Cometh the Hour
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- Date published:
9:19 pm, March 7th, 2011 - 53 comments
Categories: Deep stuff, disaster, heritage, history, housing, sustainability -
Tags: christchurch earthquake, urban planning
Well it does look increasingly as if the Government’s response to the earthquake is going to be somewhere between disaster capitalism and total shortsightedness, if they really are intent on axing the Auckland rail tunnel to pay for urban renewal in Christchurch. If so, this will replace natural disaster in Christchurch with human-made disaster in Auckland, or rather a second one following the leaky buildings crisis, itself a quake in slow motion.
The latest Wikileaks revelations on Saudi Arabia’s emptying tank only show what a bad time it is for National’s key infrastructure ministers to be championing the idea that ‘road’s the mode’. A mode that doesn’t work in Auckland anyway. Even if petrol were free, we’d still be grinding through gridlock. Any policy that seeks to increase traffic volumes in Auckland, instead of squelching them with efficient public transport, is just madness.
Yet National’s ministers just don’t get this. I don’t know whether this is for ideological reasons, or more simply because they “would have reached their ceiling of competence as Presbyterian elders in a provincial city in the 1960′s,” as one respondent puts it here. Bit of an insult to Presbyterian elders, but the point is otherwise well made.
So the 2011 election is going to be about the city, about visions not just for Christchurch but also for Auckland. And for other cities as well, including Celia Wade-Brown’s Wellington, though their problems are currently less critical (a big one in Wellington could change that, but let’s hope not.)
This is where Labour has a real chance of setting the agenda. They’ve done it before. A series of visionary regional plans probably helped Labour win the 1946 election, an election it was expected to lose.
Much of the post-War development of New Zealand followed these plans, with the notable exception of rapid rail and a CBD tunnel in Auckland, which a succession of National governments kept putting off (they’re still at it.)
In Christchurch, the plans included a ring of new housing areas on the western side of the city. The waterlogged Bexley and Aranui areas were to be left as part of a green belt dividing Brighton from the city proper. Clearly, those old-time Ministry of Works engineers must have known a thing or two.
Knowledgeable people are now talking about relocating population from the soggiest parts of the eastern suburbs to a new town at Rolleston. Rolleston, too, was a Labour idea, though a more recent one, championed by Norman Kirk in the 1970s.
In short, what I’m getting at is that Labour needs to return to its urban roots, and set a bold agenda for the New Zealand city once again.
It goes without saying that it hasn’t done this for a generation, not since Roger Douglas’s deep-pocketed mates from the class of 1987 conned Labour into abolishing the Ministry of Works and Development in 1988. And, into repealing the Town and Country Planning Act in favour of the paradise-for-lawyers RMA. Strictly speaking it was National that passed the latter in 1991, but Geoffrey Palmer drew up the bill.
It’s true that Helen Clark’s government dipped its toe into things like urban design, built the Northern Busway, and helped upgrade Auckland public transport from shocking to merely slow everywhere else. But at the risk of being ungrateful, I don’t know if anything that happened under Helen Clark and her unstable lineup of ministers—constantly reshuffled like glass in a kaleidoscope, on the Charlton Ogburn principle—could really be classed as visionary, so much as a catchup on long-deferred maintenance.
It wasn’t until its very last year that the Clark government officially accepted rail electrification, and even the idea of a common ticket on all the buses, as necessary for Auckland.
We may, nonetheless, be in a spot of luck this time. Because if we go back to the years before the annus horribilis of 1987, we find that between 1984 and 1987, Phil Goff was a Minister of Housing with a reputation for precocious energy and innovation.
In 1985 the then 32-year old Goff was honoured with an invitation to give the annual lecture of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Geographical Society, a lecture that in the past had been given by such figures as Professor Kenneth Cumberland, of Landmarks fame. The lecture was given in October, a little more than a year after the election. Its title was Housing in Metropolitan Areas.
Tacking a careful political course, Goff argued that housing was one area where a broadly state-directed system remained legitimate, regardless of liberalisation elsewhere.
Goff argued that it was a cop-out to narrowly target state housing development on the poor and leave the rest up to laissez-faire.
Against the narrow view of the state’s role, Goff argued that state should focus on the quality of all suburban environments, the provision of affordable finance, the development of large, well-planned blocks of land, and the general maintenance of a steady stream of new houses, in ways that would both lower the price of new housing in the market by increasing supply, and also help the private building trade to plan ahead and reduce its own build costs in a sustainable manner. These last points are more implicit than explicit, but nonetheless implied.
In effect, even though it was legitimate for the private sector to do most of the work, the state should be a cornerstone investor in land subdivision, and set both quantity and quality targets for a joint national housing venture between the government, private sector builders, and local government.
Goff paid particular attention to the new social and environmental rules that he had laid down for the development of one of the last of the old western Christchurch state properties, the New Zealand Housing Corporation’s 44 hectare Blair Block (now the Hyde Park area, off Withells Road):
An area of corporation owned land in Christchurch known as the Blair Block was before the election earmarked for sale as an exclusive high cost development. That subdivision has now been redesigned to incorporate a percentage of Corporation rental and lower cost homes for purchase as well as higher cost housing. Provision has also been made for pensioner housing. The Corporation rental units will be high quality, architecturally designed homes not identifiable as different from or inferior to private sector housing. Social segregation, epitomised in the development of Otara and Pakuranga, does not lead to the development of a healthy community. Although the stereotyping of the past does lead to some resistance to integration, I believe that most New Zealanders today support the development of socially balanced communities.
The Blair Block, which I have just referred to, is interesting for another reason as well. As a joint venture with the private sector, responsibility was placed on the Corporation’s staff to produce a coherent landscape design replacing piecemeal and un-coordinated development. The design has focused on a roading and greenway system aimed at emphasising the human needs of residents, rather than the demands imposed by the motor vehicle. Cul-de-sacs will be separated from the main road by paving and planting at intersections. The design caters for recreation spaces, public seating and planting designed to create a natural parkland effect. A walkway system protected by a canopy of trees and separated from the road by a strip of shrubs giving access to a central reserve area, will encourage walking and social contact. This sort of involvement by the corporation will create a new image for it in the 1980s.
