Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Mayor's marginal enemies

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  • Jim Cathcart,

    As for the government’s pressure, you’re confusing opening up land with affordable housing. The two are not the same. The government has no interest in the council’s intent to use intensification as a way to improve affordability, and has said as much; their perspective is that the only solution to housing affordability issues is to open up more greenfields land and sprawl, baby, sprawl. This negates any influence Brown might have on policy at the national level, too, because what he believes is directly opposite to what the numpties on the Treasury benches believe; same issue with the Core Rail Link.

    Is the govt really against intensification? To be frank, that is a more important part of the solution that falls under the urban planning framework. It is not simply about land release on the fringes. However, intensification and land release are not mutually exclusive, and my interest in the problem is partly driven by the fact that I have been living in more densely populated cities in Asia where the cost and quality of high-density living is far superior to Auckland. And I believe that the local governments of Japan have been crucial in enabling high-density living for low- to mid-incomes. And it appears that in Auckland, this has barely developed beyond superficiality. All the credit bubble and property boom were able to produce in the 2000s were a collection of cheaply built, lifestyle deprived apartments in Auckland Central.

    And whatever Len Brown's solution is, it appears that the power brokers and general public seem unwilling to make the sacrifices and effort to make it work.

    Since Nov 2006 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Russell Brown,

    It was written so as to obscure the fact that the prospective protests were not about Brown at all, but about whaling. And then buried on page five.

    If there's only one thing we should borrow from the Scandinavians, it's their media regulation model.Then again, it also helps that their media outlets aren't monopolised.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Russell Brown,

    And then buried on page five.

    Standard operational bullshit isn’t it – get it wrong above the fold on the front page, correct at the bottom of page five in the finest of fine print unless you’ve got a lawyer (or order from a court or regulator) twisting your arm to breaking point.

    Also very convenient, of course, that the Japanese Government was exceedingly unlikely to take The Herald to the Press Council to secure a proper – and prominent – retraction and apology.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I gather the consulate official who contacted the Herald is quite shocked by the nature of the subsequent correction. So that's a great look.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I gather the consulate official who contacted the Herald is quite shocked by the nature of the subsequent correction. So that’s a great look.

    I'm tempted to complain on the Consulate's behalf. Pursuit of a political vendetta that drags in a sovereign nation's diplomatic mission? That's pretty despicable, even by what pass for Orsman's journalistic standards.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    I’m tempted to complain on the Consulate’s behalf. Pursuit of a political vendetta that drags in a sovereign nation’s diplomatic mission? That’s pretty despicable, even by what pass for Orsman’s journalistic standards.

    Then there's no need to hold back. Anything to call bollocks on this show of new yellow journalism.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Kumara Republic,

    It's the need to have first complained to the Herald before going to the Press Council that makes me hesitate. Orsman is senior editorial staff.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    Orsman is senior editorial staff.

    Just to be clear, the original, now removed, story was by Lincoln Tan. But the decision on the correction was made at a senior editorial level.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Just to be clear, the original, now removed, story was by Lincoln Tan. But the decision on the correction was made at a senior editorial level.

    And as a more general principle, I’d like to see a New Rule: If you get it wrong on the front page (or in the lead of a bulletin), your correction runs in the same place. Burying the backtrack unless you're being forced to by legal is NOT genuinely owning your fail.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    Paul Little tells the Len Brown Stand Down crowd to get a life. And Penny Bright isn't right-wing at all, she's more like the Peoples' Front of Judea.

    It's time to shut down - or rather shut up - the ragtag bunch of malcontents who are giving their lives meaning by hounding silly old Len Brown every time he appears in public. These shrieking, self-righteous harpies are one length of rope away from full-blown vigilantism.

    As is often the case with high-visibility critics, the fault they most lament is one they display themselves - in this case letting a wild passion overcome the better counsel of reason.

    More importantly they are disrupting the democratic process by trying to prevent an elected official from getting on with his job. The rest of Auckland is over it. The city and the mayor have more important things to worry about.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

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