Except their fix won’t release more suitable land, it’ll release more unsuitable land. And we saw what that can look like in certain areas of Christchurch, so maybe we shouldn’t be so fast to talk about gutting the RMA as a “solution” just because we all acknowledge more land for housing is one step that will help.
The Greens and Labour still require more land to be released (or at least re-zoned for greater density). Where are these 100,000 additional houses going to be built? That will likely mean greater demand for land AND then even higher housing prices.
NZ people per hectare is low by World Standards for an urbanised society.
And that would be because we keep adding to the uneconomic sprawl of our cities rather than building up which, of course, increases the amount of land used per person thus decreasing the amount of land available faster.
So, yeah, under the delusional ideology of the right-wing we’d run out of land pretty quick.
The issue is an lack of central government vision on infrastructure (while importing huge numbers of people) which has led to the Auckland council not being able to release land for fear of making serious long term city design and transport mistakes.
It is politically expedient for greedy RWNJs to concentrate the blame for a lack of housing development at Auckland Council when the real problem is poor management by the National government in infrastructure modelling which has been compounded by poor immigration management over the last 9 years.
There definitely isn’t enough land for the 450 metre square ranch style dwelling with four car garage that the cabinets’ mates build. I mean you do need at least one hectare to put in a decent drive and a practice golf hole in the front yard.
Yes as well as the mythical ‘land crisis’ which does not exist (it’s a building crisis stupid, or more to the point the cost of producing a building in this country is well beyond the wages of most people to afford, so we have to import people in and create an economy based on a ponzi construction model)
– there is also the Natz and ACT idea that like pigs we fly around, because even if there were housing, then we can’t get around because some dimwits never put in public transport that people can afford that has links back to people’s houses so they can get home and works.
And to top it off, somehow every time it rains, sewerage goes into our beaches. This was supposed to be stopped years ago, but apparently in spite of all the extra water charges, extra compliance for everybody with septic tanks – this was never solved.
So for every person we now don’t have enough houses, they can’t get from A to B with absurd public transport and gridlocked roads and their shit goes into the harbour every time we have a huge down pour.
so the right wingers keep telling us….funny though even the off shore construction companies are complaining about the cost of building here…
And in Auckland for every house being demolished, another bigger one is coming up. (p.s. that’s not increasing housing, even though the figures record it as such).
The council love it and rubber stamp every consent – but again, it’s making housing less affordable and blocking out amenity – like sun – which in the age of solar and oil crisis is not going to end well as well as making future houses colder and damper and having to spend more on artificial heating options that increasingly people can’t afford. I guess that’s capitalism!
Apparently NZ has some of the biggest housing in the world. But even in Oz which has bigger houses, the cost of building is much less per square meter.
With the unaffordable unitary plan there was removing democracy, rubber stamping consents, losing greenfield spaces, removing character, but increasing density and sustainablility was missing.
In short there needs to be more homes that can be run cheaper allowed on the land not larger buildings.
And if anybody trys to put on a granny flat – no stone left unturned for the council to try and stop it.
Don’t even think about buying land and putting on a yurt to live in! You will be prosecuted even if it’s on a lifestyle block in the middle of nowhere.
Sadly in this country the government, local and central and more and more lobby groups are more interested in stopping many people being able to have housing and controlling it for profit and political reasons, while allowing richer people and businesses to do what ever they like with public resources.
The result. Auckland. Man made housing crisis and increasingly, less ways to solve it. We now have a pollution and transport crisis to go with the housing and job and wages crisis.
Oz govt desperate to shoreup is banking industries exposure to the Auckland housing market. First crims, now families foloowing their kids forced to goto uni in NZ. Both Nats and Liberals dont want a housing collapse on their watch. Though niether will anyone bother to build homes, less the class stratification of society turns round.
Martyn Bradbury has ruined the word “comrade” for me. He uses it so much, (often while attacking unions) that it has somehow devalued a term that I used to like.
This is the first I have heard of ‘keepcup’ as a reference to the Greens, and I follow quite a number of Green supporters. I rather liked the chart though.
Sarah L Caddy, University of CambridgeVaccines are a marvel of medicine. Few interventions can claim to have saved as many lives. But it may surprise you to know that not all vaccines provide the same level of protection. Some vaccines stop you getting symptomatic disease, but others stop you ...
Back in 2016, the Portuguese government announced plans to stop burning coal by 2030. But progress has come much quicker, and they're now scheduled to close their last coal plant by the end of this year: The Sines coal plant in Portugal went offline at midnight yesterday evening (14 ...
