Predictions - Auckland 2008

[SYDNEY]

Get out your crystal ball(s) and let's have your predictions for Auckland during 2008, by the end of 2008 we can see how right we were ....

http://www.catalystconsulting.com/Images/CrystalBall.jpg

[SYDNEY]

*
John Banks will be the most hated man in Auckland (and in Wellington - Parliament) by November 2008
*
Sky City loses against Dae Ju and construction commences on Elliott Tower
*
Saffron is under construction
*
Exciting plans are released for the re-development of the "Stanley" site in Albert Street
*
By year end, construction will start on Merge in Takapuna
*
Britomart is one big construction site with at least 4 new buildings

To be continued .....

[Svartmetall]

#1. Announcement of cancellation of Queen Street Bus Lane
#2. Announcement of fast tracking New Lynn station relocation/revamp/rebuild.
#3. Fast tracking of rail electrification and rolling stock order to ensure delivery by 2011 as part of a council pledge to improve infrastructure for the RWC.

More coming!

[BLUFFMASTER_Auckland]

1. Another Office Tower project will be anounced.
2. Construction of the Saffron starts.
3. 370 Queen Street (Currently the base of Northern Methodist Mission) is redeveloped.
4. More info on Shortland Street tower released
5. Construction on the Elliott starts.
6. Another Albert Street tower announced
7. Construction on the Chancery Tower
8. The Antipodean is re-marketed and hopefully constrcution starts
9. Construction on Sylvia Park office blocks starts.
10. More Viaduct Harbour Office Blocks-Telecom house, NZI House, more projects by Manson.
11. Te Wero Bridge Final Design Announced-Probably nothing emblematic, very simple design.
12. Quba will be finished-Nice new quarter surrounded by parks and squares

More as they come to mind...

[Kane007]

Convention centre.

The International cruise terminal will be redeveloped to facilitate dual ship visits.

Ferry wharf in Takapuna.

to be continued....

[BLUFFMASTER_Auckland]

=Kane007;17176944]
The International cruise terminal will be redeveloped to facilitate dual ship visits.


Yea there was a talk on TV about how a Cruise Ship company is wanting to expand cruise ship visits to Auckland, but the company says "They will be ready when Auckland is''. They want Queens Wharf to be developed into a Ship Terminal....

[Neitzsche]

[QUOTE=akash;17176935]
3. 370 Queen Street (Currently the base of Northern Methodist Mission) is redeveloped.
QUOTE]

I heard the other day that the redevelopment is 2-3 years away from kicking off. Thou as far as I'm concered that redevelopment couldn't come soon enough.

[BLUFFMASTER_Auckland]

^^ Your'e probably right...I think it has got something to do with the lease...
But where did you hear that from?

[Neitzsche]

Your right, it is the lease. My old man owns a building services firm and has looked after that block for many a year. That said he's just scored the contract from Bluewater to look after the entire Britomart project, so I'll bug him for details on whats going up there.....

[jarbury]

Cancellation of rail electrification if National wins the next election :(

[MonsieurAquilone]

Cancellation of rail electrification if National wins the next election :(

How on Earth do you know that. It was all go last I heard under National or otherwise.

1. National in government - freeing up business, removing red tape..encouragement for more development
2. A special plan I am hatching that will be a surprise.
3. More positivity on this forum as a result.

[Svartmetall]

How on Earth do you know that. It was all go last I heard under National or otherwise.

1. National in government - freeing up business, removing red tape..encouragement for more development
2. A special plan I am hatching that will be a surprise.
3. More positivity on this forum as a result.

Read the Public Transport thread, it should answer your question about rail electrification.

[GoluBoy]

^^ Great thread Topic;)

- John Key comes out!? <===not so sure about that one:lol:
- A container load of Pam's chocolate puddings in a can, donated to Auckland City Mission.
- Taihape mince pie nominated by Jamie Oliver as the best he has ever tasted (actually it was an Auckland Pie) but he assumed that, because he'd brought it in Taihape....that it naturally was.

hehe.... actually prolly these...