Of course all that was 25 years ago or more, and Goff was replaced after the 1987 election; but I don’t think that such genuine engagement with social-democratic concepts of urban planning can be forgotten.
So a campaign that is likely to be about the city, will be fronted in Labour’s case by a leader experienced in social-democratic urban planning traditions.
As to where the money will come from for quality urban futures, that will be, as a more famous Labour politician said, “a question of priorities”.
As a question of priorities, Goff can start by signaling that Labour will ditch Joyce’s holiday highway brainwave, while proceeding to build a rail tunnel that has been on the books since 1924.
I take it as read the more onerous welfare cuts won’t be on Goff’s agenda either.
But beyond that, it’s clear that some of the money is going to have to come from the speculator and the current beneficiaries of a skewed financial system. It must come indirectly, from the profits of a renewed system of social land development and mortgage banking. And also more directly, from reinstatement of capital gains taxes and death duties. All of this is as recommended by many contributors to this website and also here.
For if in fact we do not claw back the capital gains of the baby-boomer boom, build more affordable housing and allow wages to catch up, the Malthusian, urban inequalities that have been built up over the last generation will soon transmit to the next. And then New Zealand will be ‘Two Zealands’, as I’ve seen it lately put. The New Zealand experiment will be concluded. I suspect, or rather hope, that Goff does not want that to happen.
To reiterate, this is how the 2011 election should be fought. On one side the city as a good place to live, in ways that also include reorienting investment to the actually productive sector (Labour). On the other, the city as a mine for mortgages payable to Aussie banks and a drag-strip for cars, whose owners can’t afford the petrol any more (National).
National must not be allowed to wriggle off this hook. It’s on this terrain that National is at its weakest and Labour at its strongest. Terrain on which Goff can’t help but look like George Bailey, and the NACT Hollow Men as a collective Henry F. Potter.
And such a campaign will engage the public. For the cities are now where most of us live, work and breathe. Even those who live in the country, or in small towns, probably have relatives in the city.
So many other political issues are of interest only to wonks, or else, here-today gone-tomorrow moral panics. But everyone is interested in the city. Everyone these days worries about Auckland traffic.
Everyone lives in a house. Most of us are worried about urban crime, welfare and inequality. And nobody wants too many kids to have emigrate in search of work that our cities should be providing.
In Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch the local mayors all have visionary plans for improvement and reconstruction. All Labour has to do to take Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch is to say, ‘Vote Labour if you want your mayor’s plans to succeed’.
This is a rare moment of opportunity. Sixty years ago there was a chapter on Wellington in a book called Great Cities of the World. The author of that chapter wrote that “The two outstanding problems are those of town planning and electoral apathy, and like a pair of simultaneous equations each of them may provide the solution for the other.”
National have been trying to stuff this political genie back into the bottle ever since. It’s time we stopped their little game.
It’s up to Phil Goff, and Labour, to nail down the election on those terms. Goff has the talent to do this. But I fear he may be afflicted by the original George Bailey’s diffidence. As W B Yeats wrote, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.”
We all know the problem, it’s a bit like the King’s Speech. New Zealand tends to clobber anyone who’s any good, making them think twice, three times before saying anything in the end. They keep quiet, or quietly emigrate.
Goff and Labour need to find a way to throw caution to the winds, and fast.
IMAGE CREDIT: Christchurch metropolitan works [cartographic material]. [Wellington, N.Z. : Ministry of Works, 1946] From: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand, 1946, D-3. Digital copy. Wellington, N.Z. : National Library of New Zealand, [2008]
– ChrisH
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The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...1 week ago - The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...1 week ago
- Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.
The notion of geopolitical “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading ...1 week ago
- Venus Hum
Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...1 week ago - I Went to a Creed Concert
Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...1 week ago
- Release: Lemauga Lydia Sosene to take medical leave
Labour’s Mangere MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will shortly take medical leave. ...7 hours ago - Potential intelligence sharing with Israel must be investigated
Concerns have been raised that our spy arrangements may mean that intelligence is being shared between Aotearoa and Israel. An urgent inquiry must be launched in response to this. ...23 hours ago - Release: Charter schools undermine our education system
The Government is taking a wrecking ball to our public education system by reinstating charter schools. ...1 day ago
- Youngest MP to travel to Canada to accept Politician of the Year Award
Aotearoa’s Youngest Member of Parliament, and Te Pāti Māori MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, will travel to Montreal to accept the One Young World Politician of the Year Award next week. The One Young World Politician of the Year Award was created in 2018 to recognise the most promising young politicians between ...1 day ago
- Greens celebrate huge step forward for ADHD community
The Greens welcome today’s long-coming announcement by Pharmac of consultation to remove the special authority renewal criteria for methylphenidate, dexamfetamine and modafinil and to fund lisdexamfetamine. ...1 day ago
- Release: Millions to be spent dividing NZ for no reason
The National Party is wasting millions of dollars allowing David Seymour’s Treaty Principals Bill to be drafted and go to Select Committee. ...1 day ago
- Release: New Zealanders departing our shores at a record rate
The Migration figures released by Stats NZ today show National is continuing to drive Kiwis away from New Zealand in record numbers. ...1 day ago
- Te Tai Tokerau MP Slams Govt Overreach in Scrapping Māori Wards
Mema Paremata for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, has reflected on the decisions made by the councils of the North amidst the government’s push to remove Māori Wards and weaken mana whenua representation. “Actions taken by the Kaipara District Council to remove Māori Wards are the embodiment of the eradication ...2 days ago
- Govt already seeking advice on Treaty referendum
On one hand, the Prime Minister has assured Aotearoa that his party will not support the Treaty Principles Bill beyond first reading, but on the other, his Government has already sought advice on holding a referendum on our founding document. ...2 days ago
- Release: Aged care will be worse off if redesign rushed
New Zealanders needing aged care support and the people who care for them will be worse off if the Government pushes through a flawed and rushed redesign of dementia and aged care. ...2 days ago
- Release: Govt fails hundreds of workers as mills close
Labour is devastated at news hundreds of workers are set to lose their jobs following the closure of Winstone Pulp mills. ...2 days ago
- Job losses from mill closures consequence of Govt inaction
Hundreds of jobs lost as a result of pulp mill closures in the Ruapehu District are a consequence of government inaction in addressing the shortfalls of our electricity network. ...3 days ago
- Ngarewa-Packer devastated for Ruapehu following WPI closure
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru is devastated for the Ruapehu community following today’s decision to close two Winstone Pulp mills. “My heart goes out to all the workers, their whānau, and the wider Ruapehu community affected by the closure of Winstone Pulp International,” said Ngarewa-Packer. ...3 days ago
