Inside the comms 'mess' of school closures during the floods

[If you are unable to view this message correctly, click here]( [stuff header]( Hi {NAME},  Free lunches, photographers and the fiscal future There’s an old saying, take care of the cents and the dollars will look after themselves.  There are a lot of cents in a proposed $6.4 billion Auckland Council budget and it is easy to dismiss a focus on small spending as inconsequential. That includes the $195 spent by mayor Wayne Brown’s office on a freelance photographer to capture his November 2022 meeting with National Party leader Christopher Luxon. Or the $206 spent on food for councillors at the most recent Governing Body meeting, even though most had brought their own lunch following Richard Hills invoking a “no free lunch” rule for the Planning, Environment and Parks committee he chaired. The sums are miniscule. But the council must close a $295 million deficit in its next budget, which will challenge councillors to decide which spending is the most important to Aucklanders. The public’s opportunity to have a say ends at 5pm on March 28, and the collective views will be analysed and debated behind closed doors as the politicians take their respective stances. Anecdotally, those who have turned out for community budget feedback sessions have not been strongly in favour of the relatively low rates rise (4.66%), big spending cuts proposal. If the feedback, which includes more than 10,000 individual and group submissions, leans that way, councillors will need to start looking for the million-dollar versions of either the “free lunch” or the personal promotion photography. Public views will strengthen arguments against deep and widespread community spending cuts, but also highlight the need to find a means elsewhere to balance the budget. The budget, as proposed, is the work of Wayne Brown and his office - but now, the process belongs also to the 20 councillors and 149 local board members on behalf of those they represent. [user profile pic] Todd Niall Senior Stuff Journalist [See more Auckland news]( [Privacy Info]( [Privacy Info]( [Watch this video now] Inside the comms 'mess' of school closures during the Auckland floods A newly-released tranche of official documents has revealed how poor communication left schools in chaos during the recent severe flooding in Auckland. It's just over two months since floodwaters rose across Tāmki Makaurau and residents waded through the dark as officials stayed silent. [Read More]( [Privacy Info]( More Auckland stories you might have missed [Article Image] DIY work on flood-damaged houses could expose asbestos, putting residents, volunteer helpers and tradies at risk [Read more button]( [Article Image] Family cannot return home because of slip on neighbour's land [Read more button]( [Article Image] Tomato juice thrower 'ready to face consequences if necessary' following Posie Parker incident [Read more button]( [Article Image] New layout on SH16, Waka Kotahi urges extra care [Read more button]( [Support Stuff]( [Discover more Auckland news at Stuf]( You are receiving this email because you are opted in to receive the Your Auckland newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( [Manage your profile]( [Privacy Policy]( Did a friend forward you this email? [Sign up to get Your Auckland in your inbox]( Stuff, 4 Williamson Ave, Ponsonby, Auckland, 1021, New Zealand