July 2026: Chairperson's Report
- Jul 31
- 8 min read
Thank you Rotary Browns Bay!
July board business meeting key reports to note
Getting the basics of democracy right for 2028
The High Court voided a local board election in Papatoetoe. Nearly $100 million separates our cheapest and most expensive voting options for 2028. And the order your name appears on a ballot paper could quietly decide who wins. We recently worked through these issues and gave feedback to the Governing Body to shape how fair and accessible local election really are (agenda items 11.7, 11.8 and 11.9). The Governing Body will then make the final call next month.
Postal or booth voting?
Online voting isn't on the table yet. A handful of places use it well (like Estonia) but most countries, including NZ, don’t have a national digital ID system set up yet. Elsewhere online voting is limited to overseas voters or specific regions and not always run smoothly (France annulled results in two electorates after credential problems).
So, it's postal versus booths, and postal isn't perfect either. A court recently voided the Ōtara-Papatoetoe local board election after finding real weaknesses in how postal votes were handled.
We decided to continue backing postal voting at this point. Cost isn't the deciding factor, though the gap is enormous (about $15.5 million for postal versus $26–97 million for booths, up to $112 million for a mix of both). What matters more though is switching to booths now would shut out around 35,000 Aucklanders overseas or elsewhere in the country when voting happens, since there's no way yet to transfer their votes electronically. Locking out that many eligible voters is undemocratic and not an acceptable trade-off. If the law changes to fix that, booth voting could become our preference.
Tick a box, or rank candidates?
Auckland uses First Past the Post (FPP) where you tick your preferred candidates and most votes wins. The alternative, Single Transferable Vote (STV), has you rank candidates and votes transfer between them in rounds until winners emerge with genuine majority support. We backed keeping FPP. Adding a more complex system would certainly not help the extremely low voter turn out for local body elections (29-35% voter turnout over recent years).
Name order on the ballot
We used to think alphabetical order was best. New research changed our minds- candidates lower down the alphabet, especially in bigger races, can lose votes purely because of where their name sits. We’re now supporting a single randomly shuffled order, printed the same in every voting pack, to remove that bias.
This is the quiet work to uphold the integrity of local elections, and being willing to change our mind on things like name order when the evidence changed is exactly what that looks like. With turnout at record lows (29% in 2025), these issues matter more than ever.
Navigation bylaw
This was the second opportunity for us to give feedback, this time post public consultation so we were able to support our earlier comments with what the community said (agenda item 11.6).
That the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board:
whiwhi / receive the public feedback from people in the local board area to the Governing Body proposal to amend the Auckland Council Ture ā-Rohe Urungi Āhuru 2021 | Navigation Bylaw 2021 and Navigation Bylaw (Specific Areas and Conditions of Use) Control 2021.
tuku / provide the following views on how the Navigation Bylaw Panel should address public feedback to the proposal in (a) to assist the Panel in its deliberations:
General
reaffirm the local board's February 2026 position (resolution number HB/2026/9) supporting the overall intent of the proposed amendments to improve safety, clarity and enforceability of navigation rules across Auckland's navigable waters
note that of the 45 campaign submissions received from within the Hibiscus and Bays area - generated through the postcard template developed in partnership between Coastguard, Drowning Prevention Auckland, New Zealand Police and Water Safety New Zealand - 43 (96 per cent) fully supported the proposals, reflecting strong support from the water safety sector for the package as a whole
Mandatory wearing of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
support the proposal to require the wearing of personal flotation devices on vessels up to six metres in length while underway, consistent with the local board's February 2026 position and with the near-unanimous support (96 per cent) expressed through campaign submissions
note that individual submitters from within the local board area were more evenly divided than the campaign cohort - a notably more mixed response than the region-wide individual result (69 per cent support)
consider that, taken together, the weight of feedback - particularly from organisations with direct water safety expertise and lived experience of drowning prevention - we support proceeding with the proposal
reiterate the local board's request that Auckland Council prioritise proactive public education and targeted summer-season communications in high-use coastal areas within Hibiscus and Bays Local Board, given the mixed individual response locally, to build understanding and voluntary compliance ahead of enforcement.
Updated definitions and emerging technologies (novel craft)
support updating definitions to ensure emerging technologies and novel craft, including motorised hydrofoil boards, e-foils and wing-foiling craft, are clearly captured within the bylaw framework, consistent with the local board's February 2026 position and with the increasing use of these craft along the East Coast Bays and Whangaparāoa Peninsula
note that local individual feedback was mixed, with nine of 20 (45 per cent) fully supporting the proposal, six (30 per cent) not fully supporting or opposing, and five (25 per cent) not supporting at all, and that regional feedback highlighted a need for clearer classification distinguishing foil-assist boards from motor-assisted surf craft, and concerns about the practicality of speed and distance restrictions
request that the Panel ensure any final definitions clearly distinguish between low-powered, foil-assist recreational craft and higher-speed motorised novel craft, to avoid disproportionately capturing lower-risk devices in common recreational use locally.
