The Gribblehirst Community Hub Trust is strongly opposed to the Mayor’s proposed Auckland Council budget. The Mayor’s proposal would see the fee Gribblehirst Hub pays annually to Auckland Council increased significantly. Within a short time, the requirement to pay $5,000 every year would surely destroy the Hub.

 

Gribblehirst Hub has been developed over seven years by dedicated community volunteers and with the help of both Auckland Council itself and government (DIA), and our members and other funders. It now serves hundreds of local people and many community groups every week as a place for a huge range of community-building activities to take place. Hub activities already assist with food security and resilience, and work is only beginning. Gribblehirst Hub helps Auckland Council to meet its own legislative purpose of supporting the well-being of its communities.

 

Loneliness is a huge problem, and results in both mental and physical ill-health. Community resilience and connectedness are what has sustained our city through a pandemic and a major flooding event. Our flourishing communities and wonderful institutions such as our libraries, art galleries, festivals and many others are what give Auckland its life and character - and all are under threat from this budget. We believe that Council’s budget shortfall can be met in other ways than are proposed by this draft budget, as other commenters have shown.

 

We urge the Mayor and Council to withdraw this proposal, which will be destructive of community in so many  ways, to the long term detriment of our city.