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
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Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
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Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
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Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
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To impact or not to impeach? I understand why some of those who are justifiably aghast at Trump’s behaviour over recent days might still counsel against impeaching him for a second time. To impeach him, they argue, would run the risk of making him a martyr in the eyes of ...
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A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 through Sat, Jan 9, 2021Editor's ChoiceAfter the Insurrection: Accountability, Reform, and the Science of Democracy The poisonous lies and enablers of sedition--including Senator Hawley, pictured ...
This article, guest authored by Prof. Angela Gallego-Sala & Dr. Julie Loisel, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Dec 21, 2020. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments. Peatlands Peatlands are ecosystems unlike any other. Perpetually saturated, their ...
The assault on the US Capitol and constitutional crisis that it has caused was telegraphed, predictable and yet unexpected and confusing. There are several subplots involved: whether the occupation of the Michigan State House in May was a trial run for the attacks on Congress; whether people involved in the ...
On Christmas Eve, child number 1 spotted a crack in a window. It’s a double-glazed window, and inspection showed that the small, horizontal crack was in the outermost pane. It was perpendicular to the frame, about three-quarters of the way up one side. The origins are a mystery. It MIGHT ...
Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Will the COVID-19 pandemic prompt a shift to healthier cities that focus on wellness rather than functional and economic concerns? This is a hypothesis that seems to be supported by several researchers around the world. In many ways, containment and physical distancing ...
Does the US need to strike a grand bargain with like-minded countries to pool their efforts? What does this tell us about today’s global politics? Perhaps the most remarkable editorial of last year was the cover leader of the London Economist on 19 November 2020. Shortly after Joe Biden was ...
Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato and Valmaine Toki, University of WaikatoAotearoa New Zealand likes to think it punches above its weight internationally, but there is one area where we are conspicuously falling behind — the number of sites recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Globally, there are 1,121 ...
An event organised by the Auckland PhilippinesSolidarity group Have a three-course lunch at Nanam Eatery with us! Help support the organic farming of our Lumad communities through the Mindanao Community School Agricultural Foundation. Each ticket is $50. Food will be served on shared plates. To purchase, please email phsolidarity@gmail.com or ...
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This is a re-post from Inside Climate News by Ilana Cohen. Inside Climate News is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter here. Whether or not people accept the science on Covid-19 and climate change, both global crises will have lasting impacts on health and ...
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The session started off so well. Annalax – suitably chastised – spent a pleasant morning with his new girlfriend (he would say paramour, of course, but for our purposes, girlfriend is easier*). He told her about Waking World Drow, and their worship of Her Ladyship. And he started ...
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When I was preparing for my School C English exam I knew I needed some quotes to splash through my essays. But remembering lines was never my strong point, so I tended to look for the low-hanging fruit. We’d studied Shakespeare’s King Lear that year and perhaps the lowest hanging ...
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Melted ice of the past answers question today? Kate Ashley and a large crew of coauthors wind back the clock to look at Antarctic sea ice behavior in times gone by, in Mid-Holocene Antarctic sea-ice increase driven by marine ice sheet retreat. For armchair scientists following the Antarctic sea ice situation, something jumps out in ...
Christina SzalinskiWhen Martha Field became pregnant in 2005, a singular fear weighed on her mind. Not long before, as a Cornell University graduate student researching how genes and nutrients interact to cause disease, she had seen images of unborn mouse pups smaller than her pinkie nail, some with ...
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President respectively for the US 2020 Election, may have dispensed with the erstwhile nemesis, Trump the candidate – but there are numerous critical openings through which much, much worse many out there may yet see fit to ...
I don’t know Taupō well. Even though I stop off there from time to time, I’m always on the way to somewhere else. Usually Taupō means making a hot water puddle in the gritty sand followed by a swim in the lake, noticing with bemusement and resignation the traffic, the ...
Frances Williams, King’s College LondonFor most people, infection with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – leads to mild, short-term symptoms, acute respiratory illness, or possibly no symptoms at all. But some people have long-lasting symptoms after their infection – this has been dubbed “long COVID”. Scientists are ...
Last night, a British court ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US. Unfortunately, its not because all he is "guilty" of is journalism, or because the offence the US wants to charge him with - espionage - is of an inherently political nature; instead the judge accepted ...
Is the Gender Identity Movement a movement for human liberation, or is it a regressive movement which undermines women’s liberation and promotes sexist stereotypes? Should biological males be allowed to play in women’s sport, use women-only spaces (public toilets, changing rooms, other facilities), be able to have access to everything ...
Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University and Gareth Dorrian, University of BirminghamSpace exploration achieved several notable firsts in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, including commercial human spaceflight and returning samples of an asteroid to Earth. The coming year is shaping up to be just as interesting. Here are some of ...
Michael Head, University of SouthamptonThe UK has become the first country to authorise the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for public use, with roll-out to start in the first week of 2021. This vaccine is the second to be authorised in the UK – following the Pfizer vaccine. The British government ...
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by Don Franks For five days over New Year weekend, sixteen prisoners in the archaic pre WW1 block of Waikeria Prison defied authorities by setting fires and occupying the building’s roof. They eventually agreed to surrender after intervention from Maori party co-leader Rawiri Waititi. A message from the protesting men had stated: ...
As we welcome in the new year, our focus is on continuing to keep New Zealanders safe and moving forward with our economic recovery. There’s a lot to get on with, but before we say a final goodbye to 2020, here’s a quick look back at some of the milestones ...
Bay Conservation Cadets launched with first intake Supported with $3.5 million grant Part of $1.245b Jobs for Nature programme to accelerate recover from Covid Cadets will learn skills to protect and enhance environment Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the first intake of cadets at the launch of the Bay ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
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Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
The prisoner disorder event at Waikeria Prison is over, with all remaining prisoners now safely and securely detained, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. The majority of those involved in the event are members of the Mongols and Comancheros. Five of the men are deportees from Australia, with three subject to ...
Travellers from the United Kingdom or the United States bound for New Zealand will be required to get a negative test result for COVID-19 before departing, and work is underway to extend the requirement to other long haul flights to New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “The new PCR test requirement, foreshadowed last ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has added her warm congratulations to the New Zealanders recognised for their contributions to their communities and the country in the New Year 2021 Honours List. “The past year has been one that few of us could have imagined. In spite of all the things that ...
Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment David Parker has congratulated two retired judges who have had their contributions to the country and their communities recognised in the New Year 2021 Honours list. The Hon Tony Randerson QC has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the New Year’s Honours List 2021 highlights again the outstanding contribution made by Pacific people across Aotearoa. “We are acknowledging the work of 13 Pacific leaders in the New Year’s Honours, representing a number of sectors including health, education, community, sports, the ...
The Government’s investment in digital literacy training for seniors has led to more than 250 people participating so far, helping them stay connected. “COVID-19 has meant older New Zealanders are showing more interest in learning how to use technology like Zoom and Skype so they can to keep in touch ...
From white-collar crims to famous rappers, President Trump is to issue about 100 pardons on his final full day in office, buying protection from incriminating revelations. ...
Applaud the social media silencing of Donald Trump if you must, but be careful what you wish for, writes Matt Bartlett of the University of Auckland. The sighs of relief from all around the world were almost palpable when Donald Trump’s Twitter account was permanently banned this month. Twitter, Facebook, ...
Matteo Di Maio investigates what MPs have been filling their heads with over the summer holidays What have our lords and masters been reading on the beach during the summer holidays? What books have filled their heads, given them ideas, expanded their horizons? Eight prominent politicians have revealed their choice ...
Are the continent’s coronavirus statistics as good as they appear? Felix Geiringer looks at the numbers, and why whether they reflect the reality matters. Living in Africa during Covid times, one of the questions I am asked most often is this: how has Africa done so well?At the start of September, ...
With new strains of Covid-19 bearing down on our shores, Pattrick Smellie of BusinessDesk looks at the challenges 2021 has in store, and what can be done to prepare.In the three weeks that New Zealanders have been at the beach and ignoring Covid tracer app sign-ins, the threat of Covid-19 ...
Pacific Media Watch newsdesk Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticised the Indonesian government of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for its weak health response to covid-19 which has brought Indonesia to its knees since March 2020, reports CNN Indonesia. The assessment is based on Indonesia’s poor rates of testing and tracing ...
By The National in Port Moresby An expatriate who tested positive for the covid-19 coronavirus last week has been admitted to a private hospital in the Papua New Guinea capital of Port Moresby, an official has confirmed. Pacific International Hospital (PIH) chief executive officer Colonel Sandeep Shaligram toldThe National the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Bartlett, Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle Reports of about 30 deaths among elderly nursing home residents who received the Pfizer vaccine have made international headlines. With Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) expected to approve the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Culum Brown, Professor, Macquarie University How do gills work? Tully, aged 7 Great question, Tully! Animals on land breathe air, which is made up of different gasses. Oxygen is one of these gases, and is made by plants (hug ...