- Release: Cabinet should stop the Treaty Principles Bill
National Party Ministers have a majority in Cabinet and can stop David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, which even the Prime Minister has described as “divisive and unhelpful.” ...4 days ago
- Release: Staff gagged to keep fast track list secret
The National Government is so determined to hide the list of potential projects that will avoid environmental scrutiny it has gagged Ministry for the Environment staff from talking about it. ...4 days ago
- Release: Labour challenges Te Whatu Ora gag orders
Labour has complained to the Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission about the high number of non-disclosure agreements that have effectively gagged staff at Te Whatu Ora Health NZ from talking about anything relating to their work. ...4 days ago
- Greens call on Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned after letter from Christian leaders
The Green Party is once again urging the Prime Minister to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill as a letter from more than 400 Christian leaders calls for the proposed legislation to be dropped. ...4 days ago
- Sign the petition: Keep military-style firearms off our streets
Help us tell the Government that reintroducing military-style firearms should not be up for debate. ...6 days ago
- Vast majority of councils support Māori wards
Councils across the country have now decided where they stand regarding Māori wards, with a resounding majority in favour of keeping them in what is a significant setback for the Government. ...7 days ago
- Release: Government on the wrong side of Māori wards
The National-led government has been given a clear message from the local government sector, as almost all councils reject the Government’s bid to treat Māori wards different to other wards. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki
The Labour Party congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki on being crowned as the eighth Te Ariki Nui – head of Te Kiingitanga. ...1 week ago
- Green Party welcomes new Maaori Kuiini
The Green Party welcomes the coronation of the new Maaori Kuiini, Te Arikinui Nga Wai Hono i te Po, today in Turangawaewae. ...1 week ago
- ECE teachers deserve better than this Government
The Green Party is unsurprised but disappointed by today’s announcement from the Government that will see our Early Childhood Centre teachers undermined and pay parity pushed further out of reach. ...1 week ago
- Urgent intervention needed on supermarkets
The Green Party is calling on the Government to intervene in the supermarket duopoly dominating our supply of groceries following today’s report from the Commerce Commission. ...1 week ago
- Release: Rainbow youth neglected in mental health funding
Labour backs the call from The Rainbow Support Collective members for mental health funding specifically earmarked for grassroots and peer led community organisations to be set up in a way that they are able to access. ...1 week ago
- Release: Transport in NZ has to be more than just roads
As expected, the National Land Transport Programme lacks ambition for our cities and our country’s rail network and puts the majority of investment into roads. ...1 week ago
- Speech: Barbara Edmonds Building Nations 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa, Thank you for your warm welcome and for having my colleagues and I here today. Earlier you heard from the Labour Leader, Chris Hipkins, on our vision for the future of infrastructure. I want to build on his comments and provide further detail on some key elements ...1 week ago
- Govt transport plan deepens fossil fuel fix
The Green Party says the Government’s new National Land Transport Programme marks another missed opportunity to take meaningful action to fight the climate crisis. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for public to back Wrybill in BOTY and beyond
The Green Party is calling on the public to support the Ngutu Pare Wrybill not just in this year’s Bird of the Year competition but also in pushing back against policies that could lead to the destruction of its habitat and accelerate its extinction. ...2 weeks ago
- Building consents data bad news for construction
News that the annual number of building consents granted for new homes fell by more than 20 percent for the year ended July 2024, is bad news for the construction industry. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Pay Tribute to Kiingi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII
Papā te whatitiri, hikohiko te uira, i kanapu ki te rangi, i whētuki i raro rā, rū ana te whenua e. Uea te pou o tōku whare kia tū tangata he kapua whakairi nāku nā runga o Taupiri. Ko taku kiri ka tōkia ki te anu mātao. E te iwi ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Gaps still to be addressed in callouts response
The Government must guarantee New Zealanders will not be at risk after making changes to the way mental health callouts are handled. ...2 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Kiingi Tuheitia passing
Haere e te Kīngi o te kotahitangi Haere ki o nui, ki o rahi I te pō ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party pays respects to Kiingi Tuuheitia
The Green Party is paying tribute to the Māori King, Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero XVII, after he passed away earlier this morning. ...2 weeks ago
- Potaka Brings Whakaata Māori to its Knees
Today’s Whakaata Māori announcement is yet another colossal failure from Minister Potaka, who has turned his back on te reo Māori, forcing a channel offline, putting whānau out of jobs, and cutting Māori content, says Te Pāti Māori. “A Senior Māori Minister has turned his back on Te Reo Māori. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National restricts access to disability care homes
With disability communities still reeling from the diminishing of Whaikaha, a leaked document now reveals another blow with National restricting access to residential care homes. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt must help save 230 manufacturing jobs
Labour is calling on the Government and Mercury Energy to find a solution to the proposed Winstone Pulp mill closure and save 230 manufacturing jobs. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt shirks its responsibility to Whakaata Māori
The Green Party has called out the Government for allowing Whakaata Māori to effectively collapse to a shell of its former self as job cuts and programming cuts were announced at the broadcaster today. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ First Member’s Bill To Disestablish Auckland Transport
Today New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will restore democratic control over transport management in Auckland City by disestablishing Auckland Transport (AT) and returning control to Auckland Council. The ‘Local Government (Auckland Council) (Disestablishment of Auckland Transport) Amendment Bill’ intends to restore democratic oversight, control, and accountability ...2 weeks ago - Release: PM fails in constitutional role and leadership
The failure of the Prime Minister to condemn his Minister for personally attacking the judiciary is another example of this Government riding roughshod over important constitutional rules. ...2 weeks ago
- Need and value at forefront of public service delivery
New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says. “Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations ...5 hours ago - Minister to attend Police Ministers Council Meeting
Police Minister Mark Mitchell will join with Australian Police Ministers and Commissioners at the Police Ministers Council meeting (PMC) today in Melbourne. “The council is an opportunity to come together to discuss a range of issues, gain valuable insights on areas of common interest, and different approaches towards law enforcement ...7 hours ago
- New Bill to crack down on youth vaping
The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping. “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...23 hours ago
- Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed
Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...1 day ago
- Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...1 day ago
- Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups
Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...1 day ago
- Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it
