Housing crisis or bureaucracy crisis?

[PC]

It pains me to hear the phrase "housing crisis". It's kind of like putting a jar of honey in the freezer and then whinging about how hard it is to spread.

In the past individuals could build their own house, communities would come together and help families build homes. Builders operated as small businesses building quality homes with local materials. They literally built their reputation on the quality of what they built and succeeded or failed on those merits.

Modern building is a much different game. Builders are more often simply branches of much bigger companies or franchises. They build identical houses all over the country with highly processed materials that are yet to withstand the test of time.

The benefits of this system are not felt by those buying or building these homes; instead by investors and shareholders who contribute nothing. But lets not forget the council who pocket upwards of $20k just on consents and red tape in many regions.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/how-can-we-get-more-kiwis-into-homes/9431064/Housing-crisis-or-bureaucracy-crisis

Not an article you'd find in the Herald.
Let's hope the Capital Gains Tax fixes it...

[Davo36]

Exactly what I have been banging on about (readers here are bored of it, I'm sure) for years.

The Hutt City Council recently decided they want industrial buildings in their area. Along with the jobs they bring. So they removed all resource consent, building consent and development contribution fees. And guess what? People are building. Who would have thought eh?

[Perry]

You're not the only one "banging on about it," David. I've said
it before that the Hastings Council used to have a business
development unit to assist commercial outfits move here, so
as to provide all the things you mention.

Now, instead of incentives, we have impediments. Along with
lots of bleating about the lack of employment, etc.

Maybe some staff members with Hutt's disease could be moved
to other towns and cites and cause some raging contagion to
the benefit of all concerned.

[Davo36]

Oh I realise I haven't been the only one banging on about bureaucracy.

And yes and outbreak of commonsense amongst council officials is long overdue!

Unfortunately I think it's really a case of the government having to 'treat' them for their diseases by slapping them around and changing the laws.

[Perry]

Is there an inoculum against red tape disease? Maybe
all planners could be vaccinated at University level?

[Bluekiwi]

Its just that councils naturally attract that kind of person.
The ones that like rules and regulations, didnt have the personal skills to get a real job.
Middle aged men with pencils in shirt pockets, long shorts, and closely cropped facial hair, bespectacled and clad in plaid.

The WOF vacancies had filled up, they were not smart enough to be a teacher, or tough enough to be police, they really wanted to be traffic officers but failed the entrance exam.
Any job where you could hide behind rules while telling people what they had to do.

The easiest non accountable role was council.
Wander down there, break past the counter, you will see them hiding out the back, sharpening pencils, lining up there red and green pens.

[Davo36]

Yep I agree BK, but there's an even more dangerous kind, the kind Perry refers to, the planners.

These people are actually highly motivated quite smart and have good interpersonal skills, dress well, know which restaurants are trendy and so on.

And because they know all this, they feel they must be right when it comes to the question of how to plan a city. Because, you know, only trendy intellectuals should really be fit to make the rules.

And so they all fall for the smart growth stuff without thinking through the implications of it. It just makes so much sense to them that they never question it.

And it's these people who set the agenda in council organisations. And then the hopeless idiots BK talks about above just do what they're told by these 'visionaries'.

[eri]

a strong case can be made

for excessive and inflexible regulation

being the cause of the fall of civilisations

death by red tape strangulation

here characterised by people being forced into slavery

to buy houses they can't afford