July2021

SubmissiontoTeTūāpapaKuraKāinga–MinistryofHousingandUrbanDevelopment(HUD)onthedevelopmentoftheGovernmentPolicyStatementonHousingandUrbanDevelopment(GPS-HUD).

Introduction

TheNewtownResidents'AssociationistheIncorporatedSocietyrepresentingNewtownandthesurroundingsuburbs.Weareanactivelocalgroupofresidentsandbusinesspeople,concernedwithmaintainingandimprovingourarea’sliveability,connectednessandsustainabilityandworkingtomakeourcommunityathriving,diverse,greatplacetolive.

TheAssociationhasahistoryofpositiveurbandesignactionandactiveplacemaking.AssociationmembershavebeenveryengagedandinvolvedwithsuccessiveiterationsoftheWellingtonCityCouncilDistrictPlan,andhelpedtocreateanurbandesignguideforthearea.Thedesignerswholedacommunitybasedurbandesignprojectinthe90’s,whichhascreatedtheveryliveableandwalkableRiddifordStdesign,wereAssociationmembers.Wehaveapartyeveryyeartocelebratethiscommunityengagement,theNewtownFestival,stillgoingstrong25yearslater.Thefirststreetfestivalhappenedasacelebrationofthatproject’scompletion.

OurBuiltEnvironmnet

NewtownisasuburbofWellingtonwherethenarrowresidentialstreetsarepackedwithprimarilyoneortwostoreytimberhomesonsmallsections.BecauseoftheproximitytoWellingtonCityandtoapublictransportcorridorthemajorityofthisareaisnowregardedbyWellingtonCityCouncilasbeingsubjecttotheNPS-UDrequirementforenabling6storeybuildings.Therewillbemanycommunitiesthroughoutthecountryinasimilarsituation.

Submission

WehavechosentomaketheAssociation’ssubmissioninthiswrittenformasthepointswewanttomakedon’tfitneatlyintotheformatofthesurvey.

TheGPS-HUDVision:

“OurvisionisthateveryoneinAotearoaNewZealandlivesinahealthy,safe,secure,andaffordablehomethatmeetstheirneeds,withinathriving,inclusiveandsustainablecommunity.”

Wethoroughlyagreewiththisvision.IndeedweagreewithalmostalltheAspirationalOutcomes,theFocusAreasandtheWaysofWorking.

WeparticularlyresonatewiththeAspirationalOutcome#1forThrivingcommunities:

“Everyoneislivinginhomesandcommunitiesthatmeettheiremployment,education,socialandculturalwellbeingneedsandaspirations—placesthatareaffordable,connected,environmentallysustainable,safe,andinclusive.”

Howeverweareconcernedthatthedetailofthedocumentdoesnotdemonstratehowtoensuretheseoutcomes.TheGPS-HUD,theNPS-UDandthecomingNaturalandBuiltEnvironmentActshouldallbealigned,butthereareaspectsoftheNPS-UDwhichareincompatiblewiththeGPS-HUDaspirations,asdescribedbelowunder‘Placemaking’.AstheNaturalandBuiltEnvironmentActisstillbeingdevelopedthereisanopportunitytomakesurethattheActandtheGPS-HUDareinagreement,butthereareaspectsofthecurrentNBEAexposuredraftwhichcallthisintoquestion.

ThemesintheGPS-HUD

Therearethemesthreadedthroughthedifferentsectionsoftheconsultationdocument.Inparticulartherearemanyreferencestopartnershipandcommunitybasedplacemaking,andalsotosustainability.Thissubmissionexploresthepracticalimplicationsofthesethemes.

Placemaking

Onpage65oftheGPS-HUDconsultationdocumentweread:

“Ngāwhakahoahoaā-wāhi

Place-basedapproaches“

“Aone-size-fits-allsolutionforhousingandurbandevelopmentwillnotdeliverthethrivingcommunitieswewant.”Thisfollowsonto“…wewillbetakingaplace-basedapproachtopolicyandinterventionsthatrecognisesthatlocalconditions,partnerships,andsolutionsareintegraltodesigninginterventionsthatwork.”

