Just as Immigration NZ eyes thousands more migrants, the Labour Govt decides to take over urban planning on huge chunk of Auckland isthmus from Auckland Council
Re: "the Government has ordered Kāinga Ora to use its very extensive urban development powers to over-rule Auckland Council along the 24-km route from Auckland to Mangere. "
The letter directs Kāinga Ora, in consultation with others, to investigate whether the area should be declared a special development area, and if so, on what terms.
I really don’t understand the sneering at Wayne Brown’s electoral result. In an election with about 20 candidates and 450k people who bothered to vote, he won 45% of the votes with at least 55k more votes than the second placed labour green candidate. Same number of votes as Phil Goff and can’t remember Phil Goff’s mandate being so repeatedly mocked.
Phil Goff didn’t repeatedly refer to a supposed “landslide” victory whenever he faced challenges to his views and decisions.
It’s transparently populist rhetoric that isn’t based in reality. The requirement for an to election to decide a winner doesn’t also mean the winner’s personal views are supported by most eligible voters. Most Aucklanders didn’t vote at all, overwhelmingly the result of the election was sheer apathy.
Always refreshing reading your choruses, Bernard. I worry that we are just under four months to the election, and the media just seems focused in the next sound-bite or Ministerial 'scandal'- and we actually lose focus on what each polictal party is bringing to the election, and what impacts these will have in people. A lot of these important pieces on our infrastructure are simply pushed aside for the latest headline grabber.
I think stories about the performance of ministers is very relevant to the election. These are the senior Labour MPs who will make up any future cabinet. The way they do their job is very important. Similarly, it's very relevant to consider how senior National and ACT MPs might behave as ministers.
Absulotely agree. My concern is with how much air time this takes up. For example, last night's news focused on the 'scrapping' between Simeon Brown and Kiri, but not mention of National promising to remove the sustainable house requirement from the RBNZ.
You're right it takes a lot of time! With all the polycrisis going on it's hard to cover everything that's important before they've got to switch to sports! 😅
Now that National and Labour seem to be on the same page about the sustainable house requirement now, I guess the editors didn't think it was worth discussing anymore 🤷♂️ Hard to keep the audience interested in such a technical detail when it will have no material impact on the election.
Thanks Rory and Philip. I agree the Ministers’ performance is important and the pressure around conflicts and behaviour needs to stay on. I’m lucky in that others do plenty of that. And I missed the National - RBNZ promise thing too. Saw it after I sent the email.
The only metric for whether the boot camp was successful would be if the team building at the boot camp couldn't produce a ram raid conducted ten percent faster than otherwise.
Good read thanks. You've cut the end off a sentence - I'd be keen to read where this was going
"So what? - Where is the public debate or strategy from the Government about population growth, infrastructure planning and what we could handle. Decisions keep being made without any public debate. It’s ironic that a wide-open-door for temporary-migrant-driven population, GDP and tax...."
Thanks Cath. Yikes. A bit tired after a hard day’s walking in Bordeaux. Here’s that section in full, which I’ve included above. Thanks for the heads up. It’s ironic that a wide-open-door for temporary-migrant-driven population that boosts GDP and tax on income and spending (but doesn’t tax wealth) is effectively a bipartisan policy, but has never been properly debated or codified. The less ironic thing is the two parties have also agreed by default not to invest enough to deal with that population growth, and have done for 30 years. That’s also not debated or codified.
On a completely different topic, just reading in the BBC UK news website about the disaster that is water supply privatisation. Private enterprise is not always the best way forward. Puts a positive view on 3 Waters.
Agree, the whole water reform was modelled on the Scottish experience as Scotland looked at privatisation and opted for the alternative of a publicly-owned water utility.
I wonder a few things: when looking at the countries that the temporary migrants would be coming from, is it more about helping to relieve a little of the misery in those countries ie it isn't about us its about others; why would they need to be housed in Auckland? -what would they be doing there? ; Sorry to grizzle Bernard while you are on holiday, but I wish you'd stayed in Wellington because I'm totally sick of Auckland. As far as i can remember it carries on exactly as it always did - no-one gives a damn about anyone else
Re: "the Government has ordered Kāinga Ora to use its very extensive urban development powers to over-rule Auckland Council along the 24-km route from Auckland to Mangere. "
The letter directs Kāinga Ora, in consultation with others, to investigate whether the area should be declared a special development area, and if so, on what terms.
