WEBVTT - Ferries, roads and rail: What are the Government's latest transport priorities? 0:00:05.080 --> 0:00:05.480 Hilda. 0:00:05.600 --> 0:00:08.600 I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:11.920 daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:16.919 It's been revealed that the. 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:21.520 Government considered using private company Blue Bridge to replace the 0:00:21.600 --> 0:00:24.880 current inter islander fleet. It's just the latest in the 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:30.680 saga that is the Cook Straight Ferries after years of negotiations, debate. 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:31.800 And an axed contract. 0:00:31.920 --> 0:00:34.160 But it's hardly the first time we've had a major 0:00:34.280 --> 0:00:39.320 transport project faced delays and changes. All forms of transporter 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:43.280 eyeing big investments. But how long before we actually get 0:00:43.320 --> 0:00:46.159 some movement? Today on the Front Page, News Talk z 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:49.480 B political reporter Azaria Howell is with us to dig 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:59.320 into the politics behind the country's transport networks. So Azaria 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:02.000 reminds of the fairies saga. 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:03.000 Where are we at with it? 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:07.440 Yeah, So this is a long standing issue. This has 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:10.479 been going on for quite some time and it's likely 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:13.959 to go on for quite some time, meaning essentially through 0:01:14.040 --> 0:01:16.920 till about the end of twenty twenty nine. That's when 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:19.960 we're going to see two new fairies be delivered. That's 0:01:20.000 --> 0:01:23.959 what the new government is promising now. Documents from Treasury 0:01:24.080 --> 0:01:26.640 show that the first fairy is proposed to come in 0:01:26.720 --> 0:01:30.639 around February twenty twenty nine. The second around October twenty 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:34.560 twenty nine. Minister for Rail Winston Peters. He's recently been 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:38.400 crowned that new title. He has previously said we will 0:01:38.440 --> 0:01:42.360 get new fairies before Christmas twenty twenty nine, so he 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:47.680 essentially took over responsibility of those fairies relatively recently. It 0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:50.720 was a sort of a new portfolio for him that 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:55.280 was coming back, and it was essentially the previous government 0:01:55.800 --> 0:02:00.160 had contracted to buy new megafairies. That project had to 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:04.320 be canceled due to numerous cost blowouts and essentially a 0:02:04.360 --> 0:02:09.040 lot of concerns about the feasibility of a project like that. 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:11.640 There was also a few concerns about the port side 0:02:11.680 --> 0:02:15.639 infrastructure cost as well. Specifically, so if we're getting bigger ships, 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.080 we need to sort of upgrade the places that they're 0:02:18.080 --> 0:02:20.160 going to. So there was a big price tag with 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:23.040 that and the new government came in they were not happy. 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:25.399 I mean, they've been known as a government that has 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:29.000 been sort of trimming spending in certain areas to kind 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:31.440 of cut back and invest in what they call the 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:34.880 frontline and frontline services, and perhaps that's what we've seen 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:36.040 in terms of this as well. 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:38.680 Now, I believe that you've seen some documents around the 0:02:38.760 --> 0:02:42.680 ideas floated about how to handle the cook Straight situation. 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:45.920 What kind of ideas were thrown into the mix. Yeah, 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:49.840 so there's a lot of different options. It's worth saying 0:02:49.840 --> 0:02:53.120 the government went to a market process for I think 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:55.880 about three and a half weeks. It kind of sounded 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:59.120 out the ideas of the market so shipbrokers and people 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:02.200 in that maritime sector as to what's next. And one 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.000 of the really interesting ones something that stood out to 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:08.800 me was the government considered contracting with Blue Bridge, which, 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:11.840 as you'll know, it's a private cook Straight ferry company 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:15.840 that essentially competes sort of with the inter Islander, which 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:18.640 is run by state owned enterprise Kiwi rou So the 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:23.359 government considered doing that essentially because the inter Islander fleet 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:26.360 is getting older. There there have been some very public 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:30.600 issues with those that you'll be aware of. Specifically, one 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:33.960 of the ships has lost power, another one running aground. 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:38.800 Major issues there, so that they're wanting to upgrade that infrastructure. 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:42.080 That how they'll actually go about doing that, it's not 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:44.840 one hundred percent certain, but they've kind of ticked it 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:49.560 down now to a shortlist of six shipbrokers and they'll 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:53.480 be looking at whether or not they can deliver value 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:55.600 for money, whether or not it will come in on time, 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:59.760 that Christmas twenty twenty nine date being essentially the final deadline, 0:03:59.840 --> 0:04:03.160 or the preferred final deadline of the government there. It's 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:05.800 worth noting that they did not go with the blue 0:04:05.840 --> 0:04:08.680 Bridge options, so it was more just an idea that 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:11.800 was being floated around. But it is interesting in the 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:14.559 Labor Party has thrown in quite a bit of criticism 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:17.719 on that as well, suggesting it it kind of makes 0:04:17.800 --> 0:04:21.279 up for what could be privatization of that public cook 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:24.920 straight faery situation there, so there's been a little bit 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:28.479 of criticism about looking at that. There was also ideas 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:32.560 of a different commercial company to come in to compete 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:35.599 with blue Bridge. Treasury documents that I've seen say it 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:40.400 quote could be worth further consideration, but essentially they couldn't 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:42.719 do it because they had to get this business case 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.240 in by March twenty twenty five. And at the end 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:47.520 of March Winston Peters, who as I have said, as 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:50.679 the Minister for Rail, made this big announcement saying Christmas 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:54.400 twenty twenty nine, we will have these fairies in place. 