John MacDonald: Greater housing density is the future Christchurch

We were all standing up and cheering the Christchurch City Council three years ago, when it flipped the bird at the Government over housing intensification. Because there was no way we were going to agree to three, three-story houses being built on one section.  

But I’ve changed my thinking.  

Eventually, the city council kind-of pulled its head in. But it’s still dragging the chain a bit and wants more time before agreeing to what the Government wants.  

But one city councillor, at least, thinks we should stop dragging the chain, that we should get with the programme and allow this intensification to happen. And I agree with him. I think he’s making a very good point.  

Maybe it’s because my stance on intensification has eased since 2022, when the council told the Government in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t interested in having three, three-story houses on one section. 

And I think Christchurch city councillor Andrei Moore is making a very good argument in favour of greater housing density. Saying that, if we don’t let it happen, more and more houses will be built in places like Rolleston and Prebbleton. Which are not in Christchurch, they’re in the Selwyn District, and that will mean more and more people travelling into the city every day, using Christchurch’s roading infrastructure and not paying a bean towards it. Because they don't live in Christchurch city - they live in Selwyn.  

And he’s saying we should stop kicking the can down the road and just get on with it. Instead of spending another year resisting it, we need to accept that greater housing density is here whether we like it or not.  

He says: “It’s high time we wake up and deal with the reality of city growth.”  

And I couldn’t agree more. And yes, that does mean that my stance on intensification has changed, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  

The plan originally was to let developments with three, three-storey properties to be built on one section pretty much anywhere. But it was modified a bit.  

Modified to restrict this level of intensification to the central city, around shopping centres and what's described as "walkable distances" from core public transport routes.  

Which is still pretty carte blanche when you think about shopping malls and areas on core public transport routes.  

As far as shopping malls go, we’ve got the likes of the Hub Hornby, Riccarton Mall, Bush Inn, the Tannery, Barrington Mall, Tower Junction, Eastgate Mall, Merivale Mall, Northlands Mall, Fendalton Mall, the Palms, Homebase, and the Colombo.  

Which means intensification getting the green light in Hornby, Riccarton, Opawa, Barrington, Linwood, Merivale all the way up to Northlands, Fendalton, Shirley, Sydenham and Beckenham.  

And, if that’s how it has to be, then I’m with Andrei Moore and I agree with him that we need to bite the bullet and get on with it.  

Because A: we’ve got a housing affordability problem in this country, and the quarter-acre section is a thing of the past.   

So, if you want your kids to be able to afford to buy their own place, it’s not going to be somewhere with a big backyard. So we need more apartments and townhouses - the places you get with greater housing density.  

And B: population growth is real. The numbers aren’t massive, but they’re real and expected to continue in the upwards direction.  

The city’s population is around 396,000. Last year it was 1.2% up on the year before. Over the last five years, population growth in Christchurch has averaged 1.3% annually.  

Before the quakes, it was declining. There was an especially large jump in 2023, when the population in Christchurch city increased by 2.7%.  

And city councillors pushing back on greater housing density in Christchurch are ignoring

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Remember how we were all standing up and cheering the
christi At City Council three years ago when it flipped
the bird at the government over housing intensification. Remember that
I was cheering for them. You probably were too, because
there was no way we were going to agree to
three three story houses being built on one section. But

(00:35):
I've changed my thinking. Eventually the city council kind of
pulled its head in, but it's still dragging the chain
a bit, and it wants more time before agreeing to
what the government wants. But one city council at least
I thinks we should stop dragging the chain, that we
should get with the program and allow this intensification to happen.

(00:58):
And I agree with them. I think he is making
a very good point. Maybe it's because my stance on
intensification has eased a bit since twenty twenty two when
the council told the government in no uncertain terms that
it wasn't interested in having three three story houses on
one section. And I think Christchurch City Councilor Andre Moore

(01:21):
is making a very good argument in favor of greater
housing density, saying that if we don't let it happen,
this is the core of his argument, and it's a
brilliant argument that if we don't let it happen, more
and more houses will be built in places like Roliston
and Prebleton, which are not in christ Church, They're in
the Selwyn district, and that will mean more and more
people traveling into the city every day using christ Church

(01:44):
as roading infrastructure and not paying a bean towards it
because they don't live in Christchurch City. They live in Selwyn.
And so he's saying we should stop kicking the can
down the road and just get on with it instead
of spending another year resisting it. We need to accept
that greater housing density is here, whether we like it
or not. He says, quote, it's high time we may

(02:06):
cup and deal with the reality of city growth. And
I couldn't I couldn't agree more. And yes, that does
mean that my stance on intensification has changed. There's nothing
wrong with that. You will remember how the plan originally
was to let these developments, allowing three three story properties
to be built on one section. You remember how originally

(02:27):
the plan was to pretty much let them happen anywhere
and everywhere. But it was modified a bit modified to
restrict this level of intensification to the central city around
shopping centers and what's described as quite walkable distances from
core public transport routes, which is still pretty can't blanche,
I think when you think about it, especially with shopping

(02:47):
malls and areas on core public transport routes. I mean
in the central city, it's happening already with all the
new apartments. As far as shopping malls go, we've got
the likes of the hub hornby Ricket and Mall Bush
in the Tannery, Barrington, Mall, tow Junction, Eastgate, Merivale, Northlands, Fendleton,
the Palms home Base, the Colombo, which means intensification, getting

(03:08):
the green light and hornby Rickett in the parm Are Barrington, Lindwood,
Mayor Maale, all the way up to Northlands, Fenilton, Shirley,
Sydenham and Beckenham and within walkable distance of core public
transport routes. We've got the orange, the purple, the blue,
the yellow of the Orbiter Roots, so like the shopping
walls all over the place. And if that's how it

(03:28):
has to be. Then I'm with Andre Moore and I
agree with them that we need to bite the bullet
and get on with it. Because A we've got a
housing affordability problem in this country and the quarter acre
section and all that. That's a thing of the past.
So if you want your kids to be able to
afford to buy their own place, it's not going to
be somewhere with a big backyard. So we need more

(03:51):
apartments in townhouses the places you get with greater housing density,
and B population growth is real. I mean the numbers
aren't massive, but they're real and they're expected to be
ongoing in the upwards direction. The city's population christ Church
around three hundred ninety six thousand last year. It was
one point two percent up on the year before. Over

(04:12):
the last five years, population growth in christ Church has
averaged one point three percent annually. Before the quakes, it
was going backwards. There was an especially large jump in
twenty twenty three when the population in christ Church increased
by two point seven percent. So you can't ignore the
numbers and city councilors pushing back on greater housing density

(04:33):
in christ Church. They're ignoring the obvious that, yes, backyards
a great Yes, christ Church is supposed to be the
garden city, and yes, the people against intensification are most
likely to be the people who can be bothered voting
in local body elections. But if they put all that aside,
they would see that their colleague Andre Moore is being realistic,

(04:56):
which is why I agree with them that it's time
for christ Church to stop pushing back. Stop pushing back
on greater housing intensification, even if that means three three
story houses on single sections in some parts of town.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news talks at be Christchurch from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio