We were all standing up and cheering the Christchurch City Council three years ago, when it flipped the bird at the Government over housing intensification. Because there was no way we were going to agree to three, three-story houses being built on one section.  

But I’ve changed my thinking.  

Eventually, the city council kind-of pulled its head in. But it’s still dragging the chain a bit and wants more time before agreeing to what the Government wants.  

But one city councillor, at least, thinks we should stop dragging the chain, that we should get with the programme and allow this intensification to happen. And I agree with him. I think he’s making a very good point.  

Maybe it’s because my stance on intensification has eased since 2022, when the council told the Government in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t interested in having three, three-story houses on one section. 

And I think Christchurch city councillor Andrei Moore is making a very good argument in favour of greater housing density. Saying that, if we don’t let it happen, more and more houses will be built in places like Rolleston and Prebbleton. Which are not in Christchurch, they’re in the Selwyn District, and that will mean more and more people travelling into the city every day, using Christchurch’s roading infrastructure and not paying a bean towards it. Because they don't live in Christchurch city - they live in Selwyn.  

And he’s saying we should stop kicking the can down the road and just get on with it. Instead of spending another year resisting it, we need to accept that greater housing density is here whether we like it or not.  

He says: “It’s high time we wake up and deal with the reality of city growth.”  

And I couldn’t agree more. And yes, that does mean that my stance on intensification has changed, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  

The plan originally was to let developments with three, three-storey properties to be built on one section pretty much anywhere. But it was modified a bit.  

Modified to restrict this level of intensification to the central city, around shopping centres and what's described as "walkable distances" from core public transport routes.  

Which is still pretty carte blanche when you think about shopping malls and areas on core public transport routes.  

As far as shopping malls go, we’ve got the likes of the Hub Hornby, Riccarton Mall, Bush Inn, the Tannery, Barrington Mall, Tower Junction, Eastgate Mall, Merivale Mall, Northlands Mall, Fendalton Mall, the Palms, Homebase, and the Colombo.  

Which means intensification getting the green light in Hornby, Riccarton, Opawa, Barrington, Linwood, Merivale all the way up to Northlands, Fendalton, Shirley, Sydenham and Beckenham.  

And, if that’s how it has to be, then I’m with Andrei Moore and I agree with him that we need to bite the bullet and get on with it.  

Because A: we’ve got a housing affordability problem in this country, and the quarter-acre section is a thing of the past.   

So, if you want your kids to be able to afford to buy their own place, it’s not going to be somewhere with a big backyard. So we need more apartments and townhouses - the places you get with greater housing density.  

And B: population growth is real. The numbers aren’t massive, but they’re real and expected to continue in the upwards direction.  

The city’s population is around 396,000. Last year it was 1.2% up on the year before. Over the last five years, population growth in Christchurch has averaged 1.3% annually.  

Before the quakes, it was declining. There was an especially large jump in 2023, when the population in Christchurch city increased by 2.7%.  

And city councillors pushing back on greater housing density in Christchurch are ignoring the obvious. That, yes, backyards are great. Yes, Christchurch is supposed to be the garden city. And yes, the people against intensification are most likely to be the people who can be bothered to vote.  

But, if they put all that aside, they'd see that their colleague Andrei Moore is being realistic. And I agree with him that it’s time for Christchurch to stop pushing back on greater housing intensification. 

