stop immigration

[C_T_Russell]

And only allow critical skilled workers to become kiwis.
Being a New Zealander is a privilege.
We are not here to give a free ticket to others to come and live here.
I'm over hearing about light rail, public transport and housing shortages.
Just stop bringing in 100,000 people a year and the problem will go away very fast.
We have enough people in NZ as it is, we don't need to squash more people in here and see residential areas filling up with town houses and becoming like a coronation street slum.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Lol, we are among the world's least dense countries...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...on_density

You nimby you...

[C_T_Russell]

Lol, we are among the world's least dense countries...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...on_density

You nimby you...

And I want it to stay that way, Auckland is stuffed if you have to drive round that place and we are seeing other cities such as Hamilton with similar roading and housing issues.

[zqwerty]

It's rich businessmen in government who allow in immigrants every so often to keep the prices of rentals up, surely this is obvious.

There will be a huge noticeable increase in the practice if National gets in this election.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Lol, we are among the world's least dense countries...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...on_density

You nimby you...

And I want it to stay that way, Auckland is stuffed if you have to drive round that place and we are seeing other cities such as Hamilton with similar roading and housing issues.

Auckland - well, my Auckland - isn't stuffed at all. It is very different, and at the same time not so different, from the city I have lived in for most of my seventy years. Glorious, shining silver, wet and dry, hot and cold, and the envy of many many other cities.

Get out of your car, maybe then you'll see the magic I enjoy. 

[harm_less]

Lol, we are among the world's least dense countries...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...on_density

You nimby you...

And I want it to stay that way, Auckland is stuffed if you have to drive round that place and we are seeing other cities such as Hamilton with similar roading and housing issues.

That has far more to do with bad planning regarding transportation and accommodation. New Zealand's larger cities are really bad at implementing effective public transport systems. Take London, Singapore or Paris for example. All have large populations of immigrants and excellently functioning public transport systems. Auckland needs to get people out of their cars and a good start would be a meaningful congestion charge for the central city area.

[Zurdo]

They are trying, and have been for decades, but it costs money, a shit load of money. The new harbour crossing, it should've been done 30 or 40 years ago, but nobody wanted to spend the money, and now the money to be spent is eye watering, and when it finally gets built the cost won't be double, it will be a lot more...a lot, lot more. And on and on and on.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Providing homes and infrastructure requires money and time, and is totally dependent on political will. We had decades of low investment, and only in recent terms have we seen that interest start to ramp up into action rather than hot air.

But I don't expect that monentum to continue, I do however expect lots more immigration to be encouraged. Because cheap labour is profit, poor housing under pressure is profit, and profit over people is the mantra for ACT and The Nats...

[harm_less]

They are trying, and have been for decades, but it costs money, a shit load of money. The new harbour crossing, it should've been done 30 or 40 years ago, but nobody wanted to spend the money, and now the money to be spent is eye watering, and when it finally gets built the cost won't be double, it will be a lot more...a lot, lot more. And on and on and on.

The problem as I see it is a lack of spine by the politicians involved. Dove Myer Robinson had great and forward thinking ideas on Auckland's transportation infrastructure but was beaten down by his fellow councillors IIRC.

The other complication now is that climatic factors are also coming into play. The need for reduction of private vehicle use is very much related to emissions and therefore environmental protection measures, and then there's a stormwater drainage system that was never designed to handle tropical intensity rainfall events. Permeable urban development will nibble away at the edges but what is really required are monsoon drains such as those common in tropical countries rather than trying to use underground piping to handle the deluges. The expense, work and land area that implementing that sort of solution entails are huge, and will of course run into the other strategy that councillors are too gutless to undertake, raising rates to sufficient levels to pay for all these projects.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I laugh when light rail for Auckland gets discussed. We had light rail when I was growing up here. Some damned fool dug up the tracks and took down the overhead wires...

[Zurdo]

The stormwater/sewer system is being done at the moment, pity it wasn't ready for last summer. The Great Interceptor was in my daughter's back yard last year, in Mt Roskil...they were using their back yard to monitor work, as the pipeline was directly under the house. Pity it wasn't done in the '90's when we wanted to buy my wife's 7 bedroom family home - there was combined stormwater/sewage flooding the lower floor, and no way was the council going to say ''Sorry, we've fucked up.'' No, it was our problem, so we walked away.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I remember my Dad taking on the council back in the 70s when the big sewer lid on the central drain meeting point blew and flooded our backyard in Eastbourne Road Remuera. A week after we moved in. That was down to illegal stormwater connections.

He got nowhere and the whole family got out there and cleaned up the mess. It was one of our quicker remodel and flip houses...