The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...1 day ago
- Targeted supports to accelerate reading
The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...1 day ago
- Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology
With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...1 day ago
- Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...1 day ago
- Driving structured literacy in schools
The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...2 days ago
- Labour’s misleading information is disappointing
Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says. “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them. ...2 days ago
- Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine
The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...2 days ago
- Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill
Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...2 days ago
- Government unlocking potential of AI
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...2 days ago
- Government releases Wairoa flood review findings
The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...2 days ago
- Promoting faster payment times for government
The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...2 days ago
- Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech
E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward. Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...3 days ago
- Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses
Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...3 days ago
- Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test
More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...3 days ago
- Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction
Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...3 days ago
- Māori Education Advisory Group established
The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...3 days ago
- Government welcomes findings of NZ Superannuation Fund review
The Government has welcomed the findings of the recent statutory review into the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis says. The 5-yearly review, conducted on behalf of Treasury and tabled in Parliament today, found the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation ...3 days ago
- First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight
Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...3 days ago
- Have your say on suicide prevention
Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...3 days ago
- Action to grow the rural health workforce
Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...4 days ago
- Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...4 days ago
- Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians
Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris. “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...4 days ago
- Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations
A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report. “It will have the mandate ...1 week ago
- Passport wait times back on-track
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...1 week ago
- New appointments to the FMA board
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...1 week ago
- District Court judges appointed
Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...1 week ago
- Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender
New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...1 week ago
- Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...1 week ago
- Improving access to finance for Kiwis
5 September 2024 The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia
As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...1 week ago
- Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer
Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations. “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...1 week ago
- More choice and competition in building products
A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...1 week ago
- Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul
On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...1 week ago
- Needs Not Race Directive Threatens Progress We’ve Made As Country
The Government has taken a decision based on ideology which fundamentally impacts Māori without consulting Māori. There’s a clear pattern here of a government again setting out to divide New Zealand. No-one voted for that. ...1 hour ago - Crown knew it legally had to pay midwives better, court hears
Health ministers' comments prove the Crown knew it breached legally binding agreements to improve midwives' pay and contracts, a lawyer has told the court. ...1 hour ago - Local Government Freshwater Protections Must Not Be Hamstrung By Anti-nature Government
Successive Govts have failed to regulate NZ’s worst freshwater polluter - the intensive dairy industry, who pollute lakes, rivers and drinking water with contaminants like E coli and nitrate. And now, Luxon’s govt is removing the only effective freshwater ...2 hours ago
- New plan shows Australia’s hydrogen dream is still alive. But are we betting on the right projects...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute Producing hydrogen remains vital to Australia’s prosperity through the net-zero transition, according to a major strategy that lays a national pathway to becoming a global leader in the low-emissions technology. The ...2 hours ago - A new law aims to tackle online lies – but it ignores expert advice and doesn’t go nearly far en...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Angus, Professor of Digital Communication, Director of QUT Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology The federal government this week introduced a new bill into parliament aimed at cracking down on the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the internet. ...2 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Beige Thoughts’ by Sherry Zhang
A poem by 2024 Young Writer in Residence Sherry Zhang. My favourite beige activity is 2048. I started playing on a 12 hour long flight before my 24th birthday. These transient spaces become forced group meditation. I usually let my death anxiety spiral. This time, I let my arms ...2 hours ago - The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending September 13
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Make It Make Sense by Lucy Blakiston & Bel Hawkins (Moa Press, $37) The bright brains ...2 hours ago
- The psychology of retirement: why do so many athletes struggle to call time?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Tillott, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University Think back to when you met someone for the first time. One of the first questions you asked, or were asked, was likely: “what do you do for work?” It’s a polite, ...3 hours ago
- Principles or raw power: 3 steps NZ can take to resolve its confused stance on Gaza
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images The Gaza crisis is a major moral and legal challenge for New Zealand’s sense of national identity, and to its worldview based on rules and principles rather than ...3 hours ago
- Need medicine in hospital? Our study finds how often IT flaws lead to the wrong drug or dose
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Johanna Westbrook, Professor of Health Informatics and Patient Safety, Macquarie University Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Every time you are prescribed medicine in hospital a computer will prompt your doctor about the appropriateness of the medicine and its dose. Every time health professionals update patient ...3 hours ago
- What one climate scientist wants everyone to know
‘The fight for a habitable planet is on right now, and we need everyone to show up.’ Ellen Rykers gets a reality check from climate scientist Joëlle Gergis. This is an excerpt from our environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. In the summer of 2019, an acrid fug of smoke ...3 hours ago
- Watch: ACT Party leader David Seymour announces policy directive on ‘need, not race’
Cabinet ministers have issued a directive to the public sector, reminding them all services must be delivered based on need rather than race - and that contracts be awarded on value. ...4 hours ago
- Waitangi Tribunal finds failings in government’s handling of Marine and Coastal Area Act chang...
