Annoying things about Auckland that would change if we became Mayor

Let's face it, Auckland isn't the most accessible city in the world. Anyone who's been lucky enough to travel abroad will be more than familiar with the feeling of coming back home only to discover inaccessible transport, random curb cuts and a profound lack of disability visibility in our elected representatives.

But come October this year, that could all change for the better when Aucklanders turn out to vote in the local body elections. As the opportunity to stand for Mayor or council quickly approaches, here are some of the most annoying things about Auckland as disabled people that we’d change if we were voted in. 

Public transport takes foreverrr

If you’re having a swim at Takapuna Beach in the morning and keen to watch a show at the Māngere Arts Centre later that afternoon, it will take you two buses, two trains and 31 minutes of walking. That’s nearly two hours just to get to the other side of town! While it’s great most buses kneel and have ramps these days, if you’re waiting for that accessible bus and there’s no bus stop shelter in the middle of winter, chances are you’re gonna hop on the bus all soggy and cold. Bus stop shelters also provide seating, which is super helpful if the bus is running late. We wanna be public transport stans, but it’s impossible when this is the state of it.

So many road cones

Tāmaki Makaurau seems to be in a constant state of roadworks. While we love to see maintenance and improvement to our surroundings (hurry up CRL!), the incessant roadworks makes for an accessibility nightmare. As soon as one project is finished at one end of Mt Eden Road and you’re just getting comfortable with the road cones in the way, they suddenly pop up down Symonds Street. This makes roads hard to navigate as a pedestrian especially when you have to learn new routes to get from A to B safely but it’s continually changing.

Watch out for that car!

Sometimes crossing a road feels like a death trap! Whether it’s a lack of safe pedestrian crossings or not enough curb cuts in this busy city, of course staying indoors seems like the most reasonable thing to do - duh! And even if you’re in a car, sometimes it helps to say a little prayer - especially if you’re driving through the Royal Oak or Greenlane roundabouts. We’d love to see more safe pedestrian crossings, especially around bus stops and to support local businesses. So whether you’re walking or rolling, grabbing a coffee across the street won’t leave you bruised, just caffeinated.

Have your say

So you’ve got your own issues with Auckland that you wanna add to this list? Well, now you have a chance to deliver them directly to the right people as the local elections are coming up in October. Nominations open to apply to be a candidate from 4 July and close 1 August 2025, midday. You can find out more about how to apply on the Vote Auckland website.

Access information

While the list of accessible improvements is long regarding Auckland infrastructure, how accessible is it to apply as a candidate and if you become an elected member? Auckland Council’s governance and engagement general manager Lou-Ann Ballantyne says the nominations process is fully accessible, and can be done both via in-person paper nominations or electronically. “To support voters, candidates' statements will be translated in New Zealand Sign Language and will be narrated to meet a range of accessibility needs,” explains Ballantyne.

Unfortunately, an Election Access Fund is not available for local elections in 2025. However, Ballantyne says the organisation is “committed to understanding the challenges and barriers for elected members with disabilities, and how we can best support them in their role”. While Ballantyne was not clear what support disabled people can access prior to being an elected member, she says: “there's always room for improvement”. “We welcome any feedback on how we can continue to improve our approach to ensure we are reaching whānau with disabilities in Tāmaki.”

*This article was produced in paid partnership with Auckland Council.