I am concerned too about the 'destruction' of our arable land. I remember as a child the Tip Top factory south of Auckand was surrounded by green fields. I value very much your work and have no intention of letting my subscription lapse. I am also dismayed by the Coalition Government. It is my experience that sharing always brings more. But it is not a formula. The act of sharing brings unknown benefit. Sharing can't be calculated. The benefit is a surprise to be found.
If Auckland gets this concession will other areas across the country get similar concessions .In my opinion the housing crisis starts and ends with National from the time they cut spending on state housing and subsidised private rentals with the payment of the accommodation supplement and turned housing into investment for retirement for "mum and Dad" investors. We need capital gain on rental accommodation. We need too affordable housings and environmental protection when building new housing including visual protection.
- and we need the investment money, instead, helping each innovative idea get turned into a business, and those business funded to expand into productive exporters! Cementing the money into the ground is not the best use of it!
Thanks Bryan, good to hear you have something to earn you the money you so well deserve (and hopefully something you can enjoy getting your teeth into!) so you can keep on with such a valued newsletter. I really do value your information and take on things.
I read somewhere that those of us who experienced much better times should talk to younger people and tell them about how it worked and how good it was - it wasn't all about the rich and their profits. If we can educate those coming behind us to know it is possible to have a different lifestyle then maybe we can hope they will vote, and vote for change.
I will be going all out in my role as a politically neutral public servant to encourage people to vote by whatever means I can in my workplace; staff and the public we serve. I hope we can reach in to people's thought process and get more of those who don't traditionally vote to do so.
At the heart of all this intensification and build, build, build on any land unsuitable is the question WHY? Why do we need 2 million more units of housing. Why do we need or more importantly want this extreme growth? Where is the planning for public facilities---schools, doctors, hospitals, prisons, over congested roads etc. And what about the general well -being of the humans who inhabit these urban barrens. We are already past broken point, why do more of what brought us to this point? To me none of this makes sense, perhaps it's all for money for developers and their hench? The neoliberal libertarian turbo charged extreme capitalism.
So typical, it’s never what’s right, it’s alway about a new way to enhance the returns to National supporters. Best of luck with your documentary Bryan.
There are such a lot of fantastic ideas implemented overseas about how to make the inner suburbs so much more enjoyable to live in, and more sustainable. There are probably a heap of ideas here, too. It's a crying shame that these don't get through to these venal, grasping drongos.
Good luck with your initiative, Bryan. I'm sure that it will be, as ever, a good 'un.
The seductive and alluring power of money and privilege corrupts those who already hold it all, and they make every effort to sustain the status quo. That’s how it is. Vote them out!
I seriously think the housing crisis is not so much to do with insufficient buildings but more because so many of the existing properties are not available for long term let's or purchase.
Once upon a time couch-surfing happened with friends & acquaintances. It has since morphed into Air BNB ( lucky if you get the brekkie!) which induces people to buy properties for this specific purpose.
It wasn't always like this. It does NOT have to be like this.
Perhaps the reason its apparently so very difficult for govts to do the right & sensible thing, i.e. NOT build masses of houses on good food growing land may just be because that sooner or later, they/ their families or friends will benefit from it. That is unfair. The entire system is unfair.
Thankfully there are still those people willing to point this out, constantly & regardless of the difficulties - more power to your pen (or typewriter,of course) Bryan.
My two cents, I hold voters, especially older voters responsible for these types of policies.
After all, people complain about politicians not representing them and that is what PM Luxon is kind of doing... if you think about it. He is changing policies to suit what his constituents want. We may not want to admit that and call him greedy etc as he too is a multiple property owner... but again... he is just representing his constituents.
Older voters also know better, they've been in elections before and have plenty of life experience to know that these kinds of policy changes are detrimental to making housing more affordable for for future generations, they know this so well that it is indeed, the very point of forcing this policy shift.
It says so much about the character of those NIMBY's
I work in Melbourne CBD and was part of a intense discussion with a business owner, staff member, and the owner of the building were participating. We were hearing what the issues are for the business (I work for LG)... then the landlord started on with the "I won't say because you will call me racist" when talking about the other businesses/activities that might be the root of the issue nearby (used this phrase 3xs). They went on to say with disgust that the building next door was bought by a Chinese couple for their son - not even realising that their situation was the same in that they had inherited THEIR building from parents. The point of the story is that the NIMBY/[colonial] "heritage" people don't know who they are. What are they protecting and at what expense?
Goes without saying that a feeble leader folding on this quite good policy only makes the NIMBY people think they have a point. As a side note, the building owner in my story is writing to the Lord Mayor (again) and I don't doubt they know who to write to in state and fedral governments to let their 'concerns' be known. Such is social capital.
Pleased to hear you're making another documentary and looking forward to finding out what it is.
I for one am very happy to receive short, to the point newsletters and have no expectation of it being a certain number or certain day of the week just keep up the good content and I'll keep up the subscription.
I suppose many of us suffer from coalition fatique. I have joined Labour as well as the Greens and do my best to support them.
It must be hard, Bryan, to write about the daily disasters hitting our country and yet retaining a degree of positivity.... Thanking you for what you have done so far and we look forward to hear from you again very soon. Good luck with what you have taken on. 😊
Thanks Bryan, hope your documentary goes well. Please keep writing, I'll keep subscribing. I also am so fed up with this government by vested interests.
I am concerned too about the 'destruction' of our arable land. I remember as a child the Tip Top factory south of Auckand was surrounded by green fields. I value very much your work and have no intention of letting my subscription lapse. I am also dismayed by the Coalition Government. It is my experience that sharing always brings more. But it is not a formula. The act of sharing brings unknown benefit. Sharing can't be calculated. The benefit is a surprise to be found.
If Auckland gets this concession will other areas across the country get similar concessions .In my opinion the housing crisis starts and ends with National from the time they cut spending on state housing and subsidised private rentals with the payment of the accommodation supplement and turned housing into investment for retirement for "mum and Dad" investors. We need capital gain on rental accommodation. We need too affordable housings and environmental protection when building new housing including visual protection.
- and we need the investment money, instead, helping each innovative idea get turned into a business, and those business funded to expand into productive exporters! Cementing the money into the ground is not the best use of it!
The one thing Luxon does all summer and he does this! Disgusting.
Thanks Bryan, good to hear you have something to earn you the money you so well deserve (and hopefully something you can enjoy getting your teeth into!) so you can keep on with such a valued newsletter. I really do value your information and take on things.
I read somewhere that those of us who experienced much better times should talk to younger people and tell them about how it worked and how good it was - it wasn't all about the rich and their profits. If we can educate those coming behind us to know it is possible to have a different lifestyle then maybe we can hope they will vote, and vote for change.
I will be going all out in my role as a politically neutral public servant to encourage people to vote by whatever means I can in my workplace; staff and the public we serve. I hope we can reach in to people's thought process and get more of those who don't traditionally vote to do so.
At the heart of all this intensification and build, build, build on any land unsuitable is the question WHY? Why do we need 2 million more units of housing. Why do we need or more importantly want this extreme growth? Where is the planning for public facilities---schools, doctors, hospitals, prisons, over congested roads etc. And what about the general well -being of the humans who inhabit these urban barrens. We are already past broken point, why do more of what brought us to this point? To me none of this makes sense, perhaps it's all for money for developers and their hench? The neoliberal libertarian turbo charged extreme capitalism.
So typical, it’s never what’s right, it’s alway about a new way to enhance the returns to National supporters. Best of luck with your documentary Bryan.
There are such a lot of fantastic ideas implemented overseas about how to make the inner suburbs so much more enjoyable to live in, and more sustainable. There are probably a heap of ideas here, too. It's a crying shame that these don't get through to these venal, grasping drongos.
Good luck with your initiative, Bryan. I'm sure that it will be, as ever, a good 'un.
The seductive and alluring power of money and privilege corrupts those who already hold it all, and they make every effort to sustain the status quo. That’s how it is. Vote them out!
The needs of the few (and sorted) over the needs of the many.
Once again you've hit the nail on the head.
I look forward to watching your next documentary which will be excellent ☺️
I seriously think the housing crisis is not so much to do with insufficient buildings but more because so many of the existing properties are not available for long term let's or purchase.
Once upon a time couch-surfing happened with friends & acquaintances. It has since morphed into Air BNB ( lucky if you get the brekkie!) which induces people to buy properties for this specific purpose.
No bed tax revenue for local governments,
fewer houses to buy
fewer homes for long-term tent.
Such a rort.
Time to stop this
Western world-wide problem
It seems around ~9% of Auckland dwellings (in 2023) were unoccupied (resident away or empty).
https://figure.nz/chart/pUm7XzVjJL1FWbsK
It wasn't always like this. It does NOT have to be like this.
Perhaps the reason its apparently so very difficult for govts to do the right & sensible thing, i.e. NOT build masses of houses on good food growing land may just be because that sooner or later, they/ their families or friends will benefit from it. That is unfair. The entire system is unfair.
Thankfully there are still those people willing to point this out, constantly & regardless of the difficulties - more power to your pen (or typewriter,of course) Bryan.
Hi Bryan,
I am pleased to hear about the documentary.
Focus on that and do what you gotta' do. 😎🙏
My two cents, I hold voters, especially older voters responsible for these types of policies.
After all, people complain about politicians not representing them and that is what PM Luxon is kind of doing... if you think about it. He is changing policies to suit what his constituents want. We may not want to admit that and call him greedy etc as he too is a multiple property owner... but again... he is just representing his constituents.
Older voters also know better, they've been in elections before and have plenty of life experience to know that these kinds of policy changes are detrimental to making housing more affordable for for future generations, they know this so well that it is indeed, the very point of forcing this policy shift.
It says so much about the character of those NIMBY's
I work in Melbourne CBD and was part of a intense discussion with a business owner, staff member, and the owner of the building were participating. We were hearing what the issues are for the business (I work for LG)... then the landlord started on with the "I won't say because you will call me racist" when talking about the other businesses/activities that might be the root of the issue nearby (used this phrase 3xs). They went on to say with disgust that the building next door was bought by a Chinese couple for their son - not even realising that their situation was the same in that they had inherited THEIR building from parents. The point of the story is that the NIMBY/[colonial] "heritage" people don't know who they are. What are they protecting and at what expense?
Goes without saying that a feeble leader folding on this quite good policy only makes the NIMBY people think they have a point. As a side note, the building owner in my story is writing to the Lord Mayor (again) and I don't doubt they know who to write to in state and fedral governments to let their 'concerns' be known. Such is social capital.
Pleased to hear you're making another documentary and looking forward to finding out what it is.
I for one am very happy to receive short, to the point newsletters and have no expectation of it being a certain number or certain day of the week just keep up the good content and I'll keep up the subscription.
I suppose many of us suffer from coalition fatique. I have joined Labour as well as the Greens and do my best to support them.
It must be hard, Bryan, to write about the daily disasters hitting our country and yet retaining a degree of positivity.... Thanking you for what you have done so far and we look forward to hear from you again very soon. Good luck with what you have taken on. 😊
Thanks Bryan, hope your documentary goes well. Please keep writing, I'll keep subscribing. I also am so fed up with this government by vested interests.