What is Super City?

The Royal Commission on Auckland Governance delivered a report to government to state the future of Auckland, in March 2009. The report recommended that Auckland should change another way to run which would provide better outcomes to both government and citizens.

Eventually, the government accepted the Royal Commission’s report. Then the Auckland Transition Agency (ATA) was set up in May 2009, to deal with all the transition process. The main task of Auckland Transition Agency is to combine all the local councils across Auckland Regional into a single, unified, government entity. To be exact, the old Auckland governing structure was 1 Auckland Regional Council, 3 district councils, 4 city councils and 30 community boards. Now it is replaced by a single Auckland Council and 21 elected local boards.

In October 2010, the ATA is already completing all the groundwork. On 1^st of November 2010, Auckland’s eight existing local bodies merged into a single new local governance structure which now we call it Auckland Super City.

The new Auckland Council will have one mayor and 20 councilors elected from 13 wards from Franklin to Rodney. This replaces 7 city mayors and a regional council chair, 13 regional councilors and 96 territorial authority councilors.

Under the new scheme the single mayor and the 20 councilors will focus on the “big picture” and make decisions that affect the Auckland region.

Some transportation modes

Transportation mode is the tool to provide people and freight with mobilities. Transportation mode is the heart of transportation network design. Different types of transportation modes give different working outcomes. In allusion to the situation for different countries, governments should promote to corresponding mode. However, the two basic transportation mode types are land and air.

Land transportation mode mainly has road transportation and rail transportation. Road infrastructures are large consumers of space with the lowest level of physical constraints among transportation modes. However, physical constraints are significant in road construction with substantial additional costs to overcome features such as rivers or rugged terrain. Railways are composed of traced paths on which are bound vehicles. They have an average level of physical constrains linked to the types of locomotives and a low gradient is required, particularly for freight.

Air transportation is the main transportation mode of air. Air routes are practically unlimited. Air transport constraints are multidimensional and include the site the climate, fog and aerial currents. Air activities are linked to the tertiary and quaternary sectors, notably finance and tourism, which lean on the long distance mobility of people. More recently, air transportation has been accommodating growing quantities of high value freight and is playing a growing role in global logistics.

Our current strategies

Sustainable transportation network is transportation vision for governments all around the world. Obviously, to create a sustainable transportation network is an aim of New Zealand government as well. Currently, the Ministry of Transport in New Zealand greatly promotes variance of strategies to make the vision come true, such as fixing the transportation network, doing road project, promoting public transport, encouraging bike/walk cycling, and so on.

Promoting bike cycling is one of the most important strategies from government. Riding bike is a fantastic way to get and enjoy our life. The government even lends some bikes to citizens to encourge this activity. Recent activities involve Bike to Work, Family Bike Evening, Go by Bike Breakfast Day, Bike Expeditions, Try My Bike win, and cheese evening and so on.

Carpool test spread is another possible activity. Commuters fed up with traffic have a chance to join a pilot carpooling scheme. The scheme involves members gathering at a central location in Silverdale to carpool en route to Albany station. The scheme is an inexpensive but premium way to carpool. The savings in terms of petrol costs and environment are huge.

Taking the train is a good way to travel as well. So far, railway network has been greatly promoted, and work efficiently. Ride a train from south Auckland into Britomart any weekday morning and chances are you could be sitting next to Mayor Len Brown. He started taking the train to work as part of a campaign to double the number of Aucklanders using public transport over the next decade.

Riding bike, carpool and taking a train are all sustainable way to travel. And the government already does a lot of work to encourage those ways. To be one of the citizens’ of New Zealand, we have responsibility to cooperate with government strategies to create a better environment for all of us.

Lessons to be learned from Lake Road works

The traffic congestion issue arising by the Lake Road works is only a case study of such mismanaged project. As a result, those projects normally end of from residents’ complaint and government claptrap.

I personally suffered from the traffic chaos on Lake Road once. I can totally understand why residents and business owners complaint about it. It is a very hard time. Every second is tantalizing. It seems like there are workers always standing around and not actually doing anything. You are sitting in your car doing nothing, but wasting of time, wasting of petrol, feeling hungry waiting for them doing some ‘work’. Everything is ridiculous. The whole project is an absolute joke.

However, we have learned three things from this project. Firstly, the Auckland Transport is miscommunication with the residents and business owners. Therefore, the citizens are feeling confused and misunderstanding about government works. The short-term inconvenient would cause citizens against government and not gain for the long-term outcomes.

Secondly, poor traffic management was a direct cause of much of the traffic chaos. The traffic management had been badly handled, particularly with lanes being closed during the peak traffic hours.

Thirdly, the project progress has not followed by the schedule. The Auckland chief executive David Warburton stated that ‘opportunities to make significant progresses were missed in the summer of 2009 and 2010 with a five-month break between contracts. Auckland Transport needs to remember that project inefficiencies have a direct economic impact on our local economy’.

No matter it is the government or a normal person, we made mistakes sometime. But at least we learn from the lessons and move on.