Anchorage stay limits
do not support reducing the maximum anchorage stay from 14 days to seven days in a 28-day period, noting that three of five (60 per cent) local individual submitters opposed the change, consistent with the majority regional opposition (54 per cent) to this proposal
note the concerns raised through regional feedback that the reduced timeframe lacks a clearly evidenced justification, and risks forcing unsafe navigation decisions in poor weather and creating impracticalities for boat owners and holidaymakers using moorings across the school holiday and peak summer period, which is of particular relevance to the high seasonal mooring demand in Hibiscus and Bays
request that, if the Panel proceeds with a reduced timeframe, consideration be given to seasonal flexibility or a longer transitional period for existing mooring and anchorage users in high-demand summer areas.
Mooring identification, maintenance and licensing
support the proposed new rules on the identification and maintenance of moorings, noting unanimous local individual support (4 of 4)
support the proposed subclause requiring contact details to be displayed on a vessel using a mooring, and the requirement for maintenance of any pile to ensure all piles are in a safe, usable condition, consistent with the local board's February 2026 position.
Protection of underwater cables
support the proposal to prohibit anchoring within 50 metres of an underwater cable, consistent with the local board's February 2026 position
reiterate the local board's request for clear communication and chart visibility to ensure recreational boaters launching from beaches and informal access points within Hibiscus and Bays are aware of cable locations.
New area-specific controls
note that the five proposed new zones (Tāmaki River Rowing Precinct, Harbour Bridge, Horne Rock, Simpson Rock and Auckland Airport) do not fall within the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board area, and that the local board defers to the local boards and mana whenua directly affected by these proposals, while supporting the general intent of introducing clearer controls in high-use or safety-sensitive locations.
Legacy access lanes: Hibiscus and Bays specific
note that the board specifically requested, in its February 2026 feedback, further information on the enforcement and usage data supporting revocation of the legacy access lanes at Matakatia Bay, Stanmore Bay and Ōrewa Beach, and any incident history at these locations – which has not been received
note the following local feedback received on revocation of these specific access lanes:
Matakatia Bay: feedback was evenly split, with one of two local submitters supporting revocation and one opposed
Stanmore Bay: a majority of local submitters (two of three) did not support revocation, indicating a local preference to retain this access lane
Ōrewa Beach: all local submitters who responded (three of three) did not support revocation, indicating clear local opposition to removing this access lane.
on the basis of this feedback, and consistent with the local board's February 2026 position that the implications of revocation at Matakatia Bay and Stanmore Bay are likely to be minor if the lanes are genuinely redundant, but that revocation at Ōrewa Beach is potentially more significant given the scale and seasonal intensity of use at that beach:
do not oppose revocation of the Matakatia Bay access lane, subject to confirmation that usage and incident data support this being genuinely redundant
request that the Panel retain the Stanmore Bay access lane, or, if revocation proceeds, that this be accompanied by monitoring over the first summer season and a clear pathway to reinstate the control if required
do not support revocation of the Ōrewa Beach access lane, given the clear local opposition received, the scale and seasonal intensity of use at Ōrewa Beach, and the value of a formal access lane in providing clear separation of swimmers and vessels, a defined enforcement mechanism, and certainty for occasional towing activity.
Other proposed changes
support the inclusion of longstanding Harbourmaster directions relating to the Ferry Terminal Basin within the Bylaw.
have no local feedback on record regarding the proposed anchor watch requirement for large vessels, repeal of the Navigation Safety Operating Plan requirement for commercial fast vessels, amendments to fuel bunkering notification timeframes, or minor edits to large/commercial vessel rules, and accordingly defer to the Panel's assessment of regional feedback on these matters.
Structure and wording improvements
reiterate the local board's support for the use of plain language summaries, diagrams and practical examples to support understanding by casual and first-time water users.
Thank you Rotary Browns Bay!
July marked the final chapter for Rotary Browns Bay, as members gathered for one last dinner after making the difficult decision to wind up as a club.
It was a pleasure to go along, having been a member myself for a short time some years ago. While it's a sad moment, it's also an opportunity to reflect on the incredible legacy they've created.
Through countless fundraising events, volunteer hours and community projects, Rotary Browns Bay has quietly made our corner of Auckland a better place. So many organisations, initiatives and people have benefited from their generosity, commitment and willingness to step up whenever help was needed.
They contributed to incredible projects internationally as well as countless community projects such as the pentanque court, defibrilator, and art work in Browns Bay.
On behalf of our community, thank you to every member, past and present, who has given their time, energy and passion over the years. A special congratulations to President Paul Mees on being named the club's final Rotarian of the Year, and thank you to the committee members and volunteers especially those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep everything running.
While the Rotary chapter may have closed, it's wonderful to see the friendships they've built continuing through a new social group. It feels like a fitting reminder that while organisations may come to an end, the connections and community spirit they create live on.
Thank you, Rotary Browns Bay. Your contribution to the East Coast Bays will be felt for many years to come.
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