We were all standing up and cheering the Christchurch City Council three years ago, when it flipped the bird at the Government over housing intensification. Because there was no way we were going to agree to three, three-story houses being built on one section. &nbsp;
But I’ve changed my thinking. &nbsp;
Eventually, the city council kind-of pulled its head in. But it’s still dragging the chain a bit and wants more time before agreeing to what the Government wants. &nbsp;
But one city councillor, at least, thinks we should stop dragging the chain, that we should get with the programme and allow this intensification to happen. And I agree with him. I think he’s making a very good point. &nbsp;
Maybe it’s because my stance on intensification has eased since 2022, when the council told the Government in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t interested in having three, three-story houses on one section.&nbsp;
And I think Christchurch city councillor Andrei Moore is making a very good argument in favour of greater housing density. Saying that, if we don’t let it happen, more and more houses will be built in places like Rolleston and Prebbleton. Which are not in Christchurch, they’re in the Selwyn District, and that will mean more and more people travelling into the city every day, using Christchurch’s roading infrastructure and not paying a bean towards it. Because they don't live in Christchurch city - they live in Selwyn. &nbsp;
And he’s saying we should stop kicking the can down the road and just get on with it. Instead of spending another year resisting it, we need to accept that greater housing density is here whether we like it or not. &nbsp;
He says: “It’s high time we wake up and deal with the reality of city growth.” &nbsp;
And I couldn’t agree more. And yes, that does mean that my stance on intensification has changed, and there’s nothing wrong with that. &nbsp;
The plan originally was to let developments with three, three-storey properties to be built on one section pretty much anywhere. But it was modified a bit. &nbsp;
Modified to restrict this level of intensification to the central city, around shopping centres and what's described as "walkable distances" from core public transport routes. &nbsp;
Which is still pretty carte blanche when you think about shopping malls and areas on core public transport routes. &nbsp;
As far as shopping malls go, we’ve got the likes of the Hub Hornby, Riccarton Mall, Bush Inn, the Tannery, Barrington Mall, Tower Junction, Eastgate Mall, Merivale Mall, Northlands Mall, Fendalton Mall, the Palms, Homebase, and the Colombo. &nbsp;
Which means intensification getting the green light in Hornby, Riccarton, Opawa, Barrington, Linwood, Merivale all the way up to Northlands, Fendalton, Shirley, Sydenham and Beckenham. &nbsp;
And, if that’s how it has to be, then I’m with Andrei Moore and I agree with him that we need to bite the bullet and get on with it. &nbsp;
Because A: we’ve got a housing affordability problem in this country, and the quarter-acre section is a thing of the past. &nbsp;&nbsp;
So, if you want your kids to be able to afford to buy their own place, it’s not going to be somewhere with a big backyard. So we need more apartments and townhouses - the places you get with greater housing density. &nbsp;
And B: population growth is real. The numbers aren’t massive, but they’re real and expected to continue in the upwards direction. &nbsp;
The city’s population is around 396,000. Last year it was 1.2% up on the year before. Over the last five years, population growth in Christchurch has averaged 1.3% annually. &nbsp;
Before the quakes, it was declining. There was an especially large jump in 2023, when the population in Christchurch city increased by 2.7%. &nbsp;
And city councillors pushing back on greater housing density in Christchurch are ignoring the obvious. That, yes, backyards are great. Yes, Christchurch is supposed to be the garden city. And yes, the people against intensification are most likely to be the people who can be bothered to vote. &nbsp;
But, if they put all that aside, they'd see that their colleague Andrei Moore is being realistic. And I agree with him that it’s time for Christchurch to stop pushing back on greater housing intensification.&nbsp;

Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays.

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With two decades experience in communications based in Christchurch, John also has a deep understanding of and connections to the Christchurch and Canterbury commercial sector.

Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings 9am-12pm with John MacDonald on 100.1FM and iHeartRadio.

Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays. It’s all about the conversation with John, as he gets right into the things that get our community talking. If it’s news you’re after, backing John is the combined power of the Newstalk ZB and New Zealand Herald news teams. Meaning when it comes to covering breaking news – you will not beat local radio. With two decades experience in communications based in Christchurch, John also has a deep understanding of and connections to the Christchurch and Canterbury commercial sector. Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings 9am-12pm with John MacDonald on 100.1FM and iHeartRadio.

Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays.It’s all about the conversation with John, as he gets right into the things that get our community talking.

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

John MacDonald: Greater housing density is the future Christchurch

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/e207e2e3-5826-45a7-b430-b2b40002e6da/transcript