Few words about Lake Road project

The $8 million upgrade of Lade Road between Napier Ave and Jutland Road was initiated by the North Shore City Council, which was dissolved last year. The project started in early 2010. It involves undergrounding of power lines and road widening to make room for two traffic lanes and a cycle lane on each direction.

However, there was a traffic chaos in Takapuna last Thursday as road closures brought peak hour traffic to standstill. Moreover, business owners are becoming more and more frustrated as the Lake Road upgrade project starts to affect their income. One of the owners said ‘the speed of it is chronically showed and I can’t see the reason why. It’s becoming an absolute joke for everybody. What happened was a huge disappointment and it’s impacting on the local economy. People are extremely upset.’

The transportation network upgrade operates very often around us. However, does it really improve our life? Obviously, the project operating in Takapuna does not work really well. It already affects people’s mental and spiritual wellbeing. In other word, this transportation activity is hurting citizen’s health.

New Zealand Transportation

Transportation system is always a popular issue in New Zealand. Both government and citizens are keen to finding a way to promote a sustainable transportation network. Therefore, we could see road works everywhere, new transport strategies in almost every half year, and series research on new transport tools and modes. However, now the transport system is still not optimizing. The most significant reason emerged as the high ratio of car occupant per person, which is above the average global standard. This fact indicates that public transport tools are not working efficient and effective.

Let us use Auckland as a case study. The two maps below show the public transport route.

It seems like great network which covered most main roads and spur trucks. However, my personal experience in the bus routes tells me that the network has not been designed in a comprehensive and efficient way. Personally speaking, the bus route in north shore is totally wasting of time. All the buses just go round and round, taking forever to my destination. Taking public transportation for example, it would take you five minutes to wait for the bus, half hour to get the destination, and cost $1.70 per stage. Or when you drive your private vehicle, it would spend 15 minutes driving on the way, 5 minutes to find a car parking, and it would cost $0.80 for petrol. Which way you would do? The answer is obvious. And that is what our real life is.

Public health issues arise from Transportation

The importance of transportation network for our daily life is significant. Transport is an essential component of modern life. It provides us with accesses to work, school, shopping, social network and recreation. However, for public health, transportation brings both positive convenience and negative influences.

There is a series of direct and indirect health impacts arising from transport. It includes: air pollution, noise, climate changes, and road traffic injuries.

It is clear that transport is a significant source of air pollution. Air pollution form motor vehicles that burn fossil fuels. It along with other sources such as industry and home heating, impacts on public health. Motor vehicles in New Zealand emit air pollutants to the same extent as in other countries. Recent New Zealand research has estimated the ratio of mortality attributed to vehicle emissions compared with road traffic injuries to be 0.8. To be more specific, for adults aged over 30 years, there were 200 premature deaths attributed to emissions compared with a road toll of 243.

According to the World Health Organization, transport is the main source of noise pollution in European. Recently, there is news reporting that there is growing scientific evidence on the effects of noise on health outcomes. That health outcome includes physical and mental wellbeing. Impaired communication, disturbed sleep, impaired school and work performance, annoyance, depression and aggression are all the possible effective by the noise. However, New Zealand research shows very little data on noise levels form transport or the effects on the health and wellbeing of communities.

There is strong evidence that most of the global warning of the past 50 years is due to human activity. And transportation pollution is one of the major contributors. Potential implications for human health arising from climate change include increased mortality form extremes of temperature, increased rates of waterborne disease due to flooding, higher rates of skin cancers due to ozone layer depletion and increased vector-borne disease such as dengue fever.

A Road traffic injury is one of the most significant, effects of transport on health which include both deaths and non-fatal injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes. The police reported that ‘in 1999 New Zealand’s rate of traffic-related deaths was 13.3 deaths per 100,000 people. This was below the United States at 15.5 deaths per 100,000, but higher than other comparable countries such as Australia (9.3), Canada (9.7), United Kingdom (6.0) and Ireland (11.0). New Zealand’s high road accident fatality rate is partly due to the high number of vehicles per capita. However the rate per vehicle is also one of the highest in developed countries’.

Transportation is like a couteau in our life. The both sides of this tool could not be neglected by either government or us.

Something you may don’t know about public health

The definition of ‘health’ adopted by the PHAC (Public Health Advisory Committee) stated that ‘health is not just about physical injury or disease. A broad view of health assumes as a state of physical mental, social and spiritual wellbeing.

As you see from the model above, this four-sided house incorporates physical and mental wellbeing. It also includes interrelated components of personal and family relationships and a spiritual dimension. The most important information delivering to us is that the four sides of the house have to be strong and balanced to support the house stand. Transiting this architect principal into public health is that a strong health composes by all family/community, mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing.

Government concern and relevant policies

Health is always a hot topic all around the world. To be healthier is not only about citizens eating healthy, and doing physical exercise. It is more about landscape design, living environment, life standard, government strategies and so on. To be exact, government has a duty to promote and protect all citizens’ health. And that is the reason of why we have the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Health’s role is to improve, promote and protect the health of New Zealander. Through the Ministry of Health’s leadership of the health and disability system we would help ensure New Zealanders live longer, healthier and more independent lives. Under this government concerns, the Ministry of Health undertakes variance of strategies to aim for different health issues.

