Dita  De  Boni  -­‐  Unleashing  Auckland   NZ  Fabian  Society  –  16  July  2015   Good  evening  everyone,  my  name  is  Dita  De  Boni  and  I  am  a  television   producer  for  TVNZ,  and  columnist  for  the  New  Zealand  Herald.   I  want  to  thank  the  Fabians  for  inviting  me  here  tonight  and  in  particular  I  want   to  congratulate  Phil  Harington  for  holding  this  forum  in  such  a  great  week  –  a   week  in  which  practically  the  entire  country  is  discussing  the  Auckland  housing   market!   It’s  probably  not  quite  the  way  in  which  you  had  envisaged  it  might  play  out,   but  there  you  go!   I’m  feeling  a  little  bit  at  a  disadvantage  next  to  my  fellow  speakers  here  tonight   –  one  a  highly  qualified  economist  and  author,  and  the  other  a  property   development  expert;  both  have  more  relevant  facts  and  figures  and  pertinent   opinion  to  regale  you  with.      As  someone  with  a  BA  in  Arts  and  little  else,   gained  some  20  years  ago,  I  guess  what  I  can  speak  on  only  is  what  I  observe  in   the  media,  which  is  the  bear-­‐pit  in  which  I  still  slop  around  in  after  about  15   years  as  a  journalist.   I  suppose  I  am  also  an  Auckland  home  owner.    And,  without  wanting  to  sound   all  ‘first  world  problems’  about  it,  I  can  offer  the  perspective  of  someone  who,   despite  earning  a  reasonable  living,  and  having  a  husband  who  also  earned   fairly  well  before  recently  being  made  redundant,  we  struggle  to  cope  with  the   rising  cost  of  living.    My  over-­‐riding  thought  always  is,  if  we  are  living  pay  check   to  pay  check,  which  we  often  are,  and  we  don’t  have  expensive  hobbies  or   vices,  how  the  hell  are  other  people  in  this  city  making  it  work.   I  would  say  many  aren’t.    And  sadly  I  think  like  other  large  centres  of  the  world,   Auckland  is  going  to  become  more  and  more  unaffordable  and  unliveable  for  a   diverse  range  of  people,  and  that’s  an  end  point  we  should,  and  can  I  believe,   avoid.  I  think  good  civic  planning,  backed  up  by  an  interested,  invested  and   caring  government  could  avert  that.  Whether  they  will  or  not  is  a  whole  other   question.    

Of  course,  as  everyone  knows,  we’ve  been  talking  about  the  Auckland  housing   market  for  eons.    The  New  Zealand  Herald  is  clearly  obsessed  with  it,  which   suggests  its  readership  is  as  well.    Of  course  they  are  –  many  of  them  are   slaving  away  to  pay  off  huge  mortgages  for  central  city  villas,  or  wanting  an   entry  level,  ram-­‐shackle  hovel  in  the  right  location  into  which  they,  too    can   sink  decades  of  life  savings  in  the  questionable  quest  for  home  ownership.   We’ve  talked  endlessly,  it  seems,  about  skyrocketing  housing  prices,  poor   insulation,  divisive  state  housing  policies,  mortgage  rates,  gridlock  and  public   transport  and  even  public  artworks  that  may  or  may  not  be  phallic,  and  the   fact  of  it  is  that  all  these  conversations  -­‐  while  they  take  in  most  of  the  country   –  they  really  all  pertain,  most  acutely,  to  Auckland.     But  while  the  expression  of  these  problems  may  appear  the  most  acute  in  this   beautiful  city  of  Tamaki  Makaurau,  the  reality  is  that  all  these  issues  point  to  a   failure  of  central  leadership  to  assume  its  correct  role  as  defender  and   protector  of  the  public  good.    It  shows  clearly  that  central  government  has   aligned  itself  with  corporate  interests  over  citizens  in  almost  every  sphere;   never  creating  policy  that  discomforts  the  truly  wealthy,  the  landowner,  the   National  party  supporter.   I  know  I  sound  very  partisan,  possibly,  but  the  truth  is  I  was  not  always  this   way.  And  in  fact,  to  be  honest,  I  am  not  a  hard-­‐core  labour  party  or  any  other   political  party  supporter.    