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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 3h

Rā Hihi carries 4 lanes (2 in each direction). 600m long, 187m wide and 10m high. The name ‘Rā Hihi’ was gifted buy mana whenua and means “sun’s rays”. By 2028, the completed Eastern Busway is expected to carry 18,000 passengers per day, with projections rising to 24,000 passengers per day by 2048.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 3h

✅ 15,000+ drivers already using it daily
✅ Now open citybound. Traffic heading towards Howick able to use from Sat 18 Oct
✅ Built ahead of schedule
✅ Part of Eastern Busway - better journeys by car, bus, bike & foot
✅ Connects Pakūranga Rd to Pakūranga Highway
✅ email [email protected]

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 3h

🚗 Get ready East Auckland!
The Pakūranga flyover (Rā Hihi) opens in both directions this weekend — Saturday 18 October!

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 2d

I'm not familiar with the specifics (it was a Governing Body, not Local Board decision) but the consultation document says "These areas have been chosen to represent a range of households, demographics and waste service needs, so that we can see how the change works in different situations."

Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 2d

The trial would help council understand:
❓ how households manage with less frequent collections
❓ what support they might need
❓ what affect this has on reducing waste to landfill

You can have your say until 11:59pm Fri 31 Oct. akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/proposed-for...

Proposed Fortnightly Rubbish Collection Trial

Have your say from 13 October - 31 October 2025.

akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 2d

Rubbish collection in these areas would be fortnightly (every 2weeks) but keep food scraps collection weekly & recycling collections fortnightly.

If approved, the trial will run from late Feb until late Aug 2026. At the end of the trial, it will return to weekly collections.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 2d

Council wants to test fortnightly kerbside rubbish collections for 10k households in parts of three areas:
📍Te Atatū Peninsula
📍Panmure / Tāmaki
📍Clendon Park and Weymouth

If approved, the trial will run for six months.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 2d

🗑 Aucklanders send ~1.5m tonnes of rubbish to landfill every year – enough to fill Eden Park every week. Much of it could be recycled or repurposed.

Auckland Council is keen for feedback on potential pilot of fortnightly rubbish collection.
akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/proposed-for...

Proposed Fortnightly Rubbish Collection Trial

Have your say from 13 October - 31 October 2025.

akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 5d

Thanks Eleanor ❤️

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 5d

Fri 17 Oct: Final results and official results include all votes, including special votes.

Results can be found here: voteauckland.co.nz/en/2025-loca...

2025 Local election results | Vote Auckland

2025 local election results for all positions. Results are featured in accessible tables and downloadable PDF documents.

voteauckland.co.nz

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 5d

Progress results include votes received until the evening of Fri 10 Oct 2025. They do not include special votes or votes received on Saturday morning.

Mon 13 Oct: Preliminary results include votes received on the morning of Sat 11 Oct. Special votes are still not included.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 5d

It's great to see that the Howick Local Board will benefit from the experience of returning members, as well as from some fresh new faces. Congratulations to all the new and returning members.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 5d

But there's more to do - we're opening library in Jan, with more progress on Flat Bush facilities underway. We need to tackle gaps in playgrounds & sportsfields, with budget shortfalls. We're taking on more responsibilities for transport, while intensification looms.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 5d

Thank you to everyone who voted for me, who helped my campaign - your support means a lot, regardless of the outcome. I'm thrilled to be back on the Local Board - I've really enjoyed the past three years and we've achieved a lot.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 5d

Unfortunately I haven't been elected to Auckland Council. My congratulations to Maurice Williamson (who has been returned) and Bo Burns. Well done to them both and commiserations to the other unsuccessful candidates.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 5d

Thank you Botany! ❤️

Progress results show that I've been returned to the Howick Local Board as one of the two representatives for Botany. Thank you to locals for your vote of confidence in me.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 6d

All of this has been a team effort and whatever happens tomorrow I'm proud of what we've done together - as a Board and as a community.

‘Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini’ – our strength is not made from us alone but made from many.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 6d

Our environmental programmes delivered significant improvements thanks to partnerships with Otara Waterways and Lake Trust, Pest Free Howick Ward and residents.
And we increased transparency by opening workshops to public & improved local democracy with Flat Bush representation.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 6d

We strengthened our partnership with mana whenua, finally making progress on the dual naming of parks with Te Kete Rukuruku.

We've boosted social cohesion with investment into Neighbourhood Support while delivering the local emergency readiness and response plan with AEM.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 6d

We successfully advocated for funding for the long-awaited Flat Bush facilities (Community Centre and Library, Pool and Leisure Centre), and secured a lease for a temporary Library at Ormiston in the meantime.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 6d

In addition to our ongoing support for the incredible Howick Youth Council, we delivered a dedicated space for our rangatahi (youth) with Te Taiwhanga Taiohi East Auckland Youth Space, funded through our effort saving the early childhood education previously known as KauriKids.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 6d

It's been a privilege serving on Howick Local Board for the last 3yrs, as representative for Botany/Flat Bush and as Chairperson. Despite the significant challenges we've faced, like budget cuts and unpredictable government reform, we've managed to deliver for our communities.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 6d

As an independent I don't have a big political party behind me, just dedicated passionate locals who want to see positive change.

Special thank you to my friends and whānau who have helped and supported me throughout the campaign and last three years.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 6d

Thank you you to everyone who has helped with my campaign. From volunteers who've delivered leaflets to residents who've allowed me to use their fence for my signs - thank you.

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Damian Light @damianlight.bsky.social · 6d

With the election tomorrow, time is running out to vote. If you haven't had your say, make sure you get your vote into one of the orange boxes at your local library, supermarket or transport station before Midday.

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