• Rodney Local Board will invest $35.5 million in 2025–2026, with key priorities including community programmes, creative arts, youth initiatives, and environmental projects.
• New funding supports arts centres, play opportunities, upgraded parks and facilities, and more vibrant community spaces.
• Increased investment in environmental restoration, pest control, stream clean-ups, and compliance to protect natural areas.

The board continues to advocate for rural road upgrades, better infrastructure planning, and fairer local board funding.

Community programmes, the creative arts and local environmental projects are all winners in Rodney Local Board’s plans for the coming financial year.

Adopted by the board in June, the local board agreement sets out a total investment of $35.5 million and key funding priorities for the financial year 2025-2026.

Fairer funding model brings more resources to Rodney

Board chair Brent Bailey says with the council’s new fairer funding model in place, the Rodney community will see increased investment in services they need the most.

“We have heard how important it is to care for the environment and to support the many volunteers involved in planting, pest control, park clean-ups, stream restoration and a multitude of other projects. Our community and wildlife benefit hugely from the work that they do,” he explains.

“We know too that while most people do the right thing, there are some who do not and that supporting compliance officers can help protect our natural spaces and wildlife.

“We also received feedback that arts, youth programmes, and community spaces are important to our communities. More funds are being invested in our Helensville and Kumeū Arts Centres, funds for a local team to deliver neighbourhood programmes and events, and also to create more vibrant community spaces in towns and villages across Rodney.”

Key initiatives include:

• supporting five local organisers to deliver programmes and events in local communities
• supporting creative arts, arts centres and arts outreach programmes across Rodney
• delivering play opportunities to children and young people from the new play plan
• building two new car parks, improving pathways and plantings at Huapai Domain
• building toilet blocks at Murray Jones Reserve and Deacon Point
• increasing maintenance of halls, car parks, tracks and public toilets
• upgrading multi-use hard courts at Wellsford Centennial Park, and upgrading the hard courts and skate park at Muriwai Village Green
• supporting community planting, annual pest plant and pest animal control, park clean-ups and community environmental education and events
• supporting Forest Bridge Trust to engage with landowners, community groups and other volunteers involved in conservation
• supporting two compliance officers to carry out compliance work in Rodney
• supporting stream restoration projects that improve water quality.

Advocating for transport, infrastructure and fair funding

Bailey says that when residents raise concerns about issues beyond the local board’s control such as rural roads, the board will keep advocating to the Governing Body and central government on their behalf.

Advocacy initiatives include:

• allocate $124 million to improve unsealed roads through Auckland Transport’s Unsealed Roads Improvement Programme
• increase and ringfence funding for road maintenance and renewals to maintain at least the 8–9 per cent of Auckland's roads
• stop out-of-sequence developments where key infrastructure is not yet in place as identified in the Future Development Strategy
• halt approvals on land with flood or stability risks, or ensure council is not liable for future buyouts
• fully implement fairer local board funding without delay to address long-standing inequities.

Community feedback supports the board’s direction

Bailey says the local board would like to thank everyone for their feedback, with 657 submissions received of which 448 were Rodney residents and that overall 62 per cent of submitters supported all or most of the board’s priorities.

The board’s agreement is online at the main Auckland Council website.