Changes to customary marine title showed a blind adherence to pre-existing political commitments at the expense of Māori, the Waitangi Tribunal has found. ...4 hours ago
- Ngāti Kahungunu Hits Back At The Government’s Stop To Māori Targeted Health Funding
Targeting services to Māori and Pasifika is not a racist agenda, it is simply acknowledging that there are communities that do not access the appropriate primary health services they need when they need them. ...4 hours ago
- A hole lot of fun: Behind the scenes of Celebrity Treasure Island
Tara Ward travels to the Coromandel to watch the reality show’s first day of filming. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s a warm, grey day in March, and Duncan Garner is up to his elbow in a hole. The well-known broadcaster ...4 hours ago
- The real NZ Fashion Week ran out of cash – so these uni students made their own
Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa, the rangatahi-led, do-it-yourself fashion week, opened its first show on Monday. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith reports from the runway. When New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) was cancelled for 2024, it seemed to some the death knell of an industry buckling under financial pressure. To others, a gap ...6 hours ago
- Labour MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene diagnosed with breast cancer
Māngere MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene says she will take leave to undergo surgery. ...7 hours ago
- Can AI talk us out of conspiracy theory rabbit holes?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dana McKay, Associate Dean, Interaction, Technology and Information, RMIT University Tanya Antusenok / Shutterstock New research published in Science shows that for some people who believe in conspiracy theories, a fact-based conversation with an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot can “pull them ...7 hours ago
- Medic at 70: long before Meredith Grey or Doogie Howser, this show shaped the modern medical drama
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kit MacFarlane, Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature, University of South Australia Wikimedia Commons Most of us can think of a TV medical drama that stood out at some point in our lives. The Good Doctor (2017–24) is finishing its seven-year run. ...7 hours ago
- The Spinoff guide to life: How to break up with someone
Breaking up with someone well is an art. Here’s how the professionals get it done. The year was 2014. I was sitting in The Indian Spice Bar in Dunedin’s North East Valley, waiting on an Aloo Gobi. Unbeknownst to me and everyone else in the packed restaurant, we were all ...7 hours ago
- New study links low incomes, stressed parents and child behaviour – better support would bring lif...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaimie Monk, Research fellow , Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Poverty has long been established as a crucial factor hindering the development of young children. Living in poverty can hurt a child’s lifelong health, social and educational outcomes. But much ...8 hours ago
- $84bn lost to housing tax lurks? That would go a long way towards ending the housing crisis
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Morris, Professor, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney Australia’s deep housing crisis is causing enduring and widespread harm. A key impact is that it is increasing inequality. The children of parents who have paid off their mortgage ...8 hours ago
- Peeking behind the curtain of Budget 2024
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cometh the hour, cometh the man with the plan.
this is an amazingly well-researched article – quotes from Goff from 25 years ago!
You’re right. Labour, in those great days of the 1930s-1950s when Labour governments made long-term plans, designed our cities – some of the most liveable in the world. And they would be even better if the plans had been followed through more completely.
Goff should recapture some of the spirit of that speech. I’m sure he would find many friends in the urban planning community to help develop a plan for the new Christchurch. I doubt they’ll be busy answering request for help from Brownlee.
Plenty to digest here, thanks! One message I get from a first read is that Labour must decide to try and win the election with leadership and vision instead of simply hoping that National will lose it.
Ya know if Labour go down this track all the electorate will hear is Capital gains tax and Death duties and they will be utterly fucked – to implement either of those you will need to have agreement between Nat and Lab to progress it – neither will because they prefer to pander to the masses with tax cuts, freebies and the like.
….to quote Monty
” Just give the great unwashed a pair of oversized breasts and a happy ending, and they’ll ‘oink’ for more every time.”
All the Nats and Labour are interested in is to maintain the parliamentary status quo where everyone gets to have a turn on the opposite side of the house every couple of terms.
Not that I disagree with your point about potential public opprobrium, but a CGT, an estate tax and an assets tax (covering the ownership of property, stocks and bonds) could be targetted to affect only a small minority of persons. Those with a net worth of over $500K for instance – a large majority of New Zealanders have net worths of much less than that.
The sales line is simple: tax the few, provide benefits to all.
CV for a start let’s consider the following.
1. If these taxes can be targeted to affect only a small minority how much would it actually raise ?
2. A net worth of $500k ……… I suspect on a family basis you’d hurt a huge number of potential labour voters in the large urban centres
3. I suspect your suggestions would cause a frenzy of trust formations.
All worthy points mate but I don’t believe ones which can’t be addressed.
1) The top 100 wealthy NZers own (at a guess) $60B between them. A 10% one off levy on this wealth (which would change ZERO in their lifestyle) would pay for the public’s share of the rebuild Christchurch. Now, I’m not saying that this is what should be done, merely saying that there is a shit tonne of assets out there, much of which has been placed outside the tax base. (Sam Morgan is in this top 100 list for instance)
2) Yes some Labour supporters would definitely be hurt. But you tax the few in order to benefit everyone. the Government would need to be seen using that money well on projects which make a distinct difference to the quality of our cities.
3) Trusts are entities, the Govt organises them to get taxed at the same rates to remove this incentive. For instance, my understanding is that in the UK, trusts cannot be used to protect against the estate tax.
Tax the few to provide benefits to all. This is just lazy self interest wrapped in social envy of people who made something of themselves. Suck it up bitch, thank God only the useless few have the passionate vocalism, and the useful majority can see them for what they really and not as they see themselves
Tax the few to provide benefits to all.
It’s got a good ring to it eh? Stop the endless upwards redistribution of wealth for a moment and use that capital to create community and collective oriented cities and environments which everyone will benefit from.
is it that time of the month again tighty? or is it just the pmt before it? i wouldn’t want to attribute that kind of nasty bigoted rubbish to anyone who had thought about it with their actual brain before making the kind of ass you’ve just made of yourself.
Hello Tighty Righty didn’t know there was a millionaire behind the name. You are so dismissive of people being taxed according to their wealth and ability to pay (without any pain or hurt to their comfortable living expenses), that its a clear indication you are in this fortunate condition. Or else your opinions indicate that you are an ideological fossil.
antispam – stops – As in the buck stops – here.
Excellent post.
Hey – anyone in the Labour Party or Parliamentary wings reading? Read the above post. Read it twice. Then get to work!
I may be wrong, but my understanding of the Blair Block sequence of decisions was that, while the Corporation owned it, the Waimairi District/County Council claimed it couldn’t be built on because it was part of their ‘green belt’. Given that, the Corporation went to sell it to private interests. The Hyde Park development was invented and then, curiously, the WCC reversed the decision about its green belt status. WCC amalgamated with the CCC in 1989. In short, my understanding is that the effect of the decisions was that a state housing area in Christchurch’s west was headed off at the pass and a largely private, upper-middle class development went ahead (the west, of course, has little liquefaction today).
