Looking for Runs on the Board: Interview with Chris Darby
Back in October last year as part of the new Auckland "Super City" structure, Chris Darby was elected to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, along with Kevin Schwass, Joseph Bergin, Mike Cohen, Dianne Hale and Jan O’Connor. At the first meeting of that board in November, Darby was unanimously elected as board Chairperson. When Channel Magazine last chatted to Chris Darby – just a month or two into the role – he outlined three "large over-arching issues” facing his board – in the areas of transport, community engagement and town centre vitality. When pressed he saw the latter as probably the most important. Nine months into the role, Channel Magazine's Aidan Bennett caught up with Darby in Devonport to get a state-of-the-play report.
In mid-July I met Chris Darby for a chat in the small cafe on the end of Devonport Wharf. This was an appropriate meeting place as he has just played a leading hand in getting the Auckland Council to commit money to an immediate upgrade of the wharf, which has seen better days.
Since first meeting him a couple of years ago, I have become increasingly impressed with the work that Chris Darby is doing in the community. Firstly on the North Shore City Council and now as Chairperson of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board. I spent a couple of hours with him, as I was intrigued to find out a bit more about him. I am a firm believer that we should celebrate people like Chris who work tirelessly to improve their local patch.
Chris Darby trained as a teacher, but never taught. He admits to always being an enterprising type. As a young fellow he organised and promoted rock festivals and events. After living overseas in the US and Europe he returned to New Zealand and moved into property development, mainly doing up and selling old villas in the inner city.
He moved over from St Mary’s Bay to the North Shore in 1994 and it has been his home ever since. He says that he really fell into Local Body politics by default when he headed up the Ngataringa Bay Protection Society. He was first elected to the North Shore City Council in 2004, was re-elected in 2007 and was elected as part of the Shore Voice group onto the inaugural Devonport-Takapuna Local Board in late 2010.
I started the interview by suggesting that he’s stepped into a pretty demanding and tough role.
“There is no doubt that it is a demanding role, but I am really enjoying it,” answered Chris Darby. “Everything we are doing is new and in the present climate it is ‘get up and go fast’, and quick decisions must be made. The pressure we are under to get things done is very good for decision making. I believe the old model struggled in the decision making process, because there was too much time and things were drawn out and costly. Now things happen much quicker, which is great.”
“I like to put timelines on things. With the new Auckland structure there is a preparedness to apply a business-savvy approach to local government without marginalising residents. At the end of the day the Auckland Council is the biggest enterprise in town and it must be run like that.”
“It is fair to say that this is a role where you need to be able to cop criticism, as we can’t please all of the people all of the time. I do have a tough skin, which helps, but I am also sensitive at times, as well. I don’t mind criticism at all. Particularly when it is constructive and solution focused. A lot of the criticism will come from resistance to change. But it’s not going to be business as usual when the model is broken. Our job is to fix it and in some cases this might involve major change which will ruffle feathers. But I’m just not prepared to stick with the status quo when it is not working. We need to make sure, however, that we are articulating the benefits of any change.”
So what score would Chris Darby give his local board out of 10 for their first nine or so months? There were also some key areas that the new Local Board was looking to address in the first 12 months. Are these on track?
“It is still early days but I believe we need to be tough when judging ourselves. Being busy is not an achievement. Seeing real runs on the board is what it is all about. I won’t be giving any high marks until we are swamped in achievements. At the moment I would give a score of 5.5 out of 10.”
“In terms of the three key areas we outlined there has been good progress. The draft Local Board Plan has been released, our course-setter for the next three years and beyond, and this builds on our earlier stated annual budget. It would be easy to be scattergun in our approach but that way you will always under-deliver. The draft Local Board Plan clearly outlines our priorities and aspirations.”
“We have certainly made some progress in the transport area. The Lake Road project between Esmonde and Jutland roads has been finished under budget and the benefits are now being seen. While this was a North Shore City project it was one that Diane Hale, Kevin Schwass and I were right behind. We are also doing some work in the Esmonde Road area, in terms of utilising the bus lanes for high occupancy vehicles to further reduce congestion. We are also about to embark on creating a strong pedestrian link between the Sunnynook Busway Station and the northern residential areas.”
“The recent announcements around the $500,000 major maintenance improvements at Devonport Wharf have been very pleasing. I have worked closely with Mayor Len Brown and his team on this and have been very impressed with what I have seen. Len has been great to work with and has assigned two of his key staff to the Devonport Wharf project. We were able to identify additional budget, that was new money and not in the legacy fund, as they see the wharf as an important regional facility. I see this as a very real direct benefit for the North Shore as a result of the Auckland Council. The next step is to scope the multi-million dollar complete upgrade of the wharf and neighbouring Victoria Wharf. My personal challenge on this is to find an innovative commercial partner with some serious capital and partner them up with council to deliver a memorable public space, without having to resort to traditional rates funding.”
“Town centre rejuvenation is a significant part of our draft Local Board Plan. Our approach is that we need to reinvigorate town centres for the good of the community. Not just for enterprise but as social magnets. This is as important as local commerce. One feeds through to the other. If we do it right the people will come to these areas and spend. A particular focus has been in Takapuna and Devonport.”
