Alan Matson Heritage campaigner

The Weekend Herald of Saturday 6 November published a wonderful feature on Alan Matson and the success he has had in saving many of our buildings . Alan is not a one trick pony but is also a skilled negotiator and is passionate about Auckland .
Auckland city's population will be growing at a fast rate and we will have 200, 000 more residents with in 25 years .
How we accommodate them while maintaining our status as one of the worlds most livable cities and also protecting our important heritage will be a challenge . We will also need more recreational options including swimming p0ols, libraries, playing fields and skateboarding areas .
Alan has the skills to assist Auckland in many areas and should be contracted or employed directly by our city .
The letter below was published in today's New Zealand Herald in an abridged form.

On the strength of the support from former Auckland City counclilors and other who praise his work in protecting Auckland heritage he should receive a civic honour .
Auckland needs people like him working in our council not only on heritage but also on urban design. We need to get this right, there must be a role for him in our new city .

The immense amount of work that the spacial plan for Auckland requires is well beyond the resources of our new local boards. The five month time frame to produce this report is so tight that mistakes may be made which could well lead to litigation and delays.

Mr. Matson and some others have the skills to help minimise and also recognise issues before they develop. We will be accommodating 200,000 more people in Auckland within twenty five years. This growth will impact on all areas of our city and needs to be managed well. If we get it wrong and reduce our quality of life we this will impact in numerous ways including economically.

Alan Matson has a contribution to make and our new council should embrace him.