The  truth  is  simply  that  when  I  –  like  most  of  you  –   read  overseas  media  and  see  what’s  going  on  offshore,  it’s  obvious  that  less   and  less,  we  are  aligning  our  goals  with  countries  that  value  collectivism  and   egalitarianism.    We  are  working  to  a  script  already  well  developed  in  England,   Australia  and  the  US.    That  said,  parts  of  the  US  actually  seem  to  be  moving   back  towards  a  holistic  view  of  society  and  away  from  free  market  ideology.     What  I  see  is  some  progressive  now  looking  at  public  solutions  for  things  like   climate  change,  obesity  and  housing.    New  York  came  very  close  to  instituting  a   soda  tax,  for  example,  and  Tom  Selleck  –  that’s  right,  Magnum  PI,  was  recently   fined  a  huge  amount  for  taking  public  water  to  quench  his  avocado  crop,  in  the   middle  of  a  drought  the  leaders  of  California  acknowledge  is  caused  by  climate   change  and  are  working  to  mitigate  with  better  legislation  around  pollution,    

Well,  if  the  winds  of  change  are  blowing  through  parts  of  the  USA,  we’re   blowing  the  other  way.  Here  in  New  Zealand,  free  market  ideologues  are   openly  battling  anyone  and  anything  promoting  good  public  solutions.  Sadly  I   think  they  are  winning,  at  the  moment  in  any  case.       Most  people  here  will  be  familiar  with  the  ruinous  nature  of  free  market   policies  and  probably  agree  to  some  extent.    But  the  thing  about  this   government  that  makes  it  so  much  different  to  the  ham-­‐fisted  ones  that  have   gone  before,  is  just  how  slick  they  are  in  promoting  and  enacting  these  polices   –  all  the  while  presenting  a  face  of  being  caring  and  empathetic.   This  slickness  is  the  new  element,  but  wanting  to  devolve  cost  to  smaller   centres,  wanting  to  get  the  Government  out  of  services  to  allow  a  backdoor  for   corporates  to  come    in  an  exploit  public  assets  to  make  profits,  isn’t  so  new.     Such  is  the  strength  of  sentiment  about  keeping  public  costs  down  that  it  now   infuses  every  sector  of  government  and  local  council  as  well.    This  is  the   environment  in  which  we  live  at  the  moment.      The  common  good  is  eroding.     Well,  how  does  this  all  relate  to  Auckland?    It  does,  because  I  believe  Auckland   City  Council  still  tries  to  act  in  the  public  good,  in  the  main,  and  is  stymied  by   Central  Government  (acting  in  concert  with  some  on  the  Council,  quite   possibly).      Perhaps  I  am  in  the  minority  but  I  think  that  actually  within  the   strictures  of  what  it  is  allowed  to  do,  the  Council  doesn’t  do  too  badly.    Look   past  the  beat  ups  about  Len’s  secret  toilet  door  or  whatever  the  witch  hunt  du   jour  is,  and  you’d  have  to  say  that  the  amenities  available  to  those  in  the   central  city  are  really  pretty  good.    When  you  have  young  children,  living  pretty   centrally,  you  can  almost  fool  yourself  into  thinking  you’re  in  Denmark  or   Sweden  for  a  bit.    You  can  access  council-­‐funded  playgroups  and  playgrounds,   buses  will  take  your  little  ones  for  free,  there  are  great  public  events  which  the   whole  family  can  enjoy,  like  movies  and  Christmas  carol  singing  and  all  those   other  things  that  do  your  head  in  as  a  parent  –  but  that  kids  love.   Of  course  you  still  sit  in  gridlock  for  hours  at  times,  kids  screaming;  you  may   even  be  subject  to  public  art  you  don’t  like.    But  you  probably  won’t  be  seeing   that  many  state  houses  or  their  tenants;  you  probably  won’t  live  an   uninsulated  dive  with  15  of  your  family  members.    You  won’t  step  outside  and   encounter  a  fast-­‐food  joint  every  few  metres  as  people  in  south  Auckland  do.  

