Category: Central Government
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How to wreck a busway
The Northern Busway has been an outstanding success. The project started in the late 1990s and was officially opened in 2008. It was credited with initially removing 500 cars per rush hour. The parks around the stations were full shortly after the opening and drastic improvements in congestion around the Harbour Bridge were observed. The busway works…
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The City Rail Link is under way
It is official. Auckland’s city rail link is under way. I attended the launch. Whoever designed it should take a bow. The launch was snazzy and future focused. The organizers made an inspired decision and invited a young Westie woman to be MC. Clearly her generation has the most to gain from a world class…
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Labour’s Rural Urban Boundary announcement
The housing crisis has been at the centre of political attention for some time. It is clear that we have a crisis. There are too many people sleeping rough or living in their cars for it to be otherwise. This is not the New Zealand that we all aspire to live in. As David Slack elegantly…
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Government plans RMA power grab
The Government is proposing sweeping changes to the Resource Management Act. They had planned for even more radical change but the support parties refused to commit so the proposal to weaken the goal of environmental protection by merging sections 5 and 6 of the RMA was removed. The currently proposed changes include one which would give the relevant Minister…
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Waitakere Ranges Local Board submission on the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill
I drafted the submission for the Waitakere Ranges Local Board for the HASHA Bill. Text follows: Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area 1. The Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area is an area of immense tree clad beauty in the west of Auckland. The area is very hilly and steep and dominated by the Waitakere Forest. It includes the…