Vince Cocurullo: Whangarei Mayor on the impact of the Government's new housing plan

Whangarei's Mayor says the city will fare well from the government's new housing policy.  

Housing Minister Chris Bishop's plans to "flood" the country with new homes have raised plenty of questions.  

Local Government New Zealand says the lack of financial support for subsequent council roading and footpaths is a major concern.  

Vince Cocurullo told Mike Hosking it won't have that problem. 

He says Whangarei's council uses some money from developers to upgrade the area's infrastructure.  

But, he says, not every council works the same way. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So how do counsels, back to other matters, fit into
the government's new housing plan announced yesterday? It's out, it's up.
Are there are questions around infrastructure like pipes and roads
and lights. Basically, councils will have to plan for thirty
years worth of housing development. The funger Amia Vince Cocarilla
is back with us. Vince morning, Good morning, Mike. Did
you like what you heard of? You had the rug
pulled out from under you a bit?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
No, I, personally from our council's side of them, I
do like what's actually announced. Does it basically aligned with
what we presently already do?

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Okay, So if councils have got something in place, are
you tier one or tier two? Are you part of
this equation? Are you outside of this?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
We're only tier two. We were forced by the previous
government to do the FDS refuge to film. The strategy
for have been design, whereas previously we're in actually already
done our growth strategy, but previous government forced us to
do this.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Okay, So if you've already got a plan, then what
was announced yesterday won't be a problem. Do things like
balconies in nineteen twenty square meter apartments bother you or
you and a part of the country where that's not
even an issue.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Look, we've got a lot of people. Look this is
probably the biggest thing, and that's a big thing. People
need to be able to choice. In Sangoa. The smallest
tousands that have actually got in tanged A probably a
one hundred square meters. We've also got your own granny
flats which you are about sixty square medus, so they
are here in Sangaday. I think from what Minister Bishop
was putting up there was about making sure that choice

(01:19):
is available and for those Tier one councils, which is
often and Willington places, they need to have places which
are affordable for students who are studying or for people
who need housing.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
What's your view on developers, The argument being if developers
see a profit and they will provide the pipes and
do the infrastructure and they can make it work, is
that fair or not.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yes. What we've done in Huga Hay is we've agreed
with what you're saying. They're about developers in it. How
we have also done is two thousand and seven when
I started council, we did a growth strategy. We worked
out where the infrastructure needs to be, so we're actually
put in place called Velloum contribution. Now there are some
councils who don't have that. We do. So when it

(02:02):
developer says, ok I'm going to do's development in this area,
we put the price on each property and say okay,
then may be going towards the infrastructure in that area
to complete their project, so that it actually allows for
the pipes to be upgraded, the roads are upgraded, and
will make the side of things.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
You almost sound like you've got your act together and
fung arrangments.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Well, we've been working on it a long time, Mike,
A long time.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Good time. You makee go well. This week in Vince
Cocilla funger amea meantime, I note that Auckland's bitching as
usual because they were too busy having a vote on
it yesterday. That that makes absolutely no difference. But heaven forbid,
you should do something when you can have a vote
that means nothing.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
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Speaker 1 (02:42):
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