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:57.560 Right, So you said that they're negotiating or checking out 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:01.239 at least six builders or p of these fairies. 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:02.600 I mean, where do they hail from? 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:06.640 Yeah, so there's been there's been previous confirmation from the 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:10.880 Minister's Office of expressions of interest from South Korea and Finland, 0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:15.320 the former being really the fascinating one there. South Korea 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:19.040 was going to be where the shipyard was that was 0:05:19.080 --> 0:05:21.560 going to build the original Mega ferries. 0:05:21.200 --> 0:05:23.040 The Irex contract. 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:26.960 Yes, that's the one. So the Mega Fairies, the one 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:30.000 that's been seen as really expensive by this government was 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:33.280 going to be contracted to South Korea. So it is 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:35.400 interesting that they're looking at that now. It's not one 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:39.960 hundred percent clear if that means that it's the same company. 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:42.960 I believe it was Hyundai. It's not one hundred percent 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:46.000 clear if that is who the South Korean shipyard is. 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:49.080 So I suppose there's a bit a bit that we'll 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:51.440 have to wait and see for that one. Yeah, Treasury 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.159 underwent a market process for three and a half weeks 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:57.440 to kind of get alternative ideas for what that ferry 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:01.000 service could look like. Now this Treasury report as well, 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:05.280 it's confirmed that Treasury mat with fifteen parties in terms 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:08.920 of the maritime sector and got twenty five written submissions 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:12.080 from people all around the sector in terms of infrastructure, 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:14.160 maritime and things like that. 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:18.720 And the latest One News variant pole we asked do 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:21.440 you think the government made the right or wrong decision 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:25.599 to cancel the replacement cook straight fairies? Twenty six percent 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:28.520 say it was the right decision. Well, fifty one percent 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:31.080 say it was the wrong decision. The rest didn't know. 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:34.000 Well, I think that the poll asks the wrong question 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:38.359 because the government is replacing the fairies. If you had 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:41.479 asked New Zealanders should we replace the feries in the 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:44.320 way that is the best value for money, I think 0:06:44.360 --> 0:06:46.080 you'll find most would say yes. 0:06:49.240 --> 0:06:52.760 Moving on to Budget twenty twenty five, it's saw some 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.600 big commitments when it comes to transport. 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:57.440 Hey, what were some of the highlights for you? 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:00.960 Yeah, So Budget twenty twenty five has been labeled as 0:07:01.040 --> 0:07:04.400 the growth budget. Now this is a really big one. 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:07.279 That's as the government as putting on a greater focus 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:11.760 on economic growth and boosting the economy, lifting productivity and 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:14.280 things like that. So there is quite a bit of 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:18.080 investment there in terms of repairing local roads that have 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:21.920 been damaged by the likes of storms as well. There's 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:26.480 been investment in railways in the Wellington areas in Auckland 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:29.200 as well. Obviously that comes as there's a lot of 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:31.760 chatter as there always has been about City rail Link, 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:35.400 which is a very interesting one and I suppose transport 0:07:35.440 --> 0:07:38.960 is a really big key priority area in terms of 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:41.840 in terms of that government budget. I mean we're seeing 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:44.920 millions of dollars there, we're seeing big commitment. Obviously it 0:07:44.960 --> 0:07:48.520 comes after like the Roads of National Significance project and 0:07:48.560 --> 0:07:51.200 things like that, so there is quite a bit going 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:54.040 on it. It also comes with a couple of government 0:07:54.080 --> 0:07:57.160 policies in that transport space that have created quite a 0:07:57.200 --> 0:08:00.440 bit of interest. So there's been this idea of raising 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:03.160 speed limits to get people to and from work quicker 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:06.080 and what the government says will speed up productivity. So 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:09.000 it's important to note that that has been another big 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:13.080 key part of the transport policy. 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:23.240 Now it's been a few months since Chris Bishop took 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:26.240 over the role of Transport Minister. Has there been a 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:30.760 change in tone with him in charge compared to Simeon Brown. Yes. 