July 12, 2026 • 14 mins
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Auckland to meet with Prime Minister Chris Luxon yesterday.
The two exchanged warm words, attended a business conference together, and agreed to elevate the countries' relationship to that of a strategic partnership.
With Auckland being the economic-hub for international businesses here, and the Government's Auckland Deal to consult with the Mayor on significant plans, what conversations has the Mayor Wayne Brown?
Wayne Brown unpacks what's he looking to get from this for the City, and if Auckland has to capacity to help the Strategic Partnership reach its targets.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks
at be Yes.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
It was a well win than twenty four hours for
the Indian Prime Minister in narendrum Modi, who visited Auckland
to meet with Prime Minister Christopher Luxean yesterday. They had
warm words, They went to a business conference together. There
was a big old do at Spark Arena four hour
do as well with all the Indian communities sold out
in a flash months ago. And I mean narendrum Modi
really is amongst Indians a superstar and a rock star
(00:33):
and that's why he plays big stadiums in Australia. He
played the Marvel Stadium. He did the Marvel Stadium and
then Spark. He's a big he could be a number
one band anyway. They've agreed to elevate the country's relationship
to that of a strategic partnership. Besides the FTA signed earlier,
the new agreement ties us to other things like increase
(00:56):
maritime a cooperation with India's defense force. The big thing
is a goal to double our two way trade by
twenty thirty, for the two nations to work together to
figure out ways we can come up with new trade
routes and new ways of making money orkand of course
the economic have for the international businesses here. Auckland has
the Government Auckland Deals who have consultation with the Mayor,
(01:18):
between national government and the mayor on significant plans. So
we are joined now by Wayne Brown, who is the
Mayor of Auckland. Good afternoon, Wayne. Hello, So you met Madi,
didn't you? Just briefly?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Well, now I know, Nactually I was done so secretly
that by the time I got an indvitasion, I was
actually somewhere else. But I've led a business delegation to
India in the past, and I've had and I had
quite a bit to do with. We've got a couple
of the arrangements between Auckland and two cities over there,
which we're working up to being more formal circumstances being
(01:54):
LaRue in Badabad and so. But I am in the
midst of all the Department of Internal Affairs, secret behaviors.
It eluded me.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Okay, right, but you have actually met him. What's he like?
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Well, he's a super described the people in this country.
I think he's fantastic, easily the most vautiful person there.
I'm the most vautiful person here of course too, but
I don't enjoy quite such religious furvor well.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Well said, well, see, okay, new Indian New Zealand strategic
partnership where we work together for all of us. What
does that? What does that mean for Auckland and will
Auckland have the capacity to be a primary destination for
Indian investment, tourism and education. I've got a theory on this,
but what do you reckon?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Well, I think the will's actually moving to city to
city trade much more than country or country trade. And
we're the only city and so and we're making the
most of those things. And that's what we've got arrangements
part of that in Bangoru, where there's already New Zealand
tech companies. Raykon has got a really modern factory in
(03:07):
Bangal Aruba and tuning out stuff, including the chips that
were on the Indian satellite on the other side of
the Moon. We're working on all those things with the
Indians are the biggest population in Auckland.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Well, I can tell you as stats came out over
the past couple of weeks about Indian populations in New Zealand,
they now makes six percent of the population of New Zealand.
They are the third largest largest ethnic group between behind
New Zealand, European and Mali. And then then we've got
Indians and then they've overtaken the Chinese in the last
(03:44):
little while.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And the figure that I don't actually believe any of
those figures made, that's New Zealand. That's not Auckland.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I can tell you Auckland.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
In Auckland, the number two is Chinese. Okay, and three
hundred thousand Chinese and nearly two Indians in Auckland.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Then okay, okay, all right, Well that's.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Quite different from the rest on ok wow, the one
that suits best for what they want to hear?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Well, what am I going to say, mate? If you
let me finish my sentences. Yes, there's one hundred and
seventy five thousand Indians in Auckland and almost all of
them are a lot of them, the vast majority are
from Gujarat. Madi is also from Gujarat, and this is
why he is so popular in Auckland as well. So
(04:33):
when we're talking about relationships city to city, state to state,
an ethnic group to ethnic group, the fact that Auckland
has so many Gujarati Indians here. We already have a
lot of trade avenues that we can explore.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Well, that's exactly right. Nothing goes for Chinese. Of course,
they've got three hundred thousand Chinese and the majority of
them come from bang Zhou, which is a seat of
an area with eighty million people in the new count
or the cities around it, and we have a good
relationship with them as well. So the city the city
thing is very important and that's what we're.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
So what conversations did you have with the government about
this new you know, special relationship that we have given.