[Lilith7]

They are trying, and have been for decades, but it costs money, a shit load of money. The new harbour crossing, it should've been done 30 or 40 years ago, but nobody wanted to spend the money, and now the money to be spent is eye watering, and when it finally gets built the cost won't be double, it will be a lot more...a lot, lot more. And on and on and on.

The problem as I see it is a lack of spine by the politicians involved. Dove Myer Robinson had great and forward thinking ideas on Auckland's transportation infrastructure but was beaten down by his fellow councillors IIRC.

The other complication now is that climatic factors are also coming into play. The need for reduction of private vehicle use is very much related to emissions and therefore environmental protection measures, and then there's a stormwater drainage system that was never designed to handle tropical intensity rainfall events. Permeable urban development will nibble away at the edges but what is really required are monsoon drains such as those common in tropical countries rather than trying to use underground piping to handle the deluges. The expense, work and land area that implementing that sort of solution entails are huge, and will of course run into the other strategy that councillors are too gutless to undertake, raising rates to sufficient levels to pay for all these projects.

It would make a  huge difference if our govts & politicians could manage to take a long term view rather than focusing on just their term in govt. All our main cities should by now have light rail, with connections to airports etc.

I remember Dove Myer Robinson's ideas at the time & I thought then there'd probably come a time when Auckland regretted not taking his advice.

[C_T_Russell]

And I want it to stay that way, Auckland is stuffed if you have to drive round that place and we are seeing other cities such as Hamilton with similar roading and housing issues.

That has far more to do with bad planning regarding transportation and accommodation. New Zealand's larger cities are really bad at implementing effective public transport systems. Take London, Singapore or Paris for example. All have large populations of immigrants and excellently functioning public transport systems. Auckland needs to get people out of their cars and a good start would be a meaningful congestion charge for the central city area.

Public transport is crap unless the city was designed for it.
The buses don't come to you door on every street so unless you live on a bus route, they are useless.
And there is nowhere to park your car at the nearest bus stop!
Seems all part of the UN agenda to get people out of cars and live in these "smart" cities/ 15min cities

[Oh_hunnihunni]

CT, no city is designed perfectly, because they are human constructions that change with the needs of their population. As technology progresses the city has to change shape and purpose, and that involves retrofitting, often at great expense and even greater inconvenience. So providing for public transport that is both accessible and efficient is an ongoing effort dependent on many factors.

The reality is we have to make the best with what we have, and given a little thought, a bit of effort, and the right attitude it is quite possible to live well in a city without a car.

New Yorkers, for example, have done it for generations.

As for it being a UN agenda, of course it is. The United Nations is just that. An organisation made up of united nations that come together to work on issues and agendas that can only be resolved by coming together.

It isn't out to get you...

[harm_less]

That has far more to do with bad planning regarding transportation and accommodation. New Zealand's larger cities are really bad at implementing effective public transport systems. Take London, Singapore or Paris for example. All have large populations of immigrants and excellently functioning public transport systems. Auckland needs to get people out of their cars and a good start would be a meaningful congestion charge for the central city area.

Public transport is crap unless the city was designed for it.
The buses don't come to you door on every street so unless you live on a bus route, they are useless.
And there is nowhere to park your car at the nearest bus stop!
Seems all part of the UN agenda to get people out of cars and live in these "smart" cities/ 15min cities

Singapore have installed a Mass Rapid Transport (light rail) system from scratch mostly over the 1980s which has revolutionised their public transport. It is cheap and convenient to use and was quickly widely adopted by Singaporeans. The cost has been substantial and of course would have been a lot less if done earlier in their history.

As cities such as Auckland are well aware the best time to invest in public transport infrastructure is yesterday. It just takes politicians and councillors with the balls to make that decision.

And the transport sector in Singapore is designed to minimise private car ownership and use which is something that has been in play for at least the last 50 years so nothing new in the greater scheme of things. It's just that some countries are more forward thinking than others.

[Lilith7]

Public transport is crap unless the city was designed for it.
The buses don't come to you door on every street so unless you live on a bus route, they are useless.
And there is nowhere to park your car at the nearest bus stop!
Seems all part of the UN agenda to get people out of cars and live in these "smart" cities/ 15min cities

Singapore have installed a Mass Rapid Transport (light rail) system from scratch mostly over the 1980s which has revolutionised their public transport. It is cheap and convenient to use and was quickly widely adopted by Singaporeans. The cost has been substantial and of course would have been a lot less if done earlier in their history.

As cities such as Auckland are well aware the best time to invest in public transport infrastructure is yesterday. It just takes politicians and councillors with the balls to make that decision.

And the transport sector in Singapore is designed to minimise private car ownership and use which is something that has been in play for at least the last 50 years so nothing new in the greater scheme of things. It's just that some countries are more forward thinking than others.

That looks good - if only hindsight wasn't hindsight...