Monday, June 2, 2014

Insanity---two similar houses in two cities but a million dollar price difference!

The differential in housing prices between Auckland and most other cities in New Zealand has reached a point where ‘insanity’ prevails. That a very ordinary two bedroom home on a small section in Greenlane, which is about 7 kilometres from the centre of Auckland can be sold for more than NZ$1,000,000, is crazy. The same home, near the centre of Gisborne sells for a measly NZ$71,000. OK, you say, it’s all about being close to major facilities, work and being in a ‘nice’ neighbourhood with good schools, but surely the Gisborne offering makes much more sense---if you have a job and can access education for your kids.
Therein are the issues that dominate our decisions about where we live---jobs and education and throw in health and that’s it. There are many attraction re life-style in Gisborne and other NZ cities so it is not that alone that attacks people like magnets to Auckland.
When are we going to think differently about what we ‘want,’ and more about what we need? Would it not be better to take a lower paying job, if one was available and still have a much bigger ‘discretionary’ spending power?
Regional development must happen and the ‘players’ in the upcoming election would serve us well, if they came up with ‘workable,’ not rehashed failures from the past,’ policies. Can they not have some sort of consensus about what this would look like? ---No---of course not---they are way too busy working out how they can keep their snouts in the Wellewood trough!
Please look beyond the ‘three-year’ election scramble, aspiring politicians and maybe not be so damned tightly linked to your party positions. Step up and we will keep you in Parliament, because ditching you from party lists or candidacies, would have a detrimental effect on your party as a whole. Damn we need some consensus on this difficult issue or we face more  of the same---a widening of the gap between Auckland the rest of New Zealand!