Of course that's something that falls it falls under your
walk and deal to be consulted on for major directors.
What did you talk to the government about.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
No, not nearly as much as you'd think. I've got
a close relationship with Todd McLay who is the Minister
of Foreign Trade and a good guy. But a lot
of the governments still have worked out there are the
relationship with Auckland. Yet probably they still do stuff that
defires belief and defires the relationship which we've built up
(05:46):
on that stuff. But I think as we get close
to the election and the importance of Auckland and winning
the election. I think you'll be chatting up more than
you have, all right, and you speak. You mentioned before
the roads of national party significance and now they've sort
of come down to be more realistic. Item. That's all
part of it as well, because I mean some of
those radio are in my city and they were rawing
(06:09):
a head blowing money. They haven't got on things we
don't want, so we need. So there is a lot
of check going on in terms of the relationship with
Indian and what happened in asked. There's nothing but good
can come from that. So I totally support what the
government are trying to be there. I mean, you should
be having a better relationship. And I didn't quite agree
with what the lady before was saying. She's quite radical
(06:30):
and dangerous in some ways in China. I mean, we
have a one China policy and all that stuff about
being dragged into Taiwan is madness. That's the sort of
stuff that America does.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
But you did also suggest you did also she was
saying that we need to have many agreements with many
people so that we can act.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Absolutely right, you don't need people who are aggressive to
organize them.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Well, you've got to realize, You've got to realize today
Marie Brady has got to be in who binded about
China about not just trading.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I know that, but I mean Nicole here, an international
expert's never traded with any other country. She lives off
the back of an explot mate. I've mad for those countries,
and this trade is not something at university professors to
It's something that business people do. Now that's very, very different.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
As part of the Strategic Partnership announcement, they announced plans
to boost trade relations will The Prime Minister said, well,
we'd like to do this is more and more countries.
We'd like to do it with Argentina. We'd like to
do it with Brazil. And the question we have is
when they got that idea from.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
I mean, the reason that we're getting more with Brazil
and Argentina, which I've been dealing with for many years myself,
is because we've forced the government to get rid of
that stupid, bloody requirement that Chinese people had to have
a transit visa just to get off a plane and
orcan have a p and go somewhere else. They had
to have a visa for that As soon as we
got rid of that Chinese air plights, China Eastern starting
(07:57):
to fly directly from Shanghai to Auckland to Buenos Aires,
and sooner or later at China Southern will start flying
from Bangzhou to walk and South Paulo. Now I know
the leaders of a people who knows the mirror of
salth Paula. I know the mior of Buenosari's. I've met
the president of Argentina and they get it. Because we
(08:19):
spend too much on looking at that flat maper on
the wall where in New Zealand's down the bottom right
hand corner, and I think we're alone. Actually it's a
globe and the shorter of fruit from Asia at South
America's viral lookland, and people are waking up to it.
And we've got rid of that idiotic visa that the
Ministry of Immigration had.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Very good but would you like would you like more
Ucan represented in the trade missions to Argentina and Brazil.
So you're right there, right at the start, at the
start of the talks.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Well, when we when we had the first flight through
Auckland through Argentina and the simber last year from Shanahai Auckland, Argentina.
I went on board and took a Spanish speaker and
a Chinese speaker with me and we went there and
the Chinese took it seriously, and Argentine has stuck it
(09:06):
very seriously. And our government we're know in the shop
and we do like here. And so we got over
there and I think they thought I was the present president.