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:34.440 I think the interesting thing with that is when Simon 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:38.360 Brown took over as Minister of Health from Shane Aderti, 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:40.840 and he put quite a bit of changes in that 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:43.440 sort of health space, putting in a commissioner in health 0:08:43.480 --> 0:08:46.160 as well. Now, transport I feel like has been a 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:48.959 bit less of a maybe a hot topic or an 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:51.720 urgent topic as much as health. So I feel like 0:08:51.760 --> 0:08:55.120 the transition from Simeon Brown to Chris Bishop has kind 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:58.839 of seen more focus towards Brown as Health Minister rather 0:08:58.920 --> 0:09:02.520 than Bishop as Transport minister. But Bishop has always been 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:05.520 known as a big transport guy. He's been the MP 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:09.319 for the electorate in Lower Hut for quite some time 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:13.120 on and off. I believe he lost that seat with 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.200 the Labor wave and then won it back. He's been 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:19.120 speaking about the likes of the Meling Interchange in rail 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:22.440 infrastructure in his electorate in the Hut Valley for quite 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.400 some time. So yeah, it's been interesting to see him 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:27.880 take over that role. But I feel like there has 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:30.280 been quite a bit more focus on how is Simeon 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:33.920 Brown doing as Health minister versus how is Chris Bishop 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:36.480 doing in that transport space. There's been quite a bit 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:39.880 of interesting commentary in Chris Bishop's role with raising the 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:42.600 speed limits that is kind of taking place now. They're 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:45.000 changing the street signs, they're sort of digging them up 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:47.520 and making it go from one hundred two one hundred 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:51.120 and ten. Announcing these things as well. So that's been 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:55.600 kind of the big thing recently for Minister Bishop and 0:09:55.679 --> 0:09:57.840 I'm sure there's more to come in terms of the 0:09:57.880 --> 0:09:58.640 transport space. 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:02.720 Is the tone from this government pretty much still roads, roads, 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:05.920 roads and more roads because Winston Peters did get some 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.559 major wins for rail in the budget, right. 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:13.360 Yeah, So as mentioned before, Winston Peters the Minister for Rail, 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:16.280 that's that's really been something he's been trying to push for. 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:19.079 It's it's been the case in that ferry space and 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:21.720 it's been the case outside of the ferries as well. 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:24.760 So Winston Peter's before the budget and you may have 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:28.000 actually you may be familiar with this because this was 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:31.720 an announcement in Wellington in which he made an announcement 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:33.800 at the Wellington train station and got a bit of 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:36.480 a heckle back and forth from hime Omber of the public. 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:38.040 I think I may have seen something about that. 0:10:39.559 --> 0:10:42.679 So ship bollocks load of pollismo, like well, it's gone 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:44.240 up in a mini Suntie you. 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:48.240 Look like like Bollock's mate Sunjoint even. 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:52.800 Donald that you're a topd you in that both. 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:58.280 Yes, so so, so that was the announcement. But in 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:01.360 terms of the numbers was four hundred and sixty four 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:04.640 million dollar capital, one hundred and forty one million dollar 0:11:04.760 --> 0:11:09.440 operating allowance for rail maintenance that was in Auckland and Wellington, 0:11:09.559 --> 0:11:13.640 so those metro areas, those ceties for commuters and for 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:16.480 freight as well. So it was a major announcement. But 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:20.559 I think that day may have been overshadowed by Winston 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:23.880 Peter's telling someone to nap off and him saying things 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:25.760 that he said that probably can't be repeated. 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:28.280 So that was probably for the best day, definitely. 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:31.120 So Chris Bishop actually spoke to the Front Page late 0:11:31.200 --> 0:11:35.880 last year about using tolls as an additional mechanism. 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:36.880 To help pay for roads. 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:41.280 We're looking at using tolls as an additional mechanism to 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.199 help pay for the roads because they provide the revenue 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:46.600 stream to help the financing of some of these roads, 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:48.840 and so we made a commitment to do that as 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:51.480 a coalition government. And many of the Islanders will be 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:53.959 familiar with toll roads overseas. We've got toile roads in 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:56.160 Zealand right now. I've got the Northern Gateway north of Auckland, 0:11:56.320 --> 0:11:58.679 got top of toll roads around Toronto. They had plenty, 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:00.800 so they are they do it the New Zealand right now, 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:02.560 we're just saying we want to make more use of them. 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:06.880 Has any further work been done around introducing more toll roads. 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:12.559 Chris Bishop has said tolling concessions could deliver roads sooner, 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:15.360 So that is a big sort of key piece and 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:19.040 it kind of highlights where things are at the government 0:12:19.080 --> 0:12:23.200 does want to get infrastructure delivered relatively quickly and it 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:26.240 has been looking at the idea. It's also Chris Bishop's 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:30.280 also been looking overseas in terms of places that have 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:34.440 toll roads and further concessions to see how it's working. 