Westronglyagreewiththesestatements,butourexperienceisthattheNPS-UDcanindeedbeusedasa“onesizefitsallsolution”toincreasingurbandensity.

Onpage32theconsultationdocumentsays

“Ourvisionisaboutmorethanbuildinghouses.WewantthepeopleofAotearoaNewZealandtoliveinhomesincommunitiesthatsupportwellbeing,andthatrequiresustomaintainafocusonplacemaking.”Andonpage48–“Townsandcitieswillonlygrowwellwhenpeople,communitiesandinstitutionsareconnectingandcollaboratingearly,learningfromthepastandfromeachother,andsharingknowledgetoplanforgrowthandchange(forexample,naturalresourcesarerespectedandcaredforaslivingtupunainteaoMāori).”

OurResidents’Associationhasfocussedonplacemakingovermanyyears.Westronglysupportincreasedurbandensity,andareadvocatesfortheconceptsof‘densitydonewell’.Inourlocalcommunitywehavespentagreatdealoftimeidentifyinggoodlocationsfor6storeydevelopments.Thesedevelopmentswouldbefocussedonunder-utilisedcommercialandindustrial‘brownfield’sites,mostlyintheNewtownSuburbanCentre,andhavethepotentialtoprovideover2000newhomes.WerecommendedtoWellingtonCityCouncilthatthesedevelopmentsshouldbesupported,andthatdevelopmentsintheresidentialstreetsshouldrespectthehumanscaleoftheneighbourhoodandshouldmostlyberestrictedto3storeys;therewillbemoreaboutthereasonsforthisunder‘sustainability’.OurattemptstoengagewiththeCouncilincollaborativeplanningaboutthishavebeenunsuccessful.ThemajorityofourresidentialareaisregardedbyWellingtonCityCouncilasbeingsubjecttotheNPS-UDrequirementforenabling6storeybuildingsandthisisreflectedintheirdecisionsabouttheSpatialPlan.TheSpatialPlanhasyettobetranslatedintoanewDistrictPlan.

WewouldliketheGovernmenttofindasolutionforthedilemmaofincreasingurbandensity,inthespiritoftheNPS-UD,withoutallowingtheNPS-UDrequirementstoobliteratethepotentialforlocalplacemaking.

Partnership

Alsoonpage65oftheconsultaiondocumentweread:

“Ngāhonongapono,honongamauroa

Genuineandenduringpartnership

Maximisingthebenefitsofhousingandurbandevelopmentrequiresproactiveandgenuinecollaborationbetweennumerousorganisations.

GovernmentiscommittedtoexpandingourcapacitytonurtureourrelationshipwithiwiandMāoriasourTeTiritioWaitangipartnerandareessentialtogeneratingtherighthousingandurbanoutcomesmovingforwards.

Governmentalsoneedstopursuemeaningfulandrealrelationshipswithlocalgovernment,industry,non-governmentorganisations,localvoices,andvoicesoflivedexperience.[ouritalics].

ItisparticularlyimportantthatKāingaOradevelopsgenuineandenduringpartnershipstodeliverthebestoutcomesforcommunities.

Acrossourworkwewillpursuepartnershipsandrelationshipsforpeopleandplaces,leveragingtheknowledgeandconnectionsthatcomewithbeingapartoftheCrown.

Governmentagencieswillworkmorecloselywitheachothertoaligninvestmentandoutcomestherebymaximisingtheimpactthatgovernmentinterventioncanmakeinplacesandforpeople.”

ThissubmissionstronglysupportsthegoalofincludingiwiandMāoriinplanning,andnothingwesayisintendedtocutacrossordiminishtheimportanceoftheTreatypartners.

