Richard Northey: City Vision’s past and future
Richard Northey marks his retirement at the 2025 local elections. He was first elected to Auckland Council in 1979. Having served as an Auckland City Councillor and as MP for Eden, Richard was elected to Auckland Council in the first Supercity elections, and he has served on the Waitematā board, including as chair, since 2016. Richard offered these reflections on City Vision’s legacy and future at City Vision’s 2025 campaign launch.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Ko Richard Northey ahau.
I salute all of those of you who are actively supporting City Vision, whether as candidates for election or as campaigners for us. You are the inheritors of a noble vision, which was for the Auckland isthmus area to be governed at local level by people committed to progressive values like equity, social justice, sustainability, community development and inclusiveness. When I was first elected a Councillor in 1979, on my fifth attempt starting in 1968, beginning 38 years as an elected member, Cath Tizard and I were the only progressive Councillors and C&R dominated the Council from 1959 until 1998.
Then, in 1998, City Vision was established as a unified progressive political force by active members of Labour and the then Alliance, and later Community Independents and the Greens, particularly thanks to our late long-term chair, Robert Gallagher, John Hill, Bruce Hucker, Andrew Beyer, and later wāhine Gwen Shaw, Cathy Casey, Glenda Fryer, Pippa Coom and others. Many of us were elected in 1998 and ended the conservative, do-little, baked-in C&R majority on the Auckland City Council and on a number of its then community boards.
Since then, we have achieved a great deal together. The challenges we faced at the turn of the century continue, coming from those who want to go back to their golden age of the last millennium, and we also face a number of compelling new challenges and opportunities. Climate action, water infrastructure, active and public transport, well-planned higher-density affordable housing, accessible local community facilities and activities, prosperous and lively town centres, and walkable neighbourhoods are what City Vision is advocating for and bringing to fruition.
The old patterns of urban sprawl and of cars occupying so much of our public space must be changed. Young people and families must no longer live isolated lives and be forced into a long, congested, petrol-fueled drive to get to work, education and fun. The City Rail Link, frequent electric buses and ferries, cycleways, micromobility and safe walking are giving people a real choice.
Climate change presents a huge challenge where we have to act locally, being morally obliged to do our part, personally and collectively, to meet an existential crisis to future generations. Providing long-deferred infrastructure, particularly clean water infrastructure, has been a City Vision priority. Now we have the Central Interceptor nearing completion and City Vision members are doing great work with community groups to clean up our streams and harbours.
Inequity, poverty, lack of opportunity and homelessness are increasing in Auckland, and C&R members often blame the homeless themselves for this, rather than seeking to change the heartless policies causing them.
Council must act to provide appropriate, healthy, affordable homes for Aucklanders, both directly through restoring Council pensioner housing on the isthmus and by supporting other providers. We cannot just leave it to the market to provide housing, and the access, opportunities, and the appropriate recreational, sporting, arts and community educational programmes needed for our diverse and disadvantaged communities. We need to celebrate, embrace and enable what provides joy, inclusion and appropriate development of their potential for Māori, ethnic groups, and people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, backgrounds and locations.
As elected members, in our governance role, we need to work to make the best decisions for our communities, using researched evidence, proven scientific data, the expertise of our committed Council staff, the views of the broad spectrum of our communities, including through participatory democracy, and, above all, the principles and policies we have agreed to and campaigned on.
City Vision has clear values that we believe in, and do our very best to pursue, including: A belief in the equal and wonderful value of every human being. Seeking equity, social fairness and full opportunity and access to develop their potential to the full, both for their own benefit and their gifts they can return for us all. Fully respecting and valuing the diverse characteristics and cultures of all kinds of people. Truly valuing and protecting the other life forms we share our world with.
Recognising that competition has a valued place in sport and other activities, but that it is strategic co-operation, collaboration and mutual respect that are the most ethical and productive means of achieving success in the economy and in most vital aspects of life. Firm adherence to moral principles is much the most certain way of arriving at truth and justice. City Vision was founded to change the focus of local politics and we will continue to fight for the realisation of our values.
Thank you for this opportunity to share in the excitement, challenges and opportunities that we face in the campaign and that you can have the chance to generate as elected members after October. Now I am retiring, fully confident in your wisdom, capability, empathy and commitment to build on all we have achieved. Go well.