to set aside additional funding for public transport solutions.”

A new feature of this year’s annual report is the inclusion of extra information on what the council has done to meet its social, environmental and Treaty of Waitangi responsibilities.

“There is a growing demand for organisations to consider and report on significant business aspects which are not related to financial performance. Auckland City is well aware that our responsibilities extend further than the bottom line. For this reason we have included in the 2002 Annual Report information on projects such as the Living Parks Volunteer Programme, statistics relating to staff wellbeing and our work with Maori communities,” says Mr Taylor.

“Excellent results are created by people and I thank all Auckland City staff for their contribution to the organisation. It is particularly heartening to see in the 2002 Annual Report that our staff turnover has decreased from 19 per cent to 15 per cent and the staff survey satisfaction rating has improved,” says Mr Taylor.

The 2002 Annual Report, and its summary, are available on the council’s website http:// http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz Printed copies are also available at any Auckland City library and service centre, or by calling the Auckland City call centre on 379 2020.

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