So not a done deal yet.
Yep. Big signal of intent and shot across the bows of Council.
Bullying Auckland Council into 'doing the right thing'?
Yep. Big signal of intent and shot across the bows of Council.
“I stood for getting Wellington out of Auckland. I got a huge response to that.
181,810 out of 1,128,255 is a huge response Wayne?
I really don’t understand the sneering at Wayne Brown’s electoral result. In an election with about 20 candidates and 450k people who bothered to vote, he won 45% of the votes with at least 55k more votes than the second placed labour green candidate. Same number of votes as Phil Goff and can’t remember Phil Goff’s mandate being so repeatedly mocked.
Phil Goff didn’t repeatedly refer to a supposed “landslide” victory whenever he faced challenges to his views and decisions.
It’s transparently populist rhetoric that isn’t based in reality. The requirement for an to election to decide a winner doesn’t also mean the winner’s personal views are supported by most eligible voters. Most Aucklanders didn’t vote at all, overwhelmingly the result of the election was sheer apathy.
Always refreshing reading your choruses, Bernard. I worry that we are just under four months to the election, and the media just seems focused in the next sound-bite or Ministerial 'scandal'- and we actually lose focus on what each polictal party is bringing to the election, and what impacts these will have in people. A lot of these important pieces on our infrastructure are simply pushed aside for the latest headline grabber.
I think stories about the performance of ministers is very relevant to the election. These are the senior Labour MPs who will make up any future cabinet. The way they do their job is very important. Similarly, it's very relevant to consider how senior National and ACT MPs might behave as ministers.
Absulotely agree. My concern is with how much air time this takes up. For example, last night's news focused on the 'scrapping' between Simeon Brown and Kiri, but not mention of National promising to remove the sustainable house requirement from the RBNZ.
You're right it takes a lot of time! With all the polycrisis going on it's hard to cover everything that's important before they've got to switch to sports! 😅
Now that National and Labour seem to be on the same page about the sustainable house requirement now, I guess the editors didn't think it was worth discussing anymore 🤷♂️ Hard to keep the audience interested in such a technical detail when it will have no material impact on the election.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/news/housing-removed-from-reserve-bank-remit
I’ll include that in my summary of the main things of the week.
Cheers
Thanks Rory and Philip. I agree the Ministers’ performance is important and the pressure around conflicts and behaviour needs to stay on. I’m lucky in that others do plenty of that. And I missed the National - RBNZ promise thing too. Saw it after I sent the email.
And don't forget the bullying member for Tauranga.
💯
I'd be pretty surprised if he was on the ministerial short list though 😅
Hi Philip
But who else could be the Minister of Boot Camps?
The only metric for whether the boot camp was successful would be if the team building at the boot camp couldn't produce a ram raid conducted ten percent faster than otherwise.
Thanks Rory. I try to get off the beaten track a bit.
Good read thanks. You've cut the end off a sentence - I'd be keen to read where this was going
"So what? - Where is the public debate or strategy from the Government about population growth, infrastructure planning and what we could handle. Decisions keep being made without any public debate. It’s ironic that a wide-open-door for temporary-migrant-driven population, GDP and tax...."
Thanks Cath. Yikes. A bit tired after a hard day’s walking in Bordeaux. Here’s that section in full, which I’ve included above. Thanks for the heads up. It’s ironic that a wide-open-door for temporary-migrant-driven population that boosts GDP and tax on income and spending (but doesn’t tax wealth) is effectively a bipartisan policy, but has never been properly debated or codified. The less ironic thing is the two parties have also agreed by default not to invest enough to deal with that population growth, and have done for 30 years. That’s also not debated or codified.
Thanks Bernard. Yes
On a completely different topic, just reading in the BBC UK news website about the disaster that is water supply privatisation. Private enterprise is not always the best way forward. Puts a positive view on 3 Waters.
Agree, the whole water reform was modelled on the Scottish experience as Scotland looked at privatisation and opted for the alternative of a publicly-owned water utility.
I wonder a few things: when looking at the countries that the temporary migrants would be coming from, is it more about helping to relieve a little of the misery in those countries ie it isn't about us its about others; why would they need to be housed in Auckland? -what would they be doing there? ; Sorry to grizzle Bernard while you are on holiday, but I wish you'd stayed in Wellington because I'm totally sick of Auckland. As far as i can remember it carries on exactly as it always did - no-one gives a damn about anyone else