There's nobody else from our government. But it's very important
we do this thing, and I think that they're working
it out. And I'm Todd McClay is a good Minister
of Foreign Training. Needs to have a bit more say
in some of those things.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Now I've got a texture who said, where's my rates
bill coming in? Because for the council, normally the bills
are issued in mid July. Here we are on the
twelfth of July. Ken Orkan does expect the rates bill
anytime soon?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Well, we can't expect that rates bill any dancing. But
again everything is we we have too much advice out
of William, which is smaller than a Hewick, and they
set out things for the big city. There's open a
million bills going check get them right, and we're supposed
to do it in much the same rate. It's not
(09:59):
this is not a corner deiry.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
No, that's right, Well I could see.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
It only only funds here and food stuff that bigger
in New Zealand and Augland Council.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yeah, I'm trying to say to you is there's a
lot of people who are really really itching to find
out exactly what they're up for. They know what they've
been told, you know, in terms of the seven point
nine et cetera. But what that actually means in terms
of cash is very important because you know, it's cost
of living.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Sum be too radically different this year because there hasn't
been a revaluation. Last year we raised at five percent,
but some people's values went down quite a bit and
some people's there went up a lot, and so that
had far more impact on than the actual the actual
value of the probably and changing can have more impact
than what we do about the changing the overall thing.
(10:44):
But this year there hasn't been a change in that
and it's made it a bit easier. So people will
be at the seven point nine.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
But that is seven point nine because some people will
we are quite a lot more than that, but a
few lucky people might be a bit.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
An average, but it's going to be pretty close to
that because most people haven't been revalued. Last year when
they when you a lot of people was there, gone
up and they copped a lot more than I think,
and a lot of people went and reates went down
there and if you can get a riot. But this
year we haven't reverted, so it'll be much more even handed.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
And on Thursday, very good. We can't wait looking forward
to the rates bill. Well, no, that's an ox and
of course I'm not looking forward to the rates bell,
but the rates well, I'm looking forward to seeing what
happens with it. Now on Thursday, I got invited to
go down the king A Happy train station as part
of the CRL. I have to say, it does look good.
(11:37):
It looks amazing. It's a ten story building under the ground.
You can see where the money went just to get
it that low under the ground. How are you feeling
about it? You've had more time to ride in it,
and how do you once again feel it will unlock
our potential?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Well, I mean I have very much feelings about it.
On the one hand, it's a it's a good idea
to have that looked railroad to go through on the
other hand, the railway station didn't need to be cathedral.
We didn't need to spend so much. You hid somewhere
in the thing before saying that we're no longer a
rich country. We shouldn't have spent so much. I mean,
(12:14):
I think very good.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Apart from a few snails on the roof. Obviously, there's
the fact that you're building a tense story hole in
the ground, so the floor that the wall coverings I
didn't think were excessive. I was sitting there thinking.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Is it very excusive? There are ceilings and there nobody
puts a ceiling in a supermarket. You don't put curved
walls inside, just paint them black like anybody else. Stats.
I mean that there's it is too expensive, way too expensive,
long but would have so much.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
But then again, at the same time, if they didn't
do it a good enough job and you had to
fix it up in thirty years time, you end up
paying more rates. So they said that their future proof
of things. So it's one hundred years.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And this future proofing is a stupid word. I hate
the two is. I hate hearing that. But future proving
is an excuse for wasting money. Now you know, that's
just done. When we did the Harbor Bridge, the first
one and all comment is a very good project. They
built four lanes because that's all I could afford, but
they allowed for foundations so that when they could afford it,
they put another four arm that's sensible, built stage by stage.
(13:25):
If we built the trouble that we got by the
roads and National Party signifiance is the two bloody expensive
in the first place.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Way, Wayne, thank you so much for your time today.
And all that is Wayne Brown, the Mayor of Auckland
and one of the few people who actually thought the
building of the year Harbor Bridge was actually sensible because
it was immediately it was immediately not able to cope
with the pressure after six months of operation, so we
had to immediately do the next four lanes, which we
(13:53):
probably could have done right from the very start and
even thought about the design. And I can't just say
here we go. Australia, Sydney nineteen thirty they built a
ten lane harbor Bridge with ral lines, with pedestrian lines
and with bicycle lanes. That was in nineteen thirty. They
also started building their underground railway population of Sydney in
(14:14):
nineteen thirty one million, and they built a piece of
piece of infrastructure that is still able to cope today.
And unfortunately that's expensive at the time, but when you
think about it as it goes on down the line,
it actually becomes a better and better deal.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to News
Talk Said Be weekends from three pm, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks
at be Yes.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
It was a well win than twenty four hours for
the Indian Prime Minister in narendrum Modi, who visited Auckland
to meet with Prime Minister Christopher Luxean yesterday. They had
warm words, They went to a business conference together. There
was a big old do at Spark Arena four hour
do as well with all the Indian communities sold out
in a flash months ago. And I mean narendrum Modi
really is amongst Indians a superstar and a rock star
(00:33):
and that's why he plays big stadiums in Australia. He
played the Marvel Stadium. He did the Marvel Stadium and
then Spark. He's a big he could be a number
one band anyway. They've agreed to elevate the country's relationship
to that of a strategic partnership. Besides the FTA signed earlier,
the new agreement ties us to other things like increase
(00:56):
maritime a cooperation with India's defense force. The big thing
is a goal to double our two way trade by
twenty thirty, for the two nations to work together to
figure out ways we can come up with new trade
routes and new ways of making money orkand of course
the economic have for the international businesses here. Auckland has
the Government Auckland Deals who have consultation with the Mayor,
(01:18):
between national government and the mayor on significant plans. So
we are joined now by Wayne Brown, who is the
Mayor of Auckland. Good afternoon, Wayne. Hello, So you met Madi,
didn't you? Just briefly?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Well, now I know, Nactually I was done so secretly
that by the time I got an indvitasion, I was
actually somewhere else. But I've led a business delegation to
India in the past, and I've had and I had
quite a bit to do with. We've got a couple
of the arrangements between Auckland and two cities over there,
which we're working up to being more formal circumstances being
(01:54):
LaRue in Badabad and so. But I am in the
midst of all the Department of Internal Affairs, secret behaviors.
It eluded me.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Okay, right, but you have actually met him. What's he like?
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Well, he's a super described the people in this country.
I think he's fantastic, easily the most vautiful person there.
I'm the most vautiful person here of course too, but
I don't enjoy quite such religious furvor well.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Well said, well, see, okay, new Indian New Zealand strategic
partnership where we work together for all of us. What
does that? What does that mean for Auckland and will
Auckland have the capacity to be a primary destination for
Indian investment, tourism and education. I've got a theory on this,
but what do you reckon?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Well, I think the will's actually moving to city to
city trade much more than country or country trade. And
we're the only city and so and we're making the
most of those things. And that's what we've got arrangements
part of that in Bangoru, where there's already New Zealand
tech companies. Raykon has got a really modern factory in
(03:07):
Bangal Aruba and tuning out stuff, including the chips that
were on the Indian satellite on the other side of
the Moon. We're working on all those things with the
Indians are the biggest population in Auckland.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Well, I can tell you as stats came out over
the past couple of weeks about Indian populations in New Zealand,
they now makes six percent of the population of New Zealand.
They are the third largest largest ethnic group between behind
New Zealand, European and Mali. And then then we've got
Indians and then they've overtaken the Chinese in the last
(03:44):
little while.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And the figure that I don't actually believe any of
those figures made, that's New Zealand. That's not Auckland.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I can tell you Auckland.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
In Auckland, the number two is Chinese. Okay, and three
hundred thousand Chinese and nearly two Indians in Auckland.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Then okay, okay, all right, Well that's.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Quite different from the rest on ok wow, the one
that suits best for what they want to hear?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Well, what am I going to say, mate? If you
let me finish my sentences. Yes, there's one hundred and
seventy five thousand Indians in Auckland and almost all of
them are a lot of them, the vast majority are
from Gujarat. Madi is also from Gujarat, and this is
why he is so popular in Auckland as well. So
(04:33):
when we're talking about relationships city to city, state to state,
an ethnic group to ethnic group, the fact that Auckland
has so many Gujarati Indians here. We already have a
lot of trade avenues that we can explore.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Well, that's exactly right. Nothing goes for Chinese. Of course,
they've got three hundred thousand Chinese and the majority of
them come from bang Zhou, which is a seat of
an area with eighty million people in the new count
or the cities around it, and we have a good
relationship with them as well. So the city the city
thing is very important and that's what we're.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
So what conversations did you have with the government about
this new you know, special relationship that we have given.
