Auckland chafing at Bishop’s housing intensification orders

One of the major problems the Government has in implementing its ‘going for housing growth’ strategy is that it isn’t giving much funding help to councils. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā

Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, November 15:

1. The News: PM Christopher Luxon attacks David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill as “simplistic” and “distracting,” but still votes for it. Chris Finlayson says the bill is damaging treaty relations and contrasts with National’s history of improving relations. The Government may hike fees to visit National Parks. Lester Levy overrules Health NZ’s plan to get rid of free Milo in hospitals.

2. The Lead: Wayne Brown has asked Chris Bishop for approval to change the pro-housing densification measures in Auckland’s twice-delayed District Plan, arguing for a “more balanced” approach that doesn’t force “wasteful Council spending” on buses, trains, roads and pipes. BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver Lewis.

3. Scoop: The Government is looking at selling Dunedin Hospital’s outpatient building to fund the Hospital rebuild. ODT’s Matthew Littlewood

4. Deep-dive: Public servants are exhausted and fearful as the job cuts total nears 8,000 and as Nicola Willis says more cuts will be needed. RNZ’s Lauren Crimp

5. Solutions: Habitat for Humanity has opened applications for 10 new affordable rentals in Whangārei, on top of 24 rent-to-own homes it has built elsewhere in a city desperate for new homes. NZ Herald’s Denise Piper.

6. Editorial Opinion: The Maxim Institute’s Thomas Scrimgeour argues in The Press for hyperlocal zoning to achieve densification by allowing the NIMBYs to opt out in their own immediate neighbourhoods.

(There is more detail, analysis and links to documents below the paywall fold and in the podcast above for paying subscribers. If we get over 100 likes we’ll open it up for public reading, listening and sharing.)

---

1. The News: PM slams Seymour’s bill, then Nats vote for it

Speaking to reporters yesterday morning before flying out to the APEC leaders meeting in Peru, PM Christopher Luxon made his most critical comments yet about David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, although National went on to vote it through on the first reading in Parliament last night. Here’s the news conference in full, with quotes below: