As the Boomer King keeps trying to privatise our Airport the question of how to balance Auckland City Council’s books becomes more desperate.
Despite the unprecedented impact of two Covid years, the value of AIAL shares has increased by 352%, benefiting Auckland Council by more than $1.634 billion – so why are we selling our Airport again?
There are 13 golf courses operating on 535 hectares of council-owned  land, covering an area 1.25 times larger than Auckland’s city centre. Airport Shares are worth $2.2billion, Golf courses are worth $2.9Billion.
Why is he selling our airport and not the bloody golf courses to make money to fill the budget hole?
Why not keep three 18 hole golf courses, sell five and make five 9 hole gold courses while developing affordable homes available only for owner occupiers and State Housing?
That way we keep recreational space, make money AND create desperately needed housing!
Why is it the Airport we have to privatise and not the bloody Golf courses?
Why?
Fuck Golf!
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Unfortunately, the golf courses have 25 to 50 years leases held by trusts to occupy those spaces. I do agree with the idea of selling some of them off, but not likely to happen though.
The idea that any recreational facilities (or government assets in general) need to be sold off is bogus.
The ‘crisis’ only started after unaffordable tax cuts for the rich, and the decision to end slum clearance and mass planned development. There is no shortage of land, nor of income that could be taxed once more.
It is true that the national economy is far too weak and backward (thus affecting tax receipts). But again, this is due to deliberate policy decisions (globalist trade policy, anti-industrialism).
Why sports grounds? Why not Cornwall Park, the Domain etc (which I don’t support) ? At least the golf course are heavily utilised by all sorts of Aucklanders. And no not just well off people, all sorts of shapes and sizes ages.
We all know that sell a course and it will be once again developed with housing that is not affordable and likely be bought up in chunks by landlords/speculators
Because getting a majority around the council table would be equally difficult as selling the Ak airport shares.
Yes, you’re right. Not to mention the backlash of golf playing constituents who voted them into council office!
Mayor Brown’s a baby boomer. Boomers play golf. Boomers vote. Boomers play golf and vote Brown.
Boomers like AIA shares. Boomers like to buy AIA shares. Boomers buy AIA shares and vote Brown.
Boomers call it win-win.
It seems some people believe that the term boomer applies to everyone aged 65 and over.
The NZ baby boomer cohort covers people born after the end of World War Two – i.e. from about 1946 up to the early 1970s. Boomers are aged between about 50 to 77. See the link below.
Clearly people in this cohort have differing values, beliefs, priorities and political ideologies.
Why are you making ridiculous generalisations, evidently without understanding what the term boomer means?
https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/28730/baby-boom-generation-about-1969 War Two
It seems some people believe that the term boomer applies to everyone aged 65 and over.
The NZ baby boomer cohort covers people born after the end of World War Two – i.e. from about 1946 up to the early 1970s. Boomers are aged between about 50 and 77. See the link below.
Clearly people in this cohort have differing values, beliefs, priorities and political ideologies.
Why are you making ridiculous generalisations, evidently without understanding what the term boomer means?
https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/28730/baby-boom-generation-about-1969 War Two
We heard you the first time.
Oh it’s nothing to do with age, nothing at all.
It’s simply a generalised value judgement label term of abuse.
Somewhat akin to ” leprechaun”.
1946 – 1964 is the Boomer period. The 70’s are included in Generation X. Youngest Boomers are now heading for 60.
Prunella. As explained in the link in my reply to Henry, in the NZ context the baby boomer cohort covers from 1946 to the early 1970s. NZ Boomers are aged from about 50 to 77.
Overseas boomer cohort dates may vary.
Vienne, I don’t think that’s correct. I’m 49 and my parents were born after the war. They are boomers and I’m Gen X since 1974.
What’s a word mean these days? More the connotation than the meaning, notably men and women of a certain age who have benefited from post war prosperity and economic growth, at least in our parts of the world, and are now held responsible by younger generations for most of the bad decisions and fuck ups made along the way, now clearly apparent, while they are living the life of Riley, although clearly not a level playing field and some have prospered more than others, got lucky, perhaps inherited wealth. got way with only a few poor choices, played smart and/ or dirty, and are more well-heeled than others and are therefore more accountable. It’s all their fault god dammed it! Perhaps those just born will look back in good time and think much the same of their older brothers and sisters.
I’m guessing they need the money now?
