The same old gap in ‘Going for Housing Growth’

TL;DR: Thanks for the break, and now I’m back. These are the top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so:

1. Chris Bishop’s pledge to ‘flood the market’ with land to build new houses both out and up remains dependent on private infrastructure finance and new revenues for councils, neither of which are decided or expected to be enough to cause a ‘flood’;

2. A former Kāinga Ora board member, who is also Aotearoa’s top housing academic, has condemned the Bill English’s ‘damning’ review of KO as ideologically pre-cooked by English and Housing Minister Chris Bishop, as well as being either ignorant or incorrect about the facts of the company itself;

3. An increasing number of old-school economic thinkers are turning to analysing the ongoing loss of natural capital from unsustainable economic growth, which should make us look for ‘nature positive’ ways to rebuild natural capital;

4. An Ipsos poll published this morning has found the majority of New Zealanders believe that poverty, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse are the top causes of crime, with 30% seeing ineffective policing as the main driver;

5. A doctor who was so stressed he became a truck driver has explained exactly how the health system has reached a systemic tipping point because of long-running under-funding; and,

6. Fossil fuel use to generate electricity is still growing, despite much-faster-than-forecast growth in now-cheaper solar generation as a phenomenon known as Jeavons Paradox kicks in, challenging the assumption that ever-cheaper solar power will inevitably lower fossil fuel use.

Also, my pick of the top six news, analysis, deep-dive and opinion links elsewhere in today’s Pick ‘n’ Mix for fully paid subscribers includes:

1. Scoop: Probation officer sacked for snooping is linked to alleged spy Jian Yang. Corrections dismissed Xu Shan over his unauthorised accessing of hundreds of offender files. Now, Stuff can reveal his high-powered link. Stuff’s Paula Penfold

2. Feature: Kiwi doctor swaps medicine for truck driving NZ Herald’s Cherie Howie

3. Ross Gittins column in SMH: If you care about your offspring, you should support ‘nature positive’

4. Analysis: Thinking outside the shoebox: How small is too small for an apartment? RNZ’s Phil Pennington

5. Thomas Coughlan column in NZ Herald-$$$: Housing policy leaves anti-density backers nowhere to run

6. Andrea Vance column in Sunday Star Times-$$$ Is rebooted fast-track a law written by the Government’s cronies?

The Kākā’s Journal of Record for July 8 for fully paid subscribers also included these top six items:

1. Local Government Minister Simeon Brown announced the Coalition Government would not be responding to the Future for Local Government Review.

2. Transport Minister Brown announced on NZTA would start procurement, enabling work and construction on the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government’s first seven Roads of National Significance (RoNS).

3. Housing Minister Chris Bishop gave a speech and news conference on housing policies to 'flood' country with new homes. Bishop RNZ

4. Auckland University researchers warned of harms to children's physical and mental health with overuse of screens in New Zealand schools in a news release and paper

5. Education Minister Erica Stanford announced Secretary of Education Iona Holsted would leave after eight years in the job.

6. Auckland Council’s chief economist unit released a paper last week showing new census data added to the evidence that the more flexible land use permitted under the Auckland Unitary Plan has led to more new home

(Full paying subscribers can see and hear more detail, analysis and commentary in my podcast above and below the paywall fold, as well as our daily Journal of Record and daily Pick ‘n’ Mix sent earlier this morning. They also get our Weekly Diary, If we get more than 100 likes, we open this articles up for full public access and sharing online. Join our community of paying subscribers to also be able to comment and get access to our ‘Hoon’ webinars.)

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Top Six Things to note on Monday July 8:

‘Nice plan, but show us the money’

Chris Bishop’s big missing link is the same as Phil Twyford’s missing link