Of course that's something that falls it falls under your
walk and deal to be consulted on for major directors.
What did you talk to the government about.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
No, not nearly as much as you'd think. I've got
a close relationship with Todd McLay who is the Minister
of Foreign Trade and a good guy. But a lot
of the governments still have worked out there are the
relationship with Auckland. Yet probably they still do stuff that
defires belief and defires the relationship which we've built up
(05:46):
on that stuff. But I think as we get close
to the election and the importance of Auckland and winning
the election. I think you'll be chatting up more than
you have, all right, and you speak. You mentioned before
the roads of national party significance and now they've sort
of come down to be more realistic. Item. That's all
part of it as well, because I mean some of
those radio are in my city and they were rawing
(06:09):
a head blowing money. They haven't got on things we
don't want, so we need. So there is a lot
of check going on in terms of the relationship with
Indian and what happened in asked. There's nothing but good
can come from that. So I totally support what the
government are trying to be there. I mean, you should
be having a better relationship. And I didn't quite agree
with what the lady before was saying. She's quite radical
(06:30):
and dangerous in some ways in China. I mean, we
have a one China policy and all that stuff about
being dragged into Taiwan is madness. That's the sort of
stuff that America does.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
But you did also suggest you did also she was
saying that we need to have many agreements with many
people so that we can act.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Absolutely right, you don't need people who are aggressive to
organize them.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Well, you've got to realize, You've got to realize today
Marie Brady has got to be in who binded about
China about not just trading.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I know that, but I mean Nicole here, an international
expert's never traded with any other country. She lives off
the back of an explot mate. I've mad for those countries,
and this trade is not something at university professors to
It's something that business people do. Now that's very, very different.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
As part of the Strategic Partnership announcement, they announced plans
to boost trade relations will The Prime Minister said, well,
we'd like to do this is more and more countries.
We'd like to do it with Argentina. We'd like to
do it with Brazil. And the question we have is
when they got that idea from.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
I mean, the reason that we're getting more with Brazil
and Argentina, which I've been dealing with for many years myself,
is because we've forced the government to get rid of
that stupid, bloody requirement that Chinese people had to have
a transit visa just to get off a plane and
orcan have a p and go somewhere else. They had
to have a visa for that As soon as we
got rid of that Chinese air plights, China Eastern starting
(07:57):
to fly directly from Shanghai to Auckland to Buenos Aires,
and sooner or later at China Southern will start flying
from Bangzhou to walk and South Paulo. Now I know
the leaders of a people who knows the mirror of
salth Paula. I know the mior of Buenosari's. I've met
the president of Argentina and they get it. Because we
(08:19):
spend too much on looking at that flat maper on
the wall where in New Zealand's down the bottom right
hand corner, and I think we're alone. Actually it's a
globe and the shorter of fruit from Asia at South
America's viral lookland, and people are waking up to it.
And we've got rid of that idiotic visa that the
Ministry of Immigration had.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Very good but would you like would you like more
Ucan represented in the trade missions to Argentina and Brazil.
So you're right there, right at the start, at the
start of the talks.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Well, when we when we had the first flight through
Auckland through Argentina and the simber last year from Shanahai Auckland, Argentina.
I went on board and took a Spanish speaker and
a Chinese speaker with me and we went there and
the Chinese took it seriously, and Argentine has stuck it
(09:06):
very seriously. And our government we're know in the shop
and we do like here. And so we got over
there and I think they thought I was the present president.
