Frank Greenall: Still crazy after all these years

Crazy: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the housing announcement at Unitec in Mt Albert, Auckland last Saturday. Photo/file

The Government's announcement it recently "bought" 29.3 hectares of the Unitec Institute of Technology's Mt Albert campus, partly for the development of "affordable" housing, neatly encapsulates the journey of New Zealand society in recent times.

The Unitec stands on land that — since 1865 — was part of what was originally called the Whau Lunatic Asylum. The Whau River is a tidal tributary of the lower Waitemata Harbour: asylum land bordered suburbs now known as Waterview, Avondale, Pt Chevalier and Mt Albert.

Consequently the asylum suffered something of an identity crisis. At various times it was also known as the Auckland Lunatic Asylum, Avondale Hospital, Auckland Mental Health Hospital, Oakley Hospital and the Carrington Psychiatric Hospital, among other monikers.

The asylum grounds included an 81ha farm, through which ran the Oakley Creek. The farm had a 50-strong dairy herd, as well as piggeries, orchards, chook runs, and vege gardens and labour was mainly provided by inmates. As well as creating an abundance of fresh organic food, the farm work gave asylum patients a sense of purpose, taught vocational skills and stimulated healthy physical and mental outdoor activities.

However, new and progressive theories on mental health therapy declared it much more beneficial for patients to be zombied-out on expensive new pharmaceuticals, and parked in front of a television set in the common room all day.

Of course, the farm then fell into disuse and all food had to be bought from factory farm suppliers, but this was a small price to pay for the opportunities the therapists now had to energetically embellish their CVs with prime new-age jargon.

Unsurprisingly, with all the extra use, the seats in the patients' TV lounge soon started to wear out. This caused concern for the new CEO. Now burdened with a blown-out food bill, the administrator naturally decided that, rather than replace the chairs, it would be much more cost-effective to simply kick the patients out into the community.

Consequently this boosted the coffers of proprietors of run-down boarding houses no end. Together with all the collateral damage caused by vulnerable ex-patients being crushed by the demands of the big wide world, and emergency services at full stretch trying to cope, this stimulated all manner of economic activity — such as the construction of new prisons to accommodate the resulting flood of new inmates. Despite its tragic source, all this economic activity nevertheless registered as a big plus on the nation's GDP balance sheet, and assured successive governments that the economy was right on track and in full growth mode.

By 1994 the asylum's mental health operations had ceased altogether, and the Unitec Institute of Technology had superseded an earlier on-site Carrington Technical Institute.
The new Government says the Unitec's Mt Albert campus land it has "bought" is for the construction of 3000 to 4000 KiwiBuild dwellings, to be a mix of open market, first-homes, and "affordable" social housing.

Its idea of "affordable" is between $500,000-$600,000. For the struggling demographic at the sharp end of the housing crisis, this is a lunatic, totally unrealistic figure. It needs to be at least half that — and it's easily achievable.

The Government has not "bought" the Unitec land at all. In essence, it is simply an asset being transferred from one Crown entity to another — irrespective of how it is jerry-rigged on the books. So why charge for it?

If the sections — particularly those for the "social" housing — were simply made leasehold at a realistic rate, costs could be halved. Resale conditions would apply, and be reflected in lower unit values.

And if the Government (and Green) coalition was really serious about progressive solutions, it would insist on modern solar power and waste composting systems.
But as things stand, the spirit of the original Whau Lunatic Asylum lives on.
Situation normal — only the names have changed.

Frank Greenall