In that context, maybe Goff was trying to make the best of a done deal? Sounds possible, given that it was “before the election earmarked for sale as an exclusive, high cost development” (emphasis added).
As I said, maybe I’m wrong. I’d like to know the truth, if anyone out there knows it.
Good enthusiasm but sounds like a lot of Urban Planning Authority.
Go to it if it tickles your fancy but don’t expect to impose such authority on others.
Perhaps in fact rather this opportunity is an opportunity to let opportunity fly. Out of control even!. I mean, given that there is now an over-abundance of urban land how about some pieces of it go to other ways and means of living. You Urban Planners don’t need it all do you? Practice your skills on your disciples and leave those with wings to their own runway.
Cities of the future will need to be substantially, although certainly not entirely, centrally planned.
There is no way that you can organise a massive mass transport system in any large city otherwise, for instance.
The the short termism of profit maximising free market property development guarantees total failure, at a time that our cities need to be designed and built to last the next 250 years.
Understand your point there but there are many examples of failed central planning. Central planning is not needed for anything more than base infrastructure. Central planners are scary in their propensity to miss the vital factors and get things wrong. 90% of NZ’s built environment has been provided by private development and I would suggest that 90% of NZers are happy with it. Anyways…
In Christchurch it seems very clear to me that the changing demographics need to stabilise before anything even remotely solid as an idea for how to rebuild the city can take hold. For instance, the CBD will need to be cleared before the people can begin to decide if they will return there. It is no good getting ahead and coming up with wonderful centrally planned “build it and they will come” type rebuilds if the people will not use the buildings. The build must follow the people’s desires and needs – NOT the other way around, otherwise failure is a certainty.
Similarly, it seems abundantly clear to me (due also to Chch’s previous struggles with central city living etc) that any revival and rebuild of the central city must be driven by living environments, and not some retail spectacular or office building mash-up or similar. It must come from making it a place to live first and foremost. The reason is not only is it far less likely to fail but it will also get the right heart into the city in the quickest and easiest fashion. All else will then follow.
Of course, the retailers will not like that. I see dear old Richard Ballantyne is all upbeat (and stressed) about retail retail retail. I think some of these people need to wake up. People don’t go the city to shop, they go to the malls. Give up on it. The horse has bolted. And who wants a central city centred around consumerism anyway? Not me. Especially when there are far better things to do with it.
So a central Christchurch, low-lying, many many green spaces dotted all over, the garden city explosion, Hagley Park sprouts tentacles reaching through the Heritage Precinct and into the CBD, several and diverse locations within to live, all new. I can see it.
So a central Christchurch, low-lying, many many green spaces dotted all over, the garden city explosion, Hagley Park sprouts tentacles reaching through the Heritage Precinct and into the CBD, several and diverse locations within to live, all new. I can see it.
And I totally agree with you on this..Why build more malls when heading south you have Riccarton Mall,Papanui Mall, Linwood Mall etc etc etc.
I hope they dont fuck this up but I have a feeling they will.
Oh, and giving development and architecture an absolute free rein in a part of the city is a must-have. Let your mind wander for a moment and think of the possibilities. It is this type of possibility that may lift Chch onto some international stages…
vto Are you thinking that there could be community farms set up on the east side, with sparse housing built to ‘float’ on a high water table/liquefaction? This would be another land use and means of living for those who like to live simply, work with their physical as well as mental faculties and grow their own food.
Was this your thought or what ideas were prompting your comment?
prism, not that specifically but it would certainly fit within the framework imagined. There are many ways that living environments can be organised and it just scares me that a politician and a bureaucracy somewhere may attempt a city-wide determination for us. Which they will attempt of course.
In mind more was a view of the opportunity to place in various areas of the city some new and nil rules for living to see what the human ideal can produce. Imo some things quite innovative and internationally spectacular could result in the blink of a couple of eyes. And with little risk of negative effect on the general pace and place of all other things.
Why wouldn’t you?
vto – Thinking about what it could be like. Would probably end up with a real mixture of the eccentric and different concepts. Some might visually look like a Hundertwasser town painting. Would need structural and health overviews from the Council, but without a deadening hand on innovation, to ensure that living conditions didn’t deteriorate because of inadequate design. I don’t trust bright sparks to think sensibly about all needed and practical human requirements. Could have one area for architects, another for more organic designs.
I don’t trust bright sparks either, other than for their bright sparks. And that is exactly where the important crux to getting things right comes in… it is crucial there is a nexus-thingy between the new environment and its creators. This always lacks where planners and politicians and etc can participate in something such as this and then leave their job or position and just 30 seconds spray and walk away. By the nature of such relationships they are not appropriate for such a job. Hence my earlier call that this new build must be led by the people and their desires and needs, not by a determinator from above.
As for the scary thought of our neighbours being able to parade themselves as a Hunderwasser town painting, well people do that every day with what they dress themselves in down our street so I aint too concerned. They are few. Ish.
I am merely sowing the seeds for what could be. Christchurch had previously occupied a unique world-wide geographical position which the world (north of Bombay) was only just starting to cotton onto. In fact the city imo was on its way to supercede even the north in its import and position. The earthquake has opened all of this up like a tin can..
What do you reckon about the idea, (that I’ve seen kicked about in a few spots), of holding an international competition for the rebuild design, with the locals getting to vote on the winning design?
Obviously you don’t want to let some nonce do all the detailing, but I think at the broadest level the idea has some merit in attracting international attention to the city’s rebuild.
(Also, world class cheap $$$ design if handled right as the winner gets recognition and mana for being picked for such a prestigious and monumental project, just sayin).
Still lacks the required nexus. Who would get to vote? The people who want to live back in the city? And people who wont go near the city again? And non-ratepayers? oo-eerrrr, I’ll leave those squibbly bits to you. Sounds just like what is being avoided.. design by committee.
In a bit of a nuttyshell.. the design and build and habitation of such should be decided on by those who will live in and use that space, with a nod to their wider community. It is the only way to get the built space right for its users.
edit: I don’t think there will be any difficulty attracting international talenrt to the rebuild. It is the oportunity of a lifetime for much of the international community too.
