Jack Collins - Howick Local Board

Last night I had a great time attending the inaugural Pakuranga Rotary Quiz Night alongside Howick Local Board Chair Bruce Kendall, Member Krish Naidu, and Luke Collings. It was fantastic to see students, teachers, families, and members of our community come together for such a fun and engaging evening.

A big congratulations to all the participating schools – Sancta Maria College, Botany Primary School, Pakuranga College, Ormiston Senior College, Macleans College, and Mission Heights Junior College. The competition featured a preliminary round followed by a thrilling final, with Macleans College taking out the top spot. Congratulations to the winning team!

It wasn’t just the teams having fun either. The audience was able to play along by answering the questions themselves before comparing answers at the end. As Chair Bruce Kendall joked in his speech, if we had been up on stage competing, we would have been “smashed!” It certainly reminded us just how knowledgeable the students were.

It was also a great opportunity to recognise the incredible work Rotary does in our community. Through the support of the Pakuranga Rotary Club, they contribute to initiatives including St John, Life Education Trust, I Am Hope, the Diwali Festival, sponsorship of the Science Forum, Trees for Survival, the Rotary Walkway, and the Community Service Awards, along with many other local projects.

A huge thank you to the Pakuranga Rotary Club and everyone who organised and supported the evening. It was a fantastic inaugural event, and I look forward to seeing it grow even bigger and better next year!

What an awesome opportunity to head back to Pakūranga College after celebrating the opening of The Cloud just over a month ago, this time to engage with students on the Howick Local Board Plan alongside fellow Local Board members.

It was fantastic to hear their thoughts and experiences of living in the neighbourhood. One of my favourite moments came when Chair Bruce Kendall asked students how they got to school. There were hands for public transport, being dropped off by car, and students who were now driving themselves. Then member Damian Light called out, “Walking?” and suddenly heaps of hands shot up.

I was lucky enough to walk to school growing up, so it was great to see that so many students still do today and able too.

We covered a wide range of topics throughout the session, and it was encouraging to see such genuine engagement from our young people. Thank you to Pakūranga College for having us and to all the students who shared their ideas and perspectives.

Rā Hihi / Pakuranga Road Intersection – How’s it working for you?

It’s now been about two weeks since the intersection layout was changed, reinstating three lanes heading towards Pakuranga Road, compared with the previous two.

The change is intended to better accommodate traffic, particularly vehicles coming from Panmure during the busy evening peak.

I’m usually working during peak times, so I’m not often travelling through here in this direction when congestion is at its worst. That’s why I’d love to hear from those who use it regularly!

Has reinstating the three lanes made a difference?

Let me know your experience in the comments below 👇

Eastern Busway – Final Stage Underway!

Exciting to be at the sod turning for the final stage of the Eastern Busway on Friday morning!

In attendance from the Howick Local Board was Chair Bruce Kendall, Deputy Chair Kai Zeng, and Members Adele White, John Spiller, Mike Turinsky and Peter Young, as well as Councillor Bo Burns.

It was great to have so many of us from the Howick Local Board there to be part of this milestone, alongside Mayor Wayne Brown, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Hon Chris Bishop, Auckland Transport Chair Andrew Ritchie and local MP Simeon Brown MP.

This final section will complete the dedicated busway through to Botany, alongside new walking and cycling connections.

Find out more at the Eastern Busway website: https://at.govt.nz/about-us/news-events/media-centre/2026-media-releases/eastern-busway-starts-work-on-final-section

Grateful to have had the opportunity to present my first Member’s Report at our July Howick Local Board Business Meeting.

My hope is to continue presenting a report each month as a way of keeping myself accountable to the people of Pakuranga and the wider East Auckland community.

I want these reports to give you an insight into what I’ve been focused on, the issues I’ve been advocating for, the events and meetings I’ve attended, and ultimately a snapshot of how I’m spending my time as one of your elected Local Board members.

There is always plenty happening across our community, and I look forward to continuing to listen, learn and advocate for the area I’m incredibly proud to represent.

https://aucklandcouncil.resolve.red/portal/Meeting/12501

🚧 Road resurfacing works – Gillard Place, Eastern Beach

Auckland Transport will be carrying out essential road resurfacing works on Gillard Place, Eastern Beach, between Oliver Road and the cul-de-sac.

The work involves AC resurfacing to improve the quality, safety and longevity of the road surface for the community.

📅 Start date: Saturday, 18 July 2026
⏰ Working hours: 7:00am – 5:00pm
⏳ Duration: 1-day shift
📌 Contingency dates: 25 July and 1 August 2026 (if required)

Gillard Place will be temporarily closed while the resurfacing works are completed.

Temporary traffic signs, traffic lights and traffic controllers will be in place to help manage access and keep everyone safe. Please follow all signs, signals and directions from onsite staff.

Residents and road users are asked to:
• Reduce speed when travelling through the area
• Allow extra time for your journey
• Be aware that on-street parking will be limited during the works
• Park on your property or nearby side roads if required and walk to your property

For questions or concerns, please contact Auckland Transport on 09 355 3553.

Great to see the upgrades at Lloyd Elsmore Dog Park completed!

As a dog owner myself, I love having a fully fenced dog park right here in East Auckland. My partner and I were too excited to wait for the official opening, so we took Maisie down yesterday to check it out.

The new extension almost doubles the fenced area and includes a dog drinking fountain, recycled agility equipment (Maisie learned to love the tunnel!), natural shade, extra seating, improved pathways, and a safer additional entrance/exit.

Is it the biggest or flashiest dog park? No. But I think it’s important to recognise the value of these improvements. I also appreciate that not everyone will see a dog park upgrade as the highest priority, and this is just one of many projects the Howick Local Board is delivering across our area. While it’s a relatively small investment compared with some of our larger community projects, it’s one that will make a real difference to many local dog owners who value having a safe, enclosed space where their dogs can run, play and socialise off leash. Sometimes it’s the smaller community improvements that have the biggest impact on the people who use them every day.

The upgraded park officially opens on Saturday 18 July, and I hope it becomes an even more popular space for local dog owners and future community events.

If you’re heading along this weekend, enjoy! 🐶🐾

Great to attend the local community meeting alongside fellow member Krish Naidu hosted by New Zealand Police at our local Ormiston Police Station, where we had the opportunity to discuss local trends and insights around crime in our area.

While there are some areas that are trending negatively, including vehicle crime starting to increase again, it was also encouraging to hear about some of the positive work happening across our communities.

I look forward to attending future meetings to continue building my understanding of local issues and how we can work together to support safer communities.

A big part of this is the collaboration between our community groups, including our local community patrols, Botany Crime Watch Patrol, Howick & Pakuranga Community Patrol, and also had Business East Tamaki in attendance.

Working together, sharing information, and supporting each other plays an important role in making our neighbourhoods safer and stronger.

Great to see another positive improvement being delivered in our local board area. Every project like this helps make our neighbourhoods safer, more accessible, and better connected for everyone.

It’s encouraging to see these investments becoming a reality, and I look forward to seeing more projects that continue to improve our community for residents of all ages.