“Takapuna has such great potential to become a contemporary centre of clever commerce and quality urban living. It has the bones that no other centre in Auckland has, but we keep missing the opportunity to get it right. There has been a lack of follow-through, commitment and continuity. It has been too easy to bow to the obstacles, compromise, or give up and go away. The people and groups in the area that don’t want change need to look at the ‘for lease’ signs. Our task as a Board is to bring all the people together for the good of Takapuna, and we are doing that. We need to make sure that we are creating opportunities for people to start advocating for town centres as we see them.”
“We have quite a way to go, is my blunt assessment in the area of community engagement. In general the new Auckland Council is falling short in this area. This is required by statute and continues to be a priority and will be for a long time. We need to evaluate whether the traditional tools are doing the job and if they aren’t, then change. In this respect I see new media as well as qualitative research and focus groups as being very important. We want to hear from the usual suspects and we want to hear from those who want step out to map a whole new course for their communities and neighbourhoods”
So what does Chris Darby see as the main challenges facing the Local Board?
“Continuing to grapple with the new organisation while it is still getting momentum. Wrapping projects with timelines, delivering on time and on budget, exercising fiscal restraint and identifying appropriate human and financial resource for the program is critical. Council is a big stimulator of the local economy so the financial part is very important. We need to look at new revenue streams and be smarter about our spend. Rateable property alone cannot sustain us. For example, I would like to see parking income and street trading charges directly reinvested into town centre upgrades. Evidence from around the world suggests people are happier to have such charging regimes when they know that the revenue is being directly spent back into main street.”
In what areas has the Chris Darby led Devonport-Takapuna Local Board got runs on the board since its election?
“Due to our determination we are making some real progress in Takapuna. It has all the ingredients for being a remarkable centre that attracts clever commerce. A centre where imaginative business takes place. In line with the Sir Stephen Tindall philosophy. But to achieve this we recognise that there must be stimulation for these employees and people beyond work. The environment must be right. We are pleased with progress that is being made on approval for the Hurstmere Green project. It is essential that we get Takapuna right and the Hurstmere Green project, aimed at triggering the process of connecting the town centre with the beach and sea, is a great start. We are supporting the implementation of the Takapuna Strategic Framework, which provides landowners, businesses and the wider community with confidence about future direction and growth. The Devonport Wharf upgrade is certainly runs on the board, as is the upgrade of the Stanley Bay terminal approaches.”
So is the task of the inaugural Devonport-Takapuna Local Board as Chris Darby thought it would be?
“No. What we are realising is that there is a much greater opportunity to make positive change than we ever imagined. This is not about the local boards being subservient. The local boards are at the edge of moulding communities, much more than expected. We are not a ‘souped up community board’. We are playing a formative part in creating a better Auckland.”
So you obviously think the Auckland ‘Super-City’ concept is working then?
“I really do. It is a phenomenal enterprise. $30 billion in assets, as big – if not bigger – than Telecom or Fonterra. The new model has huge potential. It’s understandable that a bit of bitterness towards the reorganisation lingers but we’ve been dealt our hand by legislators and my job is to play those cards as best I can.”
“I met recently with Mayor Len Brown’s Chief of Staff and came away very impressed. And Len is doing a good job. He is encompassing the diverse needs of the city and is showing tremendous ability and appetite to understand community needs. He also understands the need to create a whole new economic drive.”
“Cities are the future of countries. For a long time New Zealand has relied on the pastoral sector while Auckland has been very much the service centre. That’s got to change. Auckland must now contribute to the national GDP (Gross Domestic Product) like never before. Accordingly, there are targets in the council’s Economic Development Strategy to move us from being a consumptive to a productive international City.”
Are we ready for the RWC?
“Yes, I believe we are and we need to focus now on being terrific hosts. What is very heart-warming is the way that our business associations now talk and work together, sharing procurement and ideas etc. This makes a real difference. There are going to be concerted tidy-ups of the three town centres (Devonport, Takapuna and Milford) over the next few weeks to set them up to receive visitors, looking their best. Having the French team and their fan and media contingent in Takapuna will be great.”
To finish the interview I asked Chris to complete the following sentence for me. At the end of this elected term I hope that we have.... “Runs on the board that mean something to the communities, particularly in the target areas of town centres, community engagement and transport.”
FOOTNOTE: Just as this issue was going to press, Chris Darby advised of the following excellent news… In collaboration with the Auckland Council Economic Development team, Takapuna Beach Business Association, Devonport Business Association, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board and TomiZone, an agreement has been reached to bring Wi-Fi to the Takapuna (7 nodes) and Devonport (4 nodes) centres. This will be in place prior to the Rugby World Cup. TomiZone is a company associated with local Takapuna businessman Sir Stephen Tindall.
"It is still early days but I believe we need to be tough when judging ourselves. Being busy is not an achievement. Seeing real runs on the board is what it is all about."
Doing what I love doing