0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:38.160 I believe he traveled to Australia looking at toll roads 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:42.320 there and just seeing how that actual financing and the 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:45.920 funding is working. And Chris Bishop says the benefits of 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:49.400 that for Sydney motorists have been huge. So it's been 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:52.800 slashing travel times, which, as we've mentioned with the speed limits, 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:55.400 has been a big focus of this government. So it's 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:58.520 not one hundred percent certain we will put toll roads 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:02.719 in this, I suppose, but they've they've been looking at 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:06.080 what might be a next option going forward. So they've 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:10.200 been looking at roads that are currently have have tolls 0:13:10.200 --> 0:13:13.080 on them and might go up, and then roads that 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:16.680 are due to open the much awaited outucky to north 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:19.280 of Levin as locals call it O two NL, things 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:22.120 like that, they are looking at it and as they say, 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:26.120 they say tolling concessions could deliver infrastructure sooner. So I 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:28.800 feel like they could be trying to sell the idea 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:31.040 to members of the public that they're going to say, 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.000 you know, you might have to pay a little bit extra, 0:13:33.160 --> 0:13:36.880 you'll get this flash new road rolled out, maybe even 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:40.080 years before it was meant to. So yeah, it could 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:41.800 be a could be want to keep an eye on. 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.079 I mean, when he announced that he was going over 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:46.360 to Sydney and having a chat with those guys. I mean, 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:48.800 my best friend used to live in Sydney and the 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:52.360 tolling situations in Sydney is actually insane. So it's all 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:55.920 run privately by private companies. Each car has a little 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.760 thing in their car, so it doesn't get your red 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.480 jo it sees this little thing in your car. I 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:03.400 was there in his car taking photos of it. I 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:07.120 was that fascinated. But they have to navigate different routes 0:14:07.160 --> 0:14:10.520 to work every day if you live in a specific area, 0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:12.959 because you could people try and avoid them. People try 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:15.959 and avoid them because you could from home to work 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:19.280 depending on where you live. In Sydney, for example, you 0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:22.120 could be running through three toll roads on the way 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:25.200 to work three backs. So some people are actually spending 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:28.520 so much money, especially in Sydney at least, I think 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:31.240 they've put in a cap because it was getting so bad. 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:33.200 People were spending like hundreds of dollars a week. It 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:33.840 was insane. 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:37.840 Yeah, well that's that's like definitely interesting. And I wonder 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:41.080 when the minister was in Australia if that kind of 0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:44.400 issue was brought up. Hey, don't go too far with it, 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:47.320 you know, you might need to put on some restrictions 0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:50.920 and some limits. Yeah, that's that's really interesting. 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:51.200 Well. 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:53.680 He also wrote a piece in The Herald that we 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:58.280 need more transit oriented development, with cities such as Auckland 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:03.560 seeing development clustered around mass transit. Given he is Infrastructure 0:15:03.720 --> 0:15:07.120 and Housing Minister, is he basically in charge of sorting 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:10.160 out all areas of our lives now well I wouldn't 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:10.960 say all areas. 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:14.440 We did have that health chat before, but definitely quite 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:16.760 a lot going on there in terms of the housing 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:20.040 space and how it works with infrastructure. Chris Bishop has 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.400 been a big fan of zoning, of sort of upscaling 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:26.840 developments and things like that that's been going on in 0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:29.240 Wellington and he has been a big fan of it, 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:32.800 notably on x which used to be called Twitter. Chris 0:15:32.840 --> 0:15:37.320 Bishop often comes to fight for housing developments and things 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:40.360 like that that are taking place that some residents might oppose, 0:15:40.960 --> 0:15:44.240 essentially saying we need housing growth, we need to support 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:49.560 more infrastructure, more housing, sustainability, sustainable developments and things like that. 0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:51.880 So it has been it has been quite a big 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:54.800 thing that he's been supporting. I also know city councils 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:57.480 are coming up with their own zoning plans and they're 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:01.280 sort of working with and having conversations about how that works. 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:04.120 I know Wellington had to sort that I want to 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:07.400 say last year, maybe late the year before. So there 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:10.280 are lots of questions in terms of how much can 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.280 you upzone by a train station and things like that. 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:15.520 There are questions that need to be answered, but it 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:18.200 does seem like we could be in for more zoning, 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:20.120 bigger housing developments and things like that. 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:22.400 Thanks for joining us, Azariah. 0:16:21.840 --> 0:16:23.120 Thanks so much, it's been great. 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:30.160 That's it for this episode of the Front Page. You 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:34.000 can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:38.040 at enzdherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:41.800 produced by Ethan Sills and Richard Martin, who is also 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:46.640 our sound engineer. I'm Chelsea Daniels. Subscribe to the Front 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:50.360 Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts, and 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:54.479 tune in on Monday for another look behind the headlines.