But apart from all the other reasons stated, these large green areas act as giant sponges for rain. Lessons learnt from recent flooding. So turn those into intense housing and see what happens!
Why aren’t we selling golf courses?
Because they wouldn’t get building consents. They’re either zoned as green space in the suburbs or on flood prone land.
Because a minority of wealthy Boomers have manipulated AC into maintaining the golf courses for their own subsidized leisure at vast expense to the city.
AC put out a draft Golf Course Management Plan for public consultation last year titled “Where all Aucklanders benefit from publicly owned golf land” in an mad attempt to keep the Boomers happy but also increase the public usage of what is effectively vast swathes of public land being managed exclusively for a very small number of people.
They proposed a plan that would “open up” Council’s Golf Courses to other public users, such as joggers, cycling, other sports and even families picnicking!
Sounds like a great idea until one factors in high velocity projectiles normally associated with golf!
The consultation process was probably one of the most badly managed proposals in local government history. Look it up, it’s quite laughable!
Titled as if it was a chapter from a Winnie the Pooh book, the document itself was very badly written, almost childish in its formatting and imagery, made grandiose claims of ecological benefits based on very littlle evidence, and the public consultation process was a sham.
Due to the public response being heavily dominated by the Golf lobby who rejected the idea of the public utilizing their exclusive real estate, Councillors at the time rejected the plan and asked for the whole process to be conducted again….later this year.
So given that ACs Golf Courses are already currently under review, there is NO reason why the management of these public assets could not have been included in the budget discussions.
The reality is Mayor “Incapability Brown” simply chose not too include the $2.6Billion worth of highly manicured landscape or the $160Million it costs to maintain that estate in his Austerity budget because he has decided class and generational warfare is a better option for him and his mates.
He’s publicly said he doesnt want to put extra rates burden on those who own property in Auckland, i.e Wealthy Boomers, despite the projected increases being less than inflation….so lets cut services to poor people instead.
He got publicly beaten on that one…
What’s left?…. raising debt? Its literally the foundation of the global neo liberal economic paradigm but thats not good enough for Wayne, cos Wayne knows best… about literally eveything!
But wealthy Boomers must have somewhere to spend their well earned, publicly subsidised retirement, so selling some off their publicly subsidised leisure lands is like selling the family silver. Definitely off the table that one!
How about as a compromise we sell the Citiy’s stake in the Airport? We dont really need too if the other 3 options were pursued….but Boomers like too buy shares, especially when the value and return is projected to increase significantly over the coming years.
Win/win…..for everyone that matters. Have to find someway to transfer the City’s wealth eh Wayne!
Legal leases Martyn.
It won’t make much difference in the long run. ACC will just borrow more – up to just below the point that the rating agencies cut the ACC credit rating.
I’m not a golfer but I know a few golfers and what you’re suggesting is sacrilege.
If we go down this track, how long before football fields are done away with and replaced with housing?
What I’m seeing to resolve the housing crisis is hidden in clear view.
In 2018 we had two hundred thousand vacant houses in NZ. What percentage of those are just investors house banking? What penalty is there for wealthy investors both domestic and offshore to house bank? Is in morally corrupt to deliberately keep properties vacant during unprecedented homelessness?
Does the same apply to investors who have land banked huge areas that are suitable for housing? Is that also morally corrupt at a time that destroying beautiful golf courses is considered a reasonable option to produce more housing?
How sensible is it to have a net gain of fifty thousand immigrants a year when we already have serious housing problems? Should we instead put more focus on training our young people including the unemployed rather than creating more housing issues and paying the unemployed from other countries? Last year we had farmers and fruit growers complaining their fruit and vegs were rotting on the ground because they didn’t have a workforce yet we have one hundred thousand people unemployed / out of work?
Golf courses soak up flood waters. And with out them where would corporate event s take place and networking and how would baby boomers stay fit and how would we produce pro golfers.
Some idiot said it seems like Brown had the numbers, who was that?
Wayne Brown conceded ground on almost all his original planks for Auckland Council’s budget, and ground out a kind of political draw that left no one particularly happy
It is high time Faux Mayor, Wayne Brown should be sold.
No one will purchase something that is broken beyond repair, so you can rule dementia Brown out.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/132275346/robo-staff-juggling-and-comedy-hat-all-part-of-auckland-council-budget-talks
The immature Auckland Mayor in history.
Singapore Turf Club, the only one on the island is closing, the land will be made available for housing.
They do things differently up there, the govt calls all the shots!
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