That  right  there  is  an  appalling  example  of  market  ideology  run  amok.      Greasy   joints  just  don’t  get  built  on  the  leafy  climbs  of  Parnell  or  Remuera.    These   businesses  simply  have  no  compulsion  to  act  in  accordance  with  the  common   good…  but  the  taxpayer  picks  up  the  bill  for  the  enormous  damage  they  create   to  public  health.     What  I’m  getting  at  here  –  and  what  brings  me  to  the  central  thesis  of  my  talk   tonight  –  is  that  increasingly  it  seems  to  me  if  you  are  lucky  enough  to  hang  in   there  in  the  central  city  and  surrounding  suburbs  –  and  let’s  face  it,  you  really   are  the  economic  elite  of  this  country  if  you  can  do  so  –  you  might  get  the   impression  that  the  city  is  well  run,  there’s  plenty  to  do  and  see,  and  life  is   sweet  –  for  you.   But  the  test  of  well-­‐appointed  city  like  Auckland  is  how  it  services  everyone   within  it,  every  corner.  It  shows  in  how  much  attention  is  given  to  a  transport   infrastructure  that  extends  from  the  central  city  to  the  outer  limits  of   Pukekohe  or  Rodney,  say.    It  shows  in  what  kind  of  rubbish  collection  they   have,  what  kind  of  street  lighting,  what  their  kids  can  do  in  the  school  holidays.   It’s  been  said  many  times  before,  but  unless  the  excellent  services  we  take  for   granted,  really,  in  the  central  city  area  extend  right  the  way  to  our  outer   suburbs,  we  have  failed.    At  the  moment,  I  would  say  we  short  change  our   outer  suburbs,  and  it’s  holding  the  city  back.   We  have  failed  if,  as  a  city,  we  don’t  demand  the  same  level  of  participation  by   our  council  into  Mt  Eden  infrastructure  as  Glen  Ines  infrastructure.    It’s   controversial  I  suppose  but  one  way  we  can  help  the  city  grow  more  evenly  is   to  allow  for  some  level  of  intensification  of  our  central  brownfield   developments,  instead  of  sprawling  endlessly  into  Auckland’s  greenbelt  before   amenities  and  transport  are  built  to  keep  up.     The  shape  of  our  growth  is  of  course,  under  consideration  at  the  moment.     Critically,  the  Government  needs  to  be  involved  in  how  this  evolves.    It’s  not   right  that  their  only  real  contribution  is  demonising  Council  planners  and   hurriedly  relaxing  RMA  rules  that  they’ve  had  six  or  seven  long  years  to  rectify   in  a  more  considered  fashion.  I  would  be  heartened  to  see  the  Government  set  

out  a  plan  for  what  it  saw  Auckland  evolving  into.    It  is  a  national  issue,  with   ramifications  for  every  industry.   What  I’d  support  is  a  plan  that  saw  attractive  satellite  cities  developed,  where   people  can  live  comfortably  and  affordably  in  proximity  to  the  city,  but  not   right  in  it,  without  losing  quality  of  life.    Cities  developed  on  green  principles,   ideally,  which  would  take  a  bit  of  a  capital  outlay,  but  that  would  stand  the  test   of  time.      Transport  is  a  vital  component  of  making  this  plan  work,  naturally,   which  would  mean  a  vastly  superior  train  system  than  at  present  that  would   really  reach  into  these  hubs  and  create  a  viable  growth  solution.   We  are  working  on  our  rail  system  at  the  moment,  I  realise.    But  I  have  real  life   experience  of  how  the  system  seems,  still,  light  years  away  from  realising  its   potential.    I  grew  up  Franklin  –  what  was  then  Franklin  –  I  lived  in  Patumahoe   and  Papakura,  and  went  to  school  in  Pukekohe.    I  still  frequently  visit  my  father   out  there.   The  trains  to  Pukekohe  are  very  nice,  perfectly  fine,  but  there  is  nothing  at  the   other  end;  public  transport  in  Pukekohe  and  surrounds  is  poor.  