N.Z
- National in Government
- More M.P's under legal scrutiny
- Tax cuts

Auckland
- Elliot Tower Roof redesigned so as not to "fuck with" Sky Towers OB Deck.
- Flash New Cruise Terminal planned for Tank Farm
- Flash new Convention Center planned for Tank Farm
- Flash new Apartments planned for Tank Farm
- Flash new "Flashing Flashers".....err,nope <== not that one

I'll add to this as I render more zany images in my "think tank".:lol:

[Shakespeare_nz]

- Planning and consultation will have begun for a central city loop, to be built within the next decade.

[RJA]

>More highrises announced + begin construction incl. office tower(s).
>They get moving on Eden Park?
>An announcement of a new cross-harbour tunnel.

My hopes for this tunnel: electric trains, it'll be a private sector project (with tolls to recover the investment) rather than a public/govt one.

[BLUFFMASTER_Auckland]

1. Another Office Tower project will be anounced.
2. Construction of the Saffron starts.
3. 370 Queen Street (Currently the base of Northern Methodist Mission) is redeveloped.
4. More info on Shortland Street tower released
5. Construction on the Elliott starts.
6. Another Albert Street tower announced
7. Construction on the Chancery Tower
8. The Antipodean is re-marketed and hopefully constrcution starts
9. Construction on Sylvia Park office blocks starts.
10. More Viaduct Harbour Office Blocks-Telecom house, NZI House, more projects by Manson.
11. Te Wero Bridge Final Design Announced-Probably nothing emblematic, very simple design.
12. Quba will be finished-Nice new quarter surrounded by parks and squares

More as they come to mind...

I'll add another one in:
13: Development plans for Achilles and Taspac House released by Solomon Group
14: A new tower will rise at the empty land/carpark? beside the Harbourside Residences tower
15: Bluewater(??) releases more renders for the propsed 5 star Hotel in Britomart...Council Approves the proposal

[Svartmetall]

- Planning and consultation will have begun for a central city loop, to be built within the next decade.

I wish...

[BLUFFMASTER_Auckland]

^^ Haha yea...

[shoreguy]

1. Another Office Tower project will be anounced, maybe near Vero??
2. Construction of Westfield Tower begins october/ november
3. 370 Queen Street (Currently the base of Northern Methodist Mission) is redeveloped.
4. ARTA gets traction on the CBD loop plus north shore lines.
5. Construction on the Elliott starts.
6. Another Albert Street tower announced
7. Chancery Tower converted to offic blocks/ plan approved for a 40- 45 level tower (167 - 185m tower)
8. National sweeps to power
9. Northern Motorway extension opens in December 2008/ fast tracking most public transport projects
10. More Viaduct Harbour Office Blocks-Telecom house, NZI House, more projects by Manson.

[drosophila]

How on Earth do you know that. It was all go last I heard under National or otherwise.

1. National in government - freeing up business, removing red tape..encouragement for more development
2. A special plan I am hatching that will be a surprise.
3. More positivity on this forum as a result.

#1 = removing restrictions on what people can build = more shit Scenes development.

Does nobody get it?!? Europe = generally classy development because the govt. makes sure the developers who are only interested in making a buck do it right.

If National thinks getting rid of the RMA to allow people to pollute and build whatever they want then welcome back the days of Scenes and Hobson street developments all over the CBD. wahoo!! Yes Good old ex. Nat John Banks is in city hall and his Nat mates are in Govt. I can hear the developers getting excited already.

And National has said rail electrification can proceed as long as a private company foots the bill = no Govt. money (that's already spent on tax cuts and the Waterview tunnel) = years of no progress while contracts and discussions go on = ARC/ARTA has to order diesel trains (we need electrification confirmed this year else it will never happen) = electrification no longer seems necessary = innercity loop will be cancelled = new cross harbour tunnel has bus lanes with no allowance for rail = welcome back to 1975.

John Key = Muldoon as far as PT is concerned.

[jarbury]

How on Earth do you know that. It was all go last I heard under National or otherwise.

Yeah I wonder why National voted against the regional petrol tax bill..... necessary for electrification.

Let's not hassle MA too much. He already feels terrible about voting for Banks last year. Hopefully he's come to his senses enough to not vote for the road-brigade at the end of this year.

[Dazzle]

I voted for Banks too and I'm ok with that.
Roads are necessary (so is PT!) and will need to be maintained and extended as the population expands.
There will always be the need for good roads regardless of the propulsion methods used by whatever vehicles may exist in the future.
PS: I am not a contrarian and Banks is still (so far) way better than Hubbard ever was.
I detect a little bit of mass hysteria here and there on this board about Banksie :)

[jarbury]

^^ I'm quite keen for you to elaborate on how Banks is better than Hubbard was. Unless your ABSOLUTE ONLY condition on measuring the performance of the two is your rates bill, I can't comprehend how Banks could possibly be doing a better job than Hubbard did.

[Dazzle]

Rates does play a part in it but it is not the only reason.
A council should spend in a constructive and realistic way.
Hubbard's grand schemes and plans could/would have consigned us to high debt and higher rates.
Dreams versus Reality.
I would love for everything to be built and all schemes to be carried out.
I suppose its called a "Budget" and most of us have to stick to one, including Councils.
Debt is not a good place to be.

[jarbury]

But Banks isn't spending in a constructive way. Basically all the council has done is slash and burn every project that it can lay its hands upon. Where's the vision?

The only decent thing the current council has done is support the super-city idea, one that will hopefully remove it from existence.

[Neitzsche]

Dreams versus Reality.


Cash. How much money is the ratepayer willing to spend, that's all it boils down to. Hubbard had a vision but failed miserably to communicate it to the public. I would have happily parted with the extra tens of dollars yearly needed for the plans.

[SYDNEY]

Cash. How much money is the ratepayer willing to spend, that's all it boils down to. Hubbard had a vision but failed miserably to communicate it to the public. I would have happily parted with the extra tens of dollars yearly needed for the plans.

I second that, I would be very, very happy to spend a couple of Dollars more to improve the environment we see and live in everyday. I have started my record of the deterioration of Auckland since Banks took over - be prepared, it is quite a shocker ! Banks has got vision - TUNNEL VISION ! He is absolutely useless - the interviews that they have had with him proves it. Enough said.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

I detect a little bit of mass hysteria here and there on this board about Banksie :)

Mass hysteria or just plain and simple observation as to how far back into the middle ages an incompetent, egotistical, narrow-minded, exceptionally selfish, post mid-life crisis, baby boomer mayor will push Auckland? The man won by appealing to the lowest common denominator. He is here for himself. He is not here for the good of Auckland, for if he was he would swiftly remove himself from office as he would realise what an obstruction to growth, passion and inspiration he truely is.

[SYDNEY]

Mass hysteria or just plain and simple observation as to how far back into the middle ages an incompetent, egotistical, narrow-minded, exceptionally selfish, post mid-life crisis, baby boomer mayor will push Auckland? The man won by appealing to the lowest common denominator. He is here for himself. He is not here for the good of Auckland, for if he was he would swiftly remove himself from office as he would realise what an obstruction to growth, passion and inspiration he truely is.

:applause: .... ignorance rules supreme here in Auckland, they say that it is bliss but I beg to differ. If only there is MORE "hysteria" and a touch of OOOOOMPH !!, Auckland might actually move in the right direction. All we have now is a basket full of stale pieces of old toast planning their next farmer's parade and jumper knitting extravaganza !

[MonsieurAquilone]

We had three main choices for mayor last time around - Banks, Hubbard, and Swney. Hubbard lost the race to Banks because Swney did take a fair amount of votes from him. Meanwhile Banks relied on the main support he gets from the C&R constituent base around the city. As many have stated, Hubbard had vision. He had ideas and a mind for change. I do not deny this. He did however surround himself with an incompetent team at times (Hucker etc...) and his ideas of major spending (which again I admit is required for making sure such a vision can become fulfilled) were not shared by all - some of whom not willing to match his certainly worthy but often lofty ideas with the percentage of their already vital pay check needed to service them.

