North Shore Times (New Zealand)
City’s boundary sparks a lively debate
About the Bays
The Act Party’s position Auckland’s Rural Urban Boundary should be abolished is one of the topics where East Coast Bays electorate candidates beg to differ.
That and Act’s view the Resource Management Act should be scrapped were hot topics in a Facebook live panel discussion on August 10.
The Rural Urban Boundary dictates the limits of where intensification can occur and is a talking point in the Long BayOkura area where a developer is taking Auckland Council to the Environment Court to try and get the boundary moved.
Act candidate Stephen Berry reiterated the party’s housing policy, announced August 6, calling for the boundary to be completely removed.
‘‘Act has just released its housing policy, which would abolish the Rural Urban Boundary and open up space for 600,000 homes. That’s going to make a massive impact on the price of housing in Auckland,’’ Berry said.
But, The Opportunities Party’s Teresa Moore and Green Party’s Nicholas Mayne disagreed, because of the proximity of Long Bay-Okura to the marine reserve.
‘‘So what you’re saying is you want to allow more intensive development in areas which are currently deemed to be sensitive and important to our cultural values,’’ Mayne asked.
He said areas such as Whenuapai could be developed without removing the boundary.
‘‘Even if we move the Rural Urban Boundary, without the investment in infrastructure, it won’t do anything for making houses affordable because our supply is not simply about land, it’s actually about build-able land.’’
Moore said scrapping the boundary would mean pollution and metals from developments would rush into the surrounding waterways.
Labour candidate Naisi Chen agreed green spaces were important and suggested the Government work with developers to ensure they were provided.
‘‘We want to put sustainable development as a key priority in anything we do and so that comes with all the green spaces,’’ Chen said.
National Party candidate Erica Stanford said green spaces were vital as the population grows and ❚ The electorate was formed in 1972 and has existed apart from a break lasting two parliamentary terms.
❚ It’s been held by National’s Murray McCully since 1987.
❚ In the 2014 election, McCully gained 19,951 votes or almost 62 per cent and 15,000 more than the runner-up Conservative’s Colin Craig at 4923.
❚ In 2014, National received 20,895 party votes, 63 per cent. Labour was second with 4005 votes.
❚ The median age is 38 and 47 per cent of people are born overseas.
❚ Last election, 76 per cent of the electorate voted. Long Bay was a good example of balancing them with development.
‘‘If you go up there, you’ll see loads of parks and spaces for the community to be, for families to go and play,’’ Stanford said.
The candidates disagreed on the Resource Management Act, as Berry reiterated party policy that too needed to be scrapped.
The Act Party announced it would push the Government to replace the RMA with laws requiring councils to free up land, as populations increase.
Mayne agreed the act needed reviewing to ensure ‘‘appropriate provision of open spaces’’.
Moore said the RMA had been reduced to a state where it wouldn’t protect green spaces and TOP wanted a constitution to help preserve significant ecological places.
‘‘We want to put sustainable development as a key priority.’’
Naisi Chen, Labour