“In Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch the local mayors all have visionary plans for improvement and reconstruction. All Labour has to do to take Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch is to say, ‘Vote Labour if you want your mayor’s plans to succeed’.”
WTF are Bob Parker’s plans?..a few months ago the issue was the dominance of the malls over the central city, orange jacket’s response was to build a giant mall in the city centre…nice one, what an ignorant dumbass. He gave his mate $17 million for being a failure, paid millions for a flower show instead of investing it in our city’s people.
He is the worst thing about Christchurch. He’s as useful as an STD.
http://nzagainstthecurrent.blogspot.com/2011/03/our-great-leader.html
‘Vote Labour if you want your mayor’s plans to succeed’
I want him to fail.
@ Fatty – This is the sort of thing I had in mind: http://chchtransport.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/university-academic-comments-on-light-rail/ . A mall’s not necessarily a bad idea provided car parking is kept to a minimum, lots of cities have supermarkets in the CBD area (Wellington included). Can’t comment too much about the rest!
True, I was wrong there, I forgot about the light rail….and this does offer me hope:
“While visiting the Pacific Northwest, I hope that the mayor also observed the extensive investment put into cycling, particularly in Vancouver and Portland.
This ranges from cycle lanes to pathways, lower speed limits, car- free zones and “bicycle boulevards”, much more than our current token efforts here.
Such investment, together with pedestrian-friendly urban design, strongly complements good public transport investment.
Particularly in conjunction with allowing bikes on public transport, it provides for a wider range of journey distances and destinations and thus offers a viable alternative to many private motor vehicle journeys.”
I really hope Christchurch changes a lot, there’s no doubting this is an opportunity that we are ‘lucky’ to have.
Bob’s history as Christchurch mayor in most instances has been to side with the powerful at the expense of the general public, I hope things change, but have my reservations
Be interesting to get Ian Athfield’s view on Cometh the Hour. He will have an influence on future directions. Great post by the way. Plenty to think about.
Whatever he might say he would presumably be opposed to any planning or central authority having any say in what was built.
In the book “Home Work Leading New Zealand Architects’ Own Houses”, he says in the section on his own home in Welllington when talking about the Wellingto City Council.
“I think there’s a sort of unspoken acknowledgement that it’s probably better that I shouldn’t be questioned about what I’m doing up here. I haven’t got a consent for 25 years. I don’t think the council is interested in picking a fight.”
i have a dream…
The ball is in the oppositions court
We are living in a post peak oil world and none of the old ‘rules’ apply anymore, and worn old policies of the past are highly counter-productive.
Practically all economic activity in the present system is dependent on cheap oil, and the financial arrangements are dependent on an INCREASING supply of cheap oil: complete failure of the system is written into the system.
Those who are ‘awake’ have known for a decade this crisis was coming and did their best to prevent a hard landing.Most people were not the least bit interested. So now we have the hard landing.
Even at this late stage in the game we could prevent a ‘splat on the concrete landing’ by throwing out all the old, redundant paradigms. But we won\’t. We should recognise that ‘growth’ and development’ are a at the heart of the predicament we are in. But we won\’t. The bansksters and global corporations who have a strangleholkd on society will not have a bar of it and 99%+ of the populace just don\’t get it because they don\’t want to.
So we will witness catastrophic failure of society over the coming few years as we squander what is left of the cheap oil on various forms of lunacy. That will be followed by complete collapse of industrial living at some stage over the next 20 years, possibly a lot sooner.
To believe any political party or individual can halt geophysical/geochemical forces is to be uttterly deluded. Most people are deluded, They are infected with industrial disease and don\’t know it. .
‘what an ignorant dumbass.’ All politicians and mayors etc. are ‘ignorant diumbasses’. That’s why there is no hope for most people. The ‘ignorant dumbasses’ will continue to lead society towards catastrophe: it’s all they are capable of.
You have been repeating this boring armagedon speech for several months now. Your message is consistent and repeated ad nauseum. But tour negativity is getting me down because I can’t see what your solution to this catastrophic collapse is?
You are good at scaring us or trying to but you don’t have many answers!
Care to enlighten us on how we all avoid the shit storm you have forecast
Sorry the truth is so boring.
Permaculture and Powerdown probably offer the best responses to this predicament in the short term (as I kept saying through 2005 to 2009 -it’s all in the books I have written; of course most people were not listening when the window of opportunity was wide open).
Now it is too late for any solutions as such. But those who disengage from mainstream culture as much as possible will undoubtedly fare better than those who continue to adhere to mainstream culture duing the meltdown.
By the way, the bizarre narrative of the ‘need for GDP growth’ and ‘salvation via development’ gets relentlessly repeated, much more than anything I say!
Actually a good question*, especially in view of this post which is all about making future choices in the rebuild process.
* Surprised the hell out of me bearing in mind your usual attitudes to engaging with other commentators around here.
“So we will witness catastrophic failure of society ..”
Well mr few, you may well get the chance to witness such failure on a smaller scale here in Chch over the next few weeks or so. Small pockets here and there I suspect may go through types of societal failure (some already have to an extent). Not always anarchic and disruptive, but also simply change in how groups organise themselves, how big they are, how they function.
In fact, in our corner of the city it has certainly gone through a type of societal failure. Putting aside the grimness and tragedy and smelly discomfort for a moment, it is certainly a facsinating time. Come visit and experience it! (not allowed to bring anything but the clothes you wear for authenticity purposes)
I don’t find the ‘truth’ boring. I find the repetition of the ‘truth’ without any practical solutions boring.
If the situation is as dire as you suggest and it is to late for permaculture and powerdown what hope is there?
I might as well buy a v8 and go down driving a fast gas guzzling car
By going down driving a fast gas guzzling car, under National transport policy I take that to mean sitting in a grid lock queue to the petrol station as the looters tear the car apart! 😈
A good article here
‘This time when we go down it will be global. There are no new lands to pillage, no new peoples to exploit. Technology, which has obliterated the constraints of time and space, has turned our global village into a global death trap. The fate of Easter Island will be writ large across the broad expanse of planet Earth.’