Another factor overlooked by Hubbard during his term and admittedly not taken into account under Banks 1.0 was that rates were determined by house valuations. As we all know, many parts of the city (and indeed the country) had incredible increases in house prices as the housing boom continued to spread. Logically, rates were to reflect this increase and coupled with the way in which Hubbard spent the money, many could not come to terms with what they saw as scant city improvement for hefty rate increases. As this forum attests, we can all agree that Hubbard was hardly 'scant' when it came to vision, ideas and putting various schemes into action. Sadly, a large proportion of Auckland gave 'scant' attention to his plans and Hubbard was duly ousted. This I believe to be symptomatic of the suburbia-land mentality Auckland suffers from, whereby the CBD becomes a sort of mini-centre in itself competing with all the other suburban agglomerations - in short, the suburbs - meaning any attempt to invest heavily in the core CBD, disproportionately with other parts of the city, would be automatically and unjustifiably frowned upon. That is another story, though.
Basically, I do believe Hubbard lost a percentage of his support base due to the effects of the issue I raised above. A moderately or even quite expensive house does not equal a moderately or quite wealthy resident living within it. House prices are determined by market forces and by no means reflect the financial capabilities of the average ratepayer. On a personal level, I would support a bold, forward-thinking candidate who would abolish the current rates system in favour of one that is far more equitable meaning one that is not reliant on house valuations. Central government manages to do it so I don't see why its local counterpart is unable to either.

For those of you who believe I voted for Banks because I'm an ardent right-winger with no thought in my voting, please feel mistaken. We had three main choices for mayor last time around - Banks, Hubbard, and Swney. Banks I have always regarded as odious and uncaring when it came to the big issues, Hubbard became a victim of the problems I have talked about in this post and Swney, the Heart of the City man, was relatively unknown and untested. I would have definitely considered voting Swney last time around but given projections, a number of people were giving a virgin vote to Swney but not enough to see him get the mayoral position. I don't like to waste my vote for something I know won't go and given the situation you can now see my point of view when it came to making a decision. Swney dresses well, has a Vespa :D and still has vision on par with Hubbard (what's not to like!? :lol:) and I find it a pity that circumstances created an ultimately flawed round of voting. Honestly, the voter turnout was embarrassing.

All is not lost though. Banks' term is not a life sentence and will not last forever, well given the 'life' sentences handed out in this country, it's probably not the best metaphor :lol: (just teasing)........I await with glee your compilation of Banks' bumblings, Sydney, and am still sure that we as a forum can provide ample ideas and debate to continue Hubbard/Swney's vision. A city is not just the infrastructure inside it, it is the vibrancy of the people within it. And given my exposure to the people on this forum, we are definitely not short of vibrancy. What are my predictions for 2008? I'm no longer sure. I'm going to do what I can to add to the vibrancy. Hubbard would have liked that, right?

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

^^

Sweet reply!

[SYDNEY]

^^ Eloquently stated MA :) ... well done ! :applause:

As for the new thread - I am going to send the link to NZ Herald, Metro, ACC, ARC and of course - John Banks :) .... this is our opportunity to say it as it is and to offer solutions - it might be the start of bigger things to come or it may fall flat but I tried :) ... now, can somebody please give me the email/contact for Ludo Campbell-Reid (I don't have the correct email address :(

[jarbury]

Easiest way to find that out is call up the council and ask to be put through to his office. I doubt you'll get hold of him, but you will probably talk to a PA who can give you details.

Either that or fire something off to ludo.campbellreid@aucklandcity.govt.nz . That's the typical formatting for Auckland City Council email addresses so it might work.

[Aesthetics of Otara]

But the problem is that the mayor who follows Banks, if they want to get things back on track, is going to have to increase the rates again - which is political suicide. So his (or her) term will probably be followed by another backlash that sees all the projects initiated by the 'good guy' getting cancelled again before they get off the ground, and on and on and on...

[jarbury]

Yeah somehow council needs to find better funding sources other than rates. I think a supercity should save a lot of cash (well hopefully), and if local government was more local (through a combination of community councils and a greatly strengthened regional body) people would see where their money went more easily. They might be OK with the rates going up a bit if they feel they've got more power to decide where that money goes, and also they can see more stuff happening because it hopefully won't get screwed over by the current conflicting interests between councils.