A proposal is an offer for consideration, with the power of acceptance or rejection. But not according to this government!
Hello, it’s All things Political with John Porter on Bay FM and today I’m talking about a subject a very large number of people are labelling “a fraudulent scheme of massive proportions being perpetrated on the people by this government, under the guise of increasing housing supply”.
One of the government’s solutions to the housing crisis is allowing higher-density building in city suburbs, and this has put them on a collision course with local councils. They are now faced with having to come down hard on recalcitrant councils if it wants them to toe the line.
Called the Resource Management (Enabling Housing and Other Matters) Amendment Act passed last year, this law requires Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, and Christchurch councils to adopt medium-density residential standards. The amendment DIRECTS councils over how this will be done.
While most of us in New Zealand probably don’t know much, understand much or even care much about this plan change, in reality, we should!
This government relies on the complacency of Joe Average. This amendment will eventually hit provincial cities! Area by area, they will divide and conquer!
This plan change is not just about making it easier to build houses.
It is just another example of this Labour government’s mantra “we know best” and another clear example of how this government have absolutely zero care for the continuance of democracy because the amendment is not a “proposed” change at all.
It is actually being imposed by law!
Using the word proposed implies that people have fair power of determination over it and that nothing has been sanctioned yet, is simply another example of obfuscation and is patently false.
Get this: the Independent Hearings Panel, set up to hear public concerns, was set up when the Plan Change is mandated by law and has been brought into effect already.
So the process adopted for this hugely impacting Plan Change is clearly a farce and a fraudulent swindle.
Compounding residents’ consternation is the fact that the Minister for the Environment has the final decision and not an Environment Court judge as would ordinarily happen under a normal Plan Change.
How can David Parker be considered impartial and independent when he is a member of the Party who passed the law and refused a right of appeal.
Megan Woods stated, “The investment in public housing will continue as a priority of this Government, because we know how crucial it is for the health, security and stability of individuals and whanau.”
The need for urgency, or stating we have a housing emergency, is simply deception! It’s to sanction impositions and allow the bypassing of due process, therefore aiding the government by warding off opposition from the public.
The public has not been given any environmental impact assessments supporting the changes for each area impacted, nor have alternative ways of providing houses been fully investigated.
The government has put itself and local authorities beyond the need to prove how changes will affect areas on issues such as the need for more schools, parks, public transport and roading impacts in the future.
The potential impact of increased population in each intensified area is simply not evaluated or clarified.
Well, we all know too well, this government are “gold medallists” at creating unintended consequences!
In affected areas around Auckland, residents are devastated by the way their democratic rights have been suppressed, writing to the council saying:
“This is not enabling housing. It is really forcing far-reaching, culturally alien, residential change onto the people, affecting huge areas of existing residential housing and ultimately, the entire country.”
“This is outrageous when so many people being adversely affected have nowhere to take matters.”
“This is not proper planning. This is not fair due process consulting the people over the future look and functioning of their cities”
“Who in their right mind would do something so professionally stupid , so legally unfair?”
“We must object to this way of proceeding or we are guilty of permitting a charade of a pretence of democracy and people being unfairly taken advantage of.”
But the concern is not just confined to Auckland.
Recently Christchurch City Council voted against the government directive to introduce new housing intensification standards.
Councillors were told beforehand if they did not pass it, a commissioner may be appointed to do it instead.
“…if they did not pass it, a commissioner may be appointed to do it instead.” “Told beforehand”? More like threatened beforehand!
What absolute audacity. Implying this plan change is a legitimate town planning process!
It is not and the problems being created for the future are likely to be immense.
And why are we not surprised that the MSM are not widely publicising public concerns?
It is also worth noting, that in October 2021, in a rare show of bipartisanship, Labour government ministers Megan Woods and David Parker shared the podium with National’s then leader, Judith Collins and housing spokesperson Nicola Willis to announce the changes.
You know it’s not hard to imagine a few of the Wellington Socialist Commissars, sipping their Sav Blanc and saying, “Too bad if some rich bastard in Auckland or Christchurch has the value of their heritage villa destroyed!”
But here is the irony in this deception and “trampling of rights.”
There is a body of evidence pointing to the fact that there is an ample supply of housing in Auckland already, apparently sufficient for the next 30 years.
Jeremy Couchman a senior economist at Kiwibank has predicted NZ is now forecast to start accumulating a surplus of housing over the coming years as projected building activity outstrips rising demand.
Other experts suggest there may now be too many homes being built.
So where is the justification for denying the people due process?
But when has this authoritarian government ever felt the need to justify any decision?