Full article at
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27627.htm
Kindly note that the author got the CO2 content wrong. It’s not 329ppm but is 391ppm, so is already 41ppm above the prostulated upper limit of 350ppm for continuation of life on this planet, and is rising at over 2ppm per annum.
Life on this planet will be fine regardless of whether human civilisation is present or not.
Plant life can exist at up to 10000 ppm
And I’m betting cockroaches can keep going after that.
Luva
That is why in 2001 after working out how stuffed it all is, I went and had a vasectomy, not because I don’t like children, but because if I had one the thought of it trying to live through this shit storm was so disheartening.
But instead of wasting my money in a selfish V8 blur, I went and spent most of my spare time and money trying to wake people up … but I failed miserably, just like AFKTT.
One: Surely the rebuilding of Christchurch must occur well away from low-lying land regardless of soil conditions and technical ability to build stable structures – because of the likelihood of sea-rise.
Two: It could also be on the village model: town centre, residential in the next circle with gardens, green parks and industrial in the outer circle for work. Many towns rather than one city so that it will be possible to walk to all the amenities. Peak oil is real – atmospheric warming is real -planning for powering down is the intelligent way.
The sane response to the Christchurch debacle would be to forget what was, and build modest, energy efficient homes in small clusters, with plenty of adjacent land for food production, more than 10 metres above current high tide level.
Sounds good Brain.
Key losing plot, he says 10,000 houses gone, CD says 2,190
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10710941
vto
I am interested in what you mean. Can you spell it out for the east? I wondered if you meant that using the east for community farms Bexley-way might be a good idea. Using the land, but as someone said, having sparse housing in groups above high-tide level, considering that we are expecting storm surges with the rising seas predicted.
Or were you thinking only about central Christchurch?
Q: What’s possible?
A: Everything is possible
To live comfortably in an active earthquake zone is possible.
Buildings can be made Earthquake resistant and needn’t kill.
Services also, can be toughened and made earth quake resistant as well.
Every house in an earthquake zone should have a back up rain fed water tank. At the other end of the water cycle, every street in an earthquake zone should have an emergency sump able to hold at least a weeks worth of sewerage. Steel and concrete waste pipes should be replaced with deformable polyurethane pipes. For very little extra cost the main trunk of such systems could be built with passive sensors that in an emergency could be accessed to pinpoint breaks and deformations, aiding swift location and repair.
For power and communications, overhead is more reliable than underground, and if damaged much swifter to repair. With proper design fully integrated overhead systems needn’t be a purely functional eyesore.
With a switch to overhead, Christchurch could be the first city in the land to have full broadband communications. (In an emergency good communications are vital often being the difference between life and death, helping in the making informed decisions by those on the ground and getting urgent messages to the authorities out) .
Becoming our first fully wired city, Christchurch could become an IT hub.
Brain’s idea of energy efficient homes at least 10 metres above sea level with lots of open ground for urban farming projects, sounds like sense as well. In an emergency where supply chains can break down, at least some food would be near at hand.
To avoid becoming a commuting nightmare a comprehensive fully integrated public transport system would be vital as well.
Is this,or some variation of this possible?
Of course it is.
All that is missing is the political will.
Napier was rebuilt – Christchurch will be be too – hopefully better and stronger and healthier and safer than before.
The idea for central Christchurch regeneration involving using Hagley Park as the ground for a new planned city heart, and laying down a new park in the old square and where buildings need to come down would be a positive solution to the present messy interior. Work could go on in parallel on the new park and the necessary demolishment at the same time as the Hagley ‘Square’ development.
The owners of unsafe buildings or those that stood in the new park land could be offered an exchange of land to the new area. The Cathedral and other retained historic buildings would be at the edge of parkland. The new park would need to be big enough so that all the present uses of present Hagley Park could continue. I haven’t looked at a map and outlined the relevant areas to see if this is doable but if so it’s worth considering. Trees could be saved where possible and more planted around the new park.
mr prism, I had always thought pre-earthquakes that the City Council, in trying to re-ignite the central city, would have been better to buy and demolish those couple of ugly fugly buildings on its northwest side (names escaped my late tired bwain) rather than lay and re-lay cobbly stones on the pavement. It would have opened up the centre something sunny..
and been cheaper
btw, an answer above too.
Thanks to all those who’ve supported this post. There’s a lot of really good ideas coming out in the comments IMHO, especially the point about 30 seconds spray and walk away, which in a nutshell is why a lot of conventional management theories don’t work for the city, or indeed, at all. As Brian Easton says in the Listener, 5 March, “First, every business needs a cornerstone owner committed to its future, not the flashy wideboys who flick the firm on from one temporary owner to another, damaging it each time, as happened to NZ Steel, Telecom, the railways, Air New Zealand…. “. And Whitcoulls one might add. The point is that if a revolving door collection of suits can stuff a company, how much more so for a city. And that in a nutshell is the essence of some of the commenters’ criticism of central planners, bureaucrats, politicians and all the rest, not to mention developers–not that some aren’t trying to do their best in a system that nonetheless encourages greed, short-termism, amnesia, and mediocrity. Obviously we need planning etc, and as I point out, if the Ministry of Works had had its way Bexley would still be a wetland (see the map). But anyhow, the key issue is that if the local people of Christchurch aren’t mobilised as guardians of their own environment, because they live there and have to put up for the rest of their lives with whatever decisions are being made now, you can expect that things will turn out not to their satisfaction. The people of Christchurch are, collectively, the “cornerstone owner” of the city in Easton’s sense. But having said that, the people need to be presented with options. The Designers Institute of New Zealand held a conference last year on innovative ideas for the Super City which probably have zero chance of getting anywhere in Auckland, but could be the basis for leveraging the international contest that some people have talked about for Christchurch. So we should thnk about getting DINZ to run the contest. And PS extensions of Hagley park are precisely the sort of thing that are likely to come up in the contest entries. On the DINZ conference, see http://www.dinz.org.nz/Events/2010/October/46049 .
Great continuing post ChrisH and your ideas fit the description of Idealistic pragmatism which should be I think the way major approach these days.