AUCKLAND’S FLOODING
AUCKLAND’S GROWTH
Our town planners have a lot to answer for. Rezoning arable land, like our bread basket at
Pukekohe, for housing is simply daft. Wait for residents to complain about sprays and trucks. Will we soon see our vegetables being trucked from the Waikato? They rezoned Rosebank Rd to commercial. It used to provide Auckland with food from its rich soil. Our vineyards and orchards in west Auckland now sprout Mitre 10 and Bunnings. They used to be a green oasis until town planners rezoned. Where do they learn their craft? Must we emulate Los Angeles? They planted houses where orange trees used to grow. Soon our present city limit will be extended again to support new housing, while ratepayers will pay for the infrastructure. We need to commence a dialogue as to how many people we want in Auckland. Growth for growth’s sake is the philosophy of the cancer cell.
Lynton Diggie
Titirangi I experienced the water deluge last Sunday, and walked around in the midst of it to observe what is normally unseen when it comes to water movements, it is truly obvious that water has its own agenda and conspires with gravity to plot its route and go where it will. Two years ago I did a study of drainage on my street. You may call it delusions of grandeur, but I realised that I was providing a community service. I saw that up street and upstream from me a driveway was conducting water from a road appropriately sloped to facilitate the rains to drain down the sidewalk and outrageously heading down to my driveway through my garage and worse, into my tenant’s flat. I believe similar outrages are happening to many of my neighbours. Are we all involuntarily doing a public service and co-operating with mother nature to send water downhill by the most expedient route through our property? While roaming around my street to see the recent flooding I noticed a Noah’s ark of opinion from others who speculated how planners could not have predicted this. The wisdom of super city did not extend to those who toughed out such periods of intense rain. In my walk about last Sunday, I observed most of the water is not being drained properly but travels down the properties and driveways down to the long driveway bordering all our properties behind our houses. I
HOUSING CRISIS
Two weeks ago I was in Christchurch and this was the headline in their Saturday paper: ‘Housing glut could last years’ I couldn’t believe what I just saw. Down there, there is an oversupply and landlords are cutting rents and offering sweeteners. The Canterbury registered master builders president Ivan Stanicich said he thought people had gone somewhat berserk trying to fill the void in housing. It seems there are new builds not selling and maybe the oversupply could last for while. In the meantime, maybe some people from up here might think of relocating.
Helen Walsh
Glen Eden
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