Brian Rudman: Housing plan 'a weak compromise'
Mayor Len Brown and his deputy Penny Hulse pushed hard for quotas for affordable housing to be included in the accord, but the Govt refused, writes Brian Rudman.
Mayor Len Brown and his deputy Penny Hulse pushed hard for quotas for affordable housing to be included in the accord, but the Govt refused, writes Brian Rudman.
Dr John Key has blurted out loud what we've long suspected, Wellington is a terminal case, writes Brian Rudman. Incurable. "We don't know how to turn it around."
Brian Rudman asks: "Should we be shipping this cultural heritage off to a commercial collector of photographic libraries in the United States for safe-keeping?"
One problem Vancouver does share with Auckland is the burning problem of housing affordability, writes Brian Rudman.
What many were predicting would be a one-horse race for one of the biggest political prizes in the land, could at last come alive, writes Brian Rudman.
Most New Zealanders had no idea that this island off the bottom of India would be hosting the biennial Commonwealth heads of government meeting, writes Brian Rudman.
Unfortunately, the plan comes with a shortfall of $10 billion to $15 billion in guaranteed sources of future public funding, writes Brian Rudman.
"Why should under-25s, with nothing but a desire for a romantic stroll in the park, be driven out for nothing more than the crime of having acute hearing?" asks Brian Rudman.
"What just happened?" asks Brian Rudman. "Bland, colourless Labour leader David Shearer has suddenly been transmogrified into a working-class hero."
Beneficiary cheats face not just the wrath of the law but a public tongue-lashing from minister Paula Bennett as well, writes Brian Rudman.
To geologists perhaps, six years is nothing, writes Brian Rudman. But for those of us on human time, it seems an inordinate amount of time to need to hatch the plan.
"What controls will be imposed to ensure the good design of the new terrace housing and apartment blocks?" asks Brian Rudman. "What noise controls will be set in place?"
What isn't fair is the way the Government is forcing DoC to use commercial and voluntary partnerships to make up for cuts in state funding, writes Brian Rudman.
It's taken 10 years, but finally the penny has dropped in the dark recesses of Auckland Transport's brain box, writes Brian Rudman.
With more than 50,000 people living in Auckland's CBD, it's no longer just the retailers and the businesses being inconvenienced, writes Brian Rudman.
How many more people have to be killed or maimed by vicious dogs before our parliamentarians and police start to act?
Hobsonville is the sort of public-private partnership that when it comes to roads and schools buildings, this Government actively promotes, writes Brian Rudman.
It would be great if Environment Minister Amy Adams could make up her mind about Auckland's new draft unitary plan, writes Brian Rudman.
Aucklanders are now able to go online and discover how their own home and neighbourhoods are affected by the new masterplan, writes Brian Rudman.
The Government really must be strapped for money, Brian Rudman. It's so short that to scrape in an extra $17 million or so of petty cash it's willing to break an election pledge and upset a group of core supporters.
After last week's chaos, it's clear we need dedicated and vigilantly policed bus lanes to keep city moving.
Echoing demands from Prime Minister John Key that Auckland Council free up farmland for housing development, Dr Smith is vowing "to break through the stranglehold that the existing Metropolitan Urban Limit has on land supplies".
"What is the powerful hold international tobacco peddlers seem to have over governments around the world?" asks Brian Rudman.
What Auckland's cultural scene does lack, when it comes to Ateed and Aucklanders in general, is a true appreciation of the goodies that are on offer on their doorsteps.
The Opposition's only glimmer of hope is a gradually narrowing in the gap between those thinking NZ was "heading in the right direction" or going down "the wrong track", writes Brian Rudman.
The community housing sector in Auckland, which elsewhere would be in the market for developer-supplied affordable housing, is neither strong nor vibrant, writes Brian Rudman.
The fear being expressed is as much about the getting there as the end result, Brian Rudman. And as a fan of the end result, it's a concern I share.
The game of charades Ms Collins wants our MPs to play is a joke on our democracy on many levels, writes Brian Rudman. How a liberal-minded modern politician can see any form of inherited monarchy as 21st century is beyond me.