Across the Ditch: Auckland’s Growth Blueprint Released + Olympics Fever Rising

Across the Ditch: Australian radio FiveAA.com.au’s Peter Godfrey and EveningReport.nz’s Selwyn Manning deliver their weekly bulletin Across the Ditch. This week they discuss: Weather + News Roundup + Auckland’s growth plan released + Olympics fever. ITEM ONE: Auckland Growth Rule-Book Released Auckland Council has released its unitary plan, a blueprint document on how it will handle its growth over the next two decades. The City’s urban outer boundary will expand by 30 percent, And the already populated central areas will intensify with more multi story dwellings. The plan is described as the new rulebook that tells people what can be built and where. The plan is to assist sustaining rapid growth to provide 422,000 new dwellings over the next 30 years. That breaks down to 270,000 new dwellings within the existing boundary, and another 152,000 within current rural areas. 42.6% of single dwelling homes in Auckland’s central suburbs will be rezoned for intensification, including among them numerous leafy suburbs. Also, the Unitary Plan strips out some Treaty of Waitangi principles protecting land of cultural sensitivity. Auckland Councillors have only until August 19 2016 to ratify the plan. Click here for access to Auckland Council’s Unitary Plan. ITEM TWO: Some pre-Olympics excitement is building. A Kiwi rowing fours team has been training flat-out for the games, even though they are not sure if they will be able to compete. It all will be decided by Russian officials. With a swag of Russian rowers banned from competing, if the Russian officials decide not to replace them, then the Kiwi fours will be flying out for Rio the day before the games begin. What I really like about the Olympics is how people who have been training away without anyone really knowing they are world class, suddenly shine through and become Olympic champions. When that happens we realise were aren’t just a sporting nation of Rugby players and Cricketers. Latest news here: Olympic.org.nz/news Across the Ditch broadcasts live weekly on Australia’s FiveAA.com.au and webcasts on EveningReport.nz LiveNews.co.nz and ForeignAffairs.co.nz. ]]>