John MacDonald: The quarter-acre dreamers need to wake-up

There are going to be some noses out of joint today, with this announcement from the Government about what it’s going to do to try and sort out the shortage of houses in this country. 

In Housing Minister Chris Bishop’s own words, the Government is going to “flood” cities with more land so that more houses can be built, so that supply can go up, and so that more people can afford a roof over their heads. 

But that’s not all. It’s also going to stop local councils from mandating balconies or minimum floor areas for places like apartments. Instead, property developers and the market are going to decide that.  

Which sounds like good old fashioned ‘supply and demand’ at work, doesn’t it? 

So how is it going to do this “flooding of the market” with more land so that more places can be built? 

Well again, this is going to be another thing that gets local councils brassed off. It’s going to tell councils that they can no longer set fixed urban-rural boundaries. 

Which will have some people upset about productive farmland being sacrificed for housing. But what is a government to do? 

Which is why I think we need to, at least, give the Government’s ideas a chance. To give it a go. 

But don’t expect councils to be so open-minded. Because you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ll be banging-on about the Government over-reaching. Poking its nose in local business when it shouldn’t be. 

They’ll be telling the Government to butt out. Which Chris Bishop fully expects, of course.  

I can think already of one council, in particular, that will be pushing back.  

The same council that —as one of its members said at the time— “flipped the bird” at the last government over its housing intensification plans. 

Christchurch city is the one I’m referring to. And I’m picking that it will be lining-up to butt heads with the Government over this latest attempt to sort out the housing situation in New Zealand. 

But we know what will happen. It will just turn out to be bluster and noise. And the Government will get its way. Which, in my opinion, it should.  

Because any opposition —from local councils, anyway— is just about patch protection. That’s all it is. They don’t really give a damn about amenities and solving problems. 

What’s more, I think we have to move on from this idea that you’re not living unless you have a standalone house on a quarter-acre section. That you haven’t made it in life if you can’t walk out the back door and feel grass under your feet - grass that you own. Or the bank owns, anyway. 

It’s a fallacy. It’s a dead-end street. And when you see your local councillors —and I’m not just talking about Christchurch here, either— when you see your local councillors jumping up-and-down saying the Government is pouring cold water on the quarter acre dream, cover your ears. 

Because they’re not worried about your dreams. They’re not worried about realistic, sustainable solutions to the housing shortage. They’re not worried about your backyard. They’re just worried about their own. 

And the Government is doing way more than any council will to fix the housing crisis. 

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Episode Transcript

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

Speaker 2 (00:13):
There are going to be some noses out of joint today.
There are going to be some noses out of joint today.
There are always noses out of joint every day, but
today in particular, with this announcement that's coming from the
Government about what it's going to do to try and
sort out the critical shortage of houses in this country
and Housing Minister Chris Bishop's own words, the government is

(00:34):
going to quote flood cities with more land so that
more houses can be built, so that supply can go up,
and so that more people going to afford a roof
over their heads. But that's not all. It's also going
to stop local councils from mandating balconies or minimum flaw
areas for places like apartments. Instead, property developers and the

(00:56):
market are going to decide things like that, which sounds
like good old fashioned supply and demand at work, doesn't it.
So how is it going to do this flooding of
the market with more land so that more places can
be built? Well, again, this is going to be another
thing that gets local councils breast off is going to
tell them that they can no longer set fixed urban

(01:19):
rural boundaries, which will have some people, of course upset
about productive farmland being sacrificed for housing. But what's the
government to do? What is the government to do? Which
is why I think we need to at least give
the government's ideas a chance, give it a go. But

(01:39):
don't expect the good old counsels to be so open minded,
because you can bet your bottom dollar that they're going
to be banging on today about the government overreaching, poking
its nose and local business when it shouldn't be. That
we tell in the government to bud out, which Chris
Bishop and the government fully expect, of course. But from
what the Minister was saying to Mike earlier, he's not

(02:01):
going to be pushed around by councils and councilors with
noses out of joint to have listen to this.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
Have got to follow the rules set by central government.
I think most councils will be on board with it.
I think it'll be a bit spicy with a few
of them, but we will just work our way through
that good.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
And when you say spicy, what are you going to do?
Just tell them what to do. It is what it is,
get on with it.

Speaker 4 (02:21):
Well, that's the way the rules Already there's a thing
called the National Policy State Movement Development which sets the
rules of going into councils and make thems to housing.
That was introduced by the last government. So we're building
on that, and so we'll just work our way through
it with.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
Them, work our way through it with them, which is
code for bea no doubt this thing's going to happen
as it should. I loved some description of things getting
spicy as well. But I can think already of one
council in particular, that we'll be pushing back the same
council that, as one of its members said at the time,
flip to the bird, the last government over its housing

(02:56):
intensification plans. Christ City is the one I'm talking about,
by the way, and I'm picking that it will be
lining up to butt heads with the government over this
latest attempt to sort out the housing sits in New Zealands.
But we know what will happen. It'll just turn out
to be bluster and noise and the government will get
its way, which in my opinion it should, because any

(03:16):
opposition from local councils anyway, any opposition from them. It's
just about patch protection, that's all it is. They don't
really give a damn about amenities and solving problems. It's
just patch protection. And what's more, I think we have
to move on from this idea that you're not living
where you haven't made it unless you've got a standalone
house on a quarter quarter acre section that you haven't

(03:39):
made it in life. If you can't walk out the
back door and feel grass under your feet, grass that
you own or your bank ownes, it's a fallacy. It's
a dead end street. It's twenty twenty four. And when
you see your local councilors, I'm not just talking about
christ you here either way, make of it any Selwyn
heard or wherever you When you see your local councilors
jumping up and downstairing the government's pouring cold water on

(04:01):
the quarter acre dream, just cover your ears because they're
not worried about your dream. They're not worried about realistic,
sustainable solutions to the housing shortage. They're not worried about
your backyard. They're just worried about their backyard and the
government in what it's announcing today is doing way more
than any council will to fix their housing crisis.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
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