Dairy prices increased by 3.9% across the board at the latest Fonterra global auction. The lift followed rises of 1.3% and 4.3% in the December auctions which took dairy prices to their highest level in 11 months, defying those analysts who believed Covid-19 had disrupted dairy markets. In the latest ...
America's Cup team American Magic has spoken publicly after their boat Patriot capsized when on its way to their first win of the Challenger Selection Series yesterday. Patriot dramatically capsized yesterday, becoming temporarily airborne before crashing back into the water and tipping. The boat, helmed by New Zealander Dean Barker, could not be ...
It’s a seemingly age old question: why do Auckland’s beaches become unswimmable after every single downpour? Stewart Sowman-Lund investigates.Ah, the beach. A staple of the New Zealand summer. Unless, of course, you’re based in Auckland and it’s raining. The start of 2021 has been a lot like every other New ...
We have opened a book, among members of the Point of Order team, on how long it will be before the PM offers to sort out the land dispute at Wellington’s Shelly Bay and (to win the double) how much the settlement will cost taxpayers. Just a few weeks ago ...
Breakfast TV news is back for 2021, and Tara Ward got up early to watch. “Thank god it’s almost Christmas,” John Campbell said during the opening minutes of Breakfast’s premiere episode of the year. “2021’s been rough so far. I’m buggered”. We’re all buggered, to be fair, but I’m worried that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Pearson, Professor of Journalism and Social Media, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Griffith University The blame for the recent assault on the US Capitol and President Donald Trump’s broader dismantling of democratic institutions and norms can be ...
Despite a popular and unifying leader of the governing party, divisions both in policy and culture will test the progressive movement, writes Peter McKenzie.‘I think we’re confused.” Marlon Drake is an organiser for the Living Wage Movement. His job takes him all over Wellington, trying to convince businesses to increase ...
Covid-19 Recovery Minister Chris Hipkins says vaccinations should be available to the public by the middle of the year, but other countries are prioritised. ...
It’s as true now as it ever has been: nowhere else offers an education experience like that of Dunedin. But rather than resting on their laurels, the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic have plans to make the city an even more inspiring place for students.From high in the summit ...
Haggis, neeps and tatties and whisky may not be a traditional spread for a summer gathering in NZ, but trust Auckland city councillor and Kiwi-Scot Cathy Casey on this one. Gie it laldy! Rule one: Hold it on (or near) January 25Robert Burns was born on January 25, 1759. Since the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University It could be argued artificial intelligence (AI) is already the indispensable tool of the 21st century. From helping doctors diagnose and treat patients to rapidly advancing new drug discoveries, it’s our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University Through recent natural disasters, global upheavals and a pandemic, Australia’s political centre has largely held. Australians may have disagreed at times, but they have also kept faith with governmental norms, eschewing the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Seale, Associate professor, UNSW Health workers are at higher risk of COVID infection and illness. They can also act as extremely efficient transmitters of viruses to others in medical and aged care facilities. That’s why health workers have been prioritised to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Orchard, Adjunct Lecturer, Monash University Last week, somewhat overshadowed by the events in Washington, the Democrats took control of the US Senate. The Democrats now hold a small majority in both the House and the Senate until 2022, giving President-elect Joe ...
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ACT has publically announced there is a housing crisis
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1703/S00293/fix-the-rma-fix-the-housing-crisis.htm
The crisis they are talking about was apparently created by the RMA. Still lala land stuff.
Not really. The issue is there is not enough land being released for houses. Even Labour acknowledges that.
Except their fix won’t release more suitable land, it’ll release more unsuitable land. And we saw what that can look like in certain areas of Christchurch, so maybe we shouldn’t be so fast to talk about gutting the RMA as a “solution” just because we all acknowledge more land for housing is one step that will help.
The Greens and Labour still require more land to be released (or at least re-zoned for greater density). Where are these 100,000 additional houses going to be built? That will likely mean greater demand for land AND then even higher housing prices.
No matter how much land is released there will still be a crisis – especially once we run out of land.
And that’s not even taking into account the economics of sprawl.
It’s not the lack of land that’s the problem but the fact that we’re not building up and going for higher density but more liveable cities.
We are unlikely to run out of land. NZ people per hectare is low by World Standards for an urbanised society.
And that would be because we keep adding to the uneconomic sprawl of our cities rather than building up which, of course, increases the amount of land used per person thus decreasing the amount of land available faster.
So, yeah, under the delusional ideology of the right-wing we’d run out of land pretty quick.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
No.
The issue is an lack of central government vision on infrastructure (while importing huge numbers of people) which has led to the Auckland council not being able to release land for fear of making serious long term city design and transport mistakes.
It is politically expedient for greedy RWNJs to concentrate the blame for a lack of housing development at Auckland Council when the real problem is poor management by the National government in infrastructure modelling which has been compounded by poor immigration management over the last 9 years.
There definitely isn’t enough land for the 450 metre square ranch style dwelling with four car garage that the cabinets’ mates build. I mean you do need at least one hectare to put in a decent drive and a practice golf hole in the front yard.
Yes as well as the mythical ‘land crisis’ which does not exist (it’s a building crisis stupid, or more to the point the cost of producing a building in this country is well beyond the wages of most people to afford, so we have to import people in and create an economy based on a ponzi construction model)
– there is also the Natz and ACT idea that like pigs we fly around, because even if there were housing, then we can’t get around because some dimwits never put in public transport that people can afford that has links back to people’s houses so they can get home and works.
And to top it off, somehow every time it rains, sewerage goes into our beaches. This was supposed to be stopped years ago, but apparently in spite of all the extra water charges, extra compliance for everybody with septic tanks – this was never solved.
So for every person we now don’t have enough houses, they can’t get from A to B with absurd public transport and gridlocked roads and their shit goes into the harbour every time we have a huge down pour.
Ummm… no it isn’t a building crisis. Land by far makes up the majority of the rise in the cost of housing over the past few years
so the right wingers keep telling us….funny though even the off shore construction companies are complaining about the cost of building here…
And in Auckland for every house being demolished, another bigger one is coming up. (p.s. that’s not increasing housing, even though the figures record it as such).
The council love it and rubber stamp every consent – but again, it’s making housing less affordable and blocking out amenity – like sun – which in the age of solar and oil crisis is not going to end well as well as making future houses colder and damper and having to spend more on artificial heating options that increasingly people can’t afford. I guess that’s capitalism!
Apparently NZ has some of the biggest housing in the world. But even in Oz which has bigger houses, the cost of building is much less per square meter.
With the unaffordable unitary plan there was removing democracy, rubber stamping consents, losing greenfield spaces, removing character, but increasing density and sustainablility was missing.
In short there needs to be more homes that can be run cheaper allowed on the land not larger buildings.
And if anybody trys to put on a granny flat – no stone left unturned for the council to try and stop it.
Don’t even think about buying land and putting on a yurt to live in! You will be prosecuted even if it’s on a lifestyle block in the middle of nowhere.
Sadly in this country the government, local and central and more and more lobby groups are more interested in stopping many people being able to have housing and controlling it for profit and political reasons, while allowing richer people and businesses to do what ever they like with public resources.
The result. Auckland. Man made housing crisis and increasingly, less ways to solve it. We now have a pollution and transport crisis to go with the housing and job and wages crisis.
Oz govt desperate to shoreup is banking industries exposure to the Auckland housing market. First crims, now families foloowing their kids forced to goto uni in NZ. Both Nats and Liberals dont want a housing collapse on their watch. Though niether will anyone bother to build homes, less the class stratification of society turns round.
What’s the Greens favourite phrase? keep cup? eh?
Must be a Wellington thing?
Apparently a green alternative to disposable coffee cups
https://nz.keepcup.com/about-us/
They’re certainly a thing, but this Wellingtonian Green had never heard that name before, lol.
Also, I’m rather fond of the term “Comrade,” but don’t think Labour’s socialist enough to vote for. 😉
A few of us still use the phrase. Some others would die if they were described in this way …
Martyn Bradbury has ruined the word “comrade” for me. He uses it so much, (often while attacking unions) that it has somehow devalued a term that I used to like.
This is the first I have heard of ‘keepcup’ as a reference to the Greens, and I follow quite a number of Green supporters. I rather liked the chart though.
Thanks – that was lost on me as well. Never heard of them.
Ah. Thanks.
Probably a plastic one too.
The advertising claims the materials used make the cups are recyclable and sustainable.
I’d be interested in Marty Mars’ view on this. According to the chart he has a soul but is happy with the current government.
The two are mutually exclusive, I would have thought.
you missed
most people are idiots ]
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Or just vote Internet Party
The Maori Party *had* a soul. They sold it in exchange for ministerial limos.