HoweverweobservethatthissectionisaboutGovernmentagencieshavingcontroloftheprocess,andthefocusisprimarlyonpartnershipsbetweenGovernmentDepartments,LocalGovernment,developers,communityhousingprovidersandsimilarorganisations.

Weaskthatthe‘waysofworking’aroundpartnershipsincludemuchgreaterrecognitionofthe“localvoices,andvoicesoflivedexperience”.Theseareacknowledgedinthepolicybutthereisverylittlesaidabouthowtoutilisetheexpertiseandexperienceofexistingcommunities.Unlessthisisputintopracticethegoalsonlocalplacemakingcannotbeachieved.

Sustainability

Theimportanceofsunshine

Assurancesaboutsustainabilityarethreadedthroughtheconsultationdocument.HowevertheGPS-HUD,theNPS-UDandthecomingNaturalandBuiltEnvironmentalActmaynotbealignedinwaysthatachievethesegoals.Aparticularconcernisthatconceptssuchas‘amenityvalues’tendtoberegardedasbarrierstourbanintensification.TheyarelikelytobedroppedfromtheNBEAanddisregardedinplanningrules.

Oneofthekey‘amenityvalues’hastraditionallybeentheprotectionofaccesstosunlight.Westronglyadvocateforsunlightbeinganextremelyimportantaspectofwell-being,andacompellingreasonforDistrictPlansallowingresourceconsentstolimittheheightofnewbuildingsandtohaveotherprovisionstopreventexcessiveanddamagingshadingonexistinghomes.Sunlightisn’tjusta‘nicetohave’,particularlywhentheexistinghousingstockishomesbuiltofnativetimbers.Themajorityofthesehomesinourareaarewarmanddrywhentheyarewellmaintained,buttheyneedsunlighttokeepthemthatway.Amoredetailedanalysisofthiscanbefoundasanappendixattheendofthissubmission

Thereisnooverallbenefittotheprovisionofsustainablehousingifnewdevelopmentsofwarm,dryapartmentsleadtowidespreaddeteriorationoftheexistinghomes.Thisoutcomeisnotmerespeculation,thishasalreadyhappenedwhenhighrisedevelopmentswereallowedintheWellingtonsuburbofTeArointhe1970s.Thiswasoneofthefactorsthatledtoourcurrentplanningrules.Nooneexpectsnewdevelopmentstotakeoverthewholeareaininnercitysuburbs,infactuptakefiguresaslowas14%ofavailablesiteshavebeenmentioned,butifthenewdevelopmentsareoutofscalewiththesurroundinghousingtheeffectsofshadewillmeanthathomesthatarewarmanddrynowriskbecomingcoldanddamp,reducingthequalityoflifeandaffectingthehealthofoccupantsofallagesintheseneighbouringflatsandhomes.Wealsonotethatifexistinghomesareallowedtobecomeshadedthenmoreenergywillbeneededtokeepthemwarmanddry,andsolarpanelsonthesehomeswillnotbeabletooperateasintended,alldiminishingenvironmentalsustainability.

Theenvironmentaleffectsofdemolitionandrebuilding

Onpage68,under‘action’theconsultationdocumentrecommends

“Agenciesworkingtogethertodevelopandimplementdata,evidenceandtoolstounderstandclimateimpactsofhousingandurbandevelopment,andoperationalandembodiedemissionsresultingfrompolicy,investmentandplanningdecisions.”

Weagreethatthisiscruciallyimportant,butagainotheraspectsofhousingpolicyhavegoneaheadofthisunderstanding.NPS-UDexpectstoreduceemissionsfromtransportbyenablingurbandensificationwithinwalkingdistanceofpublictransportroutesandcommercialcentres.Howeverthereisalotofdemolitionandnewbuildingrequiredintheseplansandnewbuilding,particularlyhighrise,isverycarbonintensive.

Ontheotherhandtheexistingoldhousesbuiltofnativetimbersrepresentagreatdealofembodiedenergyandsequesteredcarbon.Manyhavebeenadaptedandupgradedovertime,