There's nobody else from our government. But it's very important
we do this thing, and I think that they're working
it out. And I'm Todd McClay is a good Minister
of Foreign Training. Needs to have a bit more say
in some of those things.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Now I've got a texture who said, where's my rates
bill coming in? Because for the council, normally the bills
are issued in mid July. Here we are on the
twelfth of July. Ken Orkan does expect the rates bill
anytime soon?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Well, we can't expect that rates bill any dancing. But
again everything is we we have too much advice out
of William, which is smaller than a Hewick, and they
set out things for the big city. There's open a
million bills going check get them right, and we're supposed
to do it in much the same rate. It's not
(09:59):
this is not a corner deiry.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
No, that's right, Well I could see.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
It only only funds here and food stuff that bigger
in New Zealand and Augland Council.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yeah, I'm trying to say to you is there's a
lot of people who are really really itching to find
out exactly what they're up for. They know what they've
been told, you know, in terms of the seven point
nine et cetera. But what that actually means in terms
of cash is very important because you know, it's cost
of living.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Sum be too radically different this year because there hasn't
been a revaluation. Last year we raised at five percent,
but some people's values went down quite a bit and
some people's there went up a lot, and so that
had far more impact on than the actual the actual
value of the probably and changing can have more impact
than what we do about the changing the overall thing.
(10:44):
But this year there hasn't been a change in that
and it's made it a bit easier. So people will
be at the seven point nine.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
But that is seven point nine because some people will
we are quite a lot more than that, but a
few lucky people might be a bit.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
An average, but it's going to be pretty close to
that because most people haven't been revalued. Last year when
they when you a lot of people was there, gone
up and they copped a lot more than I think,
and a lot of people went and reates went down
there and if you can get a riot. But this
year we haven't reverted, so it'll be much more even handed.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
And on Thursday, very good. We can't wait looking forward
to the rates bill. Well, no, that's an ox and
of course I'm not looking forward to the rates bell,
but the rates well, I'm looking forward to seeing what
happens with it. Now on Thursday, I got invited to
go down the king A Happy train station as part
of the CRL. I have to say, it does look good.
(11:37):
It looks amazing. It's a ten story building under the ground.
You can see where the money went just to get
it that low under the ground. How are you feeling
about it? You've had more time to ride in it,
and how do you once again feel it will unlock
our potential?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Well, I mean I have very much feelings about it.
On the one hand, it's a it's a good idea
to have that looked railroad to go through on the
other hand, the railway station didn't need to be cathedral.
We didn't need to spend so much. You hid somewhere
in the thing before saying that we're no longer a
rich country. We shouldn't have spent so much. I mean,
(12:14):
I think very good.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Apart from a few snails on the roof. Obviously, there's
the fact that you're building a tense story hole in
the ground, so the floor that the wall coverings I
didn't think were excessive. I was sitting there thinking.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Is it very excusive? There are ceilings and there nobody
puts a ceiling in a supermarket. You don't put curved
walls inside, just paint them black like anybody else. Stats.
I mean that there's it is too expensive, way too expensive,
long but would have so much.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
But then again, at the same time, if they didn't
do it a good enough job and you had to
fix it up in thirty years time, you end up
paying more rates. So they said that their future proof
of things. So it's one hundred years.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And this future proofing is a stupid word. I hate
the two is. I hate hearing that. But future proving
is an excuse for wasting money. Now you know, that's
just done. When we did the Harbor Bridge, the first
one and all comment is a very good project. They
built four lanes because that's all I could afford, but
they allowed for foundations so that when they could afford it,
they put another four arm that's sensible, built stage by stage.
(13:25):
If we built the trouble that we got by the
roads and National Party signifiance is the two bloody expensive
in the first place.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Way, Wayne, thank you so much for your time today.
And all that is Wayne Brown, the Mayor of Auckland
and one of the few people who actually thought the
building of the year Harbor Bridge was actually sensible because
it was immediately it was immediately not able to cope
with the pressure after six months of operation, so we
had to immediately do the next four lanes, which we
(13:53):
probably could have done right from the very start and
even thought about the design. And I can't just say
here we go. Australia, Sydney nineteen thirty they built a
ten lane harbor Bridge with ral lines, with pedestrian lines
and with bicycle lanes. That was in nineteen thirty. They
also started building their underground railway population of Sydney in
(14:14):
nineteen thirty one million, and they built a piece of
piece of infrastructure that is still able to cope today.
And unfortunately that's expensive at the time, but when you
think about it as it goes on down the line,
it actually becomes a better and better deal.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to News
Talk Said Be weekends from three pm, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
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