We  travel  off-­‐ peak  when  going  by  train  –  there  are  just  a  few  on  Saturday  and  none  on   Sunday  -­‐  but  I  know  from  friends  still  living  there  that  the  one  or  two  trains   going  at  the  right  time  on  week  day  mornings  are  packed  to  the  gunnels  and   parking  at  the  station  at  a  premium.    As  more  and  more  people  are  pushed  out   of  central  Auckland  home  ownership,  the  flow-­‐on  effects  of  this  situation  will   become  more  acute.   Public  transport  is  one  issue.    The  main  commercial  areas  are  another.   Pukekohe  is  surrounded  by  lovely  green  farms  and  a  great  landscape  from  all   angles,  but  the  main  and  surrounding  streets  have  been  concreted  to  blazes.    It   seems  to  me  lots  of  strip  malls  and  retail  outlets  have  been  allowed  to  define   large  parts  of  the  town,  while  adding  absolutely  nothing  to  the  character.   Too  much  of  small  town  New  Zealand  suffers  this  fate.       I  think  there  would  be  a  case  to  build  some  really  awesome  new  housing   developments  in  Pukekohe  and  Papakura,  maybe  a  mix  of  state  housing  and   privately-­‐held  property,  built  with  sustainable  materials  and  working  to  a  low   carbon  footprint.    Not  just  a  whole  lot  of  housing  plonked  on  a  spare  lot,  but  

greenspaces,  playgrounds,  shopping  precincts,  and  the  like.    Maybe  we  could   take  a  leaf  from  Christchurch  and  look  at  local  artspaces  or  even  so-­‐called   ‘urban  farms’,  where  fruit  and  veges  are  grown  at  cost  for  local  residents,  and   the  gardens  also  provide  recreation  and  jobs.   Maybe  these  ideas  sound  airy-­‐fairy  or  unworkable  …  but  with  all  the  talk  of   how  aucklanders  will  increasingly  be  living  in  apartments,  flats  and  smaller   houses  there  needs  to  be  serious  discussion  about  what  form  these   developments  take  and  how  they  become  viable  alternatives  for  people  eager   to  extend  past  the  almost  mandatory  central  city  weatherboard  and  quarter   acre.   As  we’ve  said,  though,  these  developments  and  any  others  won’t  work  without   the  proper  transport  routes  that,  despite  a  seeming  desire  by  Auckland   Transport  to  expedite,  still  –at  the  end  of  the  day,  to  quote  John  Key  -­‐  require   Central  Government  input  and  interest.   As  does,  as  we’ve  seen  this  week,  the  issue  of  rules  around  property  ownership   by  offshore  residents  to  avoid  new  Zealanders  being  priced  out  of  the  market.     We  need  a  government  willing  to  at  least  look  at  the  tax  loopholes  that  make   property  investment  and  speculation  far  too  tempting  for  our  own  wealthy  or   well-­‐geared  residents.    We  need  a  Government  that  is  happy  to  swing  in   behind  local  authorities  and  promote  public  transport,  green  spaces,   affordable  housing,  and  all  other  issues  that  are  its  central  remit.   Dare  I  say  we  need  more  transparency  around  political  donations,  so  we  know   precisely  the  measure  when  trucking,  property  and  other  commercial  interests   lean  on  our  government  to  promote  corporate  interests  over  that  of  the   public.     The  usual  suspects  will  say  that  these  days,  we  expect  the  Government  to  solve   all  our  problems.  That  there’s  no  way  they  can  fix  all  our  problems,  solve  all   our  issues,  we  have  to  be  willing  to  do  it  ourselves.    And  that’s  true,  although   the  bodies  to  which  we  pay  our  taxes  are  ourselves,  in  fact,  and  their  only  job   is  spending  our  money  on  ourselves  so  that  we  may  have  a  reasonable   expectation  of  the  basics  of  good  living.    It  sounds  so  radical  to  say.  But  really,   that’s  something  we  need  –  all  of  us,  in  every  corner  –  in  order  to  get  this  city   moving  again.