Opinion: Christchurch is already a super city - does it need to become a 'Super-City'?

Opinion

OPINION

It feels like a bit of trap being asked to write a column on whether or not your city should become a super city. Being the fiercely loyal Cantabrian I am, my first answer is "we already are super thank you very much".

If we look north we see an amalgamated Auckland looking to make up for decades of growth where infrastructure simply did not keep up with population growth and I think it's fair to say we want to avoid being in the same situation down the track.

The question for us is whether merging Christchurch City, Selwyn and Waimakariri councils into one mega-council is the best way for us to plan for a future where we retain what is best about our city and region and plan for the best and most innovative future.

How would we amalgamate into a regional council whose boundaries stretch way beyond Selwyn and Waimakariri? Is overhauling the machinery of government the best way to get the action we need to plan for growth and respond to the challenges and opportunities the future presents?

Way back in 2007 the Urban Development Strategy presented the region with a plan for future growth across the boundaries of our councils. This was of course shaken up by the earthquakes and was then added to by the post-quake plans. Fast-forward to 2022 and it is critical that these plans now also have a clear plan of action for how we are building a city that responds to the challenges and opportunities of climate change.

We must build neighbourhoods that allow people to travel around without necessarily having to drive. Denser neighbourhoods that are closer to where people work, go to school, and live their lives are one way to achieve this. Walking and cycling and hopping on public transport can become the preferred mode of transport for many. The other way is to build new neighbourhoods (think Rolleston and Rangiora) that are connected to the centre with efficient and affordable mass-rapid transport.

Greater Christchurch was added this year to a list of regions with urban growth partnerships.

Until recently, it's fair to say there has been a lack of coordination between central and local government regarding the future growth of New Zealand's high-growth urban centres and the infrastructure investment required to support this. This has resulted in a range of complex issues that affect housing and urban development in New Zealand.

To respond to this, the partnerships formalise relationships between the Crown, local government, iwi and communities to deliver connected, thriving and sustainable urban communities and to improve outcomes around housing, land use and infrastructure planning.

Our partnership here in Canterbury is between the councils, Ngāi Tahu and the Crown. The group is working together to create a well-functioning urban environment that supports the decarbonisation of transport and improves resilience, housing affordability and accessibility.

An initial priority of the partnership is the preparation of a joint spatial plan and the Mass Rapid Transport investigation. It is estimated that the joint spatial plan will be ready for public consultation in early 2023 and finalised by mid-2023. I don't think this can come soon enough. It's no secret that I would have liked to see an ambitious public transport plan already on desks in Wellington for consideration. I also think we missed a trick a decade ago in not adequately providing for mass-rapid transport in the post-quake recovery as homes sprung up on the outskirts and around the city.

I don't think we need to rush to completely replace the machinery of government with an amalgamated Super City. I think such a radical overhaul will suck up too much time, attention and energy at a time where action is more imperative. I don't believe that it's necessarily an upgrade.

I do, however, think that the machine needs a substantial oil and grease job. I believe it is imperative that we all keep our foot down on being ambitious for our region and working together. We need structures that demand that our local body politicians - and their organisations - work together on growth and infrastructure planning. We also need to demand a continued commitment from central government that they will be partners in these plans.

And, I still think we are a Super City!