The way government using to solve the obesity issue is a good case study. The proportion of people who are overweight and obsess is drawing attention for global width. Nowadays, Obesity becomes a serious health issue. In allusion to the obesity issue, an International Conference on Nutrition was held in Rome during December 1992. This conference passed the National Nutrition Policy 1992. In response to the international challenge, New Zealand produced series actions to mitigate the obesity problem. Healthy Eating- Healthy Action is one of the most important policies of the obesity area.  It has been investigate, analysis and development through the background, strategic framework and implementation plan. Eventually, it became part of Government Policy in 2002.

Health information for all New Zealanders

Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body Mass Index is determined by your weight in kilograms divided by your height (in metres) squared. It is designed for men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 years. A healthy BMI score is between 18.5 and 26. A score below 18.5 indicates that you may be underweight; a value above 25 for a New Zealand European or 26 for a Maori or Pacific Islander indicates that you may be overweight.

Vitamin D and bones

Both calcium and vitamin D are necessary for healthy bones. Calcium is essential for the hardening and continual regrowth of new bone, as old bone is lost. Vitamin D is essential for absorption of calcium into bone. A deficiency of vitamin D will result in bones becoming weaker through lack of calcium mineralization.

Most people get not enough vitamin D from a normal diet. Vitamin D is only present in small amounts in most foods. People get most of their vitamin D from the effect of sunlight on their exposed skin. People who are indoors a lot may not get enough sunlight or vitamin D.

Most people in New Zealand thought to have osteoporosis are promptly diagnosed and treated which is wrong. Only half of those thought to have osteoporosis have been diagnosed. One in two women and one in three men over 65 years of age, it is thought, will suffer an osteoporotic fracture.

Working out your Fitness Zone Heart Rate (Target Heart Rate)

If you are interested in improving your aerobic fitness you might wish to use a Heart Rate calculator. The calculator uses your age (and/or resting pulse) to work out what 60 to 90 per cent of your maximum pulse rate is. People who do little or no exercise should initially aim for around 60% of their maximum pulse rate, whilst athletes need to reach around 90% to train effectively.

Cancer

Every moment spending with her grandchildren is extra special for Elizabeth Matthews because she has not been given long to live. She was diagnosed with breast cancer about eight years ago. She had a surgery to remove the cancer that had spread to her lymph glands.

Cancer is defining as the most threaten killer than other diseases. Most of the deaths are causing by cancer in not only New Zealand, but also all around world.

Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are over 1000 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.

Cancer harms the health when damaged cells divide uncontrollably to form lumps or masses of tissue called tumors. Tumors can grow and interfere with the digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems and they can release hormones that alter body function. Tumors that stay in one spot and demonstrate limited growth are generally considered to be benign.

Obesity

There are too many people dying prematurely because of overweight. People who overweight are having a high risk for many health conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes, cancers and obesity. The proportion of people who are overweight and obsess is drawing attention at the global width. Nowadays, Obesity becomes a serious health issue. To mitigate the problem, the Ministry of Health improved nutrition as a focus, and produced Healthy Eating- Healthy Action plan, which includes objectives and actions at all levels of the determinants of health and wellbeing. However, the obesity problem still tends to become serious.

Bawde states that “Obesity is excessive weight due to increased body fat. Where the Body Mass Index (BMI) is greater than or equal to 30. Serious obesity can lead to other health conditions e.g. coronary heart disease, diabetes and hypertension.” It has been estimated that approximately 40% of all deaths in New Zealand can be attributed to a combination of high blood pressure, elevated total blood cholesterol, low vegetable and fruit intake, and being overweight or obese. Overall, about 56% of New Zealand adults were overweight or obese in 2003.

The proportion of people who are obese is increasing internationally, especially among adults and children. This trend is significant in New Zealand. It is also evident in the Auckland region.

Obesity is a growing health problem which causes lots of mortal disease. The main factors influence people obsess are changing social and physical environment and dietary choices people make. The physical and social environment of countries like New Zealand has been called ‘obesogenic’. Avoiding physical activity and eating a poor diet are the easier options. In other words, every detail has been designed in this country may influence people obsess, such as availability and quality of open space, cycle ways, and walkways; food technology; food cost to consumer etc.

Melancholia

Melancholia applies to mental or emotional symptoms of depression or despondency. In other words, melancholia could be physical problems as well as mental problems. Melancholic conditions were classified by their common causes rather than their properties.

There are different levels of melancholia. Each Level is depending on the amount of stress and having different presentations. With the form of stress, there is a complete loss of pleasure in all or almost everything. The start of these episodes is usually not caused by a specific event, and even when something good happens, the individual’s mood does not improve, not even for a short time.

Currently, the leading causes of death are dominated by what are referred to as lifestyle diseases, those diseases whose pathology develops over a period of several years, and perhaps even decades. Recent research suggests that the high level of stress is a causal factor involved with several types of diseases, particularly autoimmune disease. Regardless, it is well understood that the influence of stress weakens the body’s physiological systems, thereby rapidly advancing the disease process.