• Auckland Mayor says he found a set of stairs for Milford Beach that would only cost $3500 – $388 per step.
• It comes after Auckland Council was criticised for spending $263,000 to replace four sets of seven stairs.
• Brown said that type of spending was “disgraceful” and did not represent his “better, faster, cheaper’ message.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has ridiculed the cost of Milford Beach steps and claims he found a set that cost nearly $250,000 less.

Auckland Council was heavily criticised this week after it emerged officers spent $263,000 to replace four sets of stairs at Milford Beach on the city’s North Shore.

Staff defended the cost of the stairs, saying replacing the old stairs included all engineering design, consenting, physical works and management, surveillance, and quality assurance through construction.

However, Brown said that type of spending was “disgraceful” and did not represent the “better, faster, cheaper” message he had been trying to get the council to adopt.

Brown posted on X this morning, saying, “Council spent 256k on 4 sets of 7 steps. That’s $9142 PER STEP!!”

“Visited the Simplicity Site today and found these steps at a bargain cost of $3500! That’s $388 PER STEP!”

A concrete path along Milford Beach is dotted with four sets of concrete stairs that connect the walkway to the sand – each has eight steps.

Through an Official Information Act request, the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance found the council spent $263,000 replacing the stairs as part of its coastal asset renewals programme.

Alliance spokesperson Sam Warren said that broke down to just over $8000 per step.

“Anyone would agree that these steps needed a bit of work, crumbling away and clearly needed to be replaced. Our issue is the cost. Clearly, Auckland Council needs to reconsider some of its processes, it’s just so expensive,” he said.

“I think ratepayers would agree $8000 per step is just too much, it’s a real gold plate standard at this rate.”

The council’s coastal management practice lead, Natasha Carpenter, said safety for beach users was a primary consideration for the council given it was a popular walkway.

“Four sets of concrete steps had reached the end of their design life, eroded substantially and become unsafe for beach users getting up and down to the beach,” she said.

Four sets of concrete stairs along Milford Beach have been replaced, at a total cost of $263,000. Photo / Auckland Council

“They were demolished and disposed of, factoring in the dynamic coastal rock and sand environment, while meeting legal health and safety standards.”

Carpenter said the new steps had a minimum 35-year design life.

“They are a robust, long-term solution designed to withstand the effects of nature in this high-energy coastal location. The final project has significantly improved safe access to the beach, was completed to a high standard, with all users in mind, and within the allocated budget.”

The walkway is part of the Milford to Takapuna path, which hit headlines in 2023 when the owners of a property edging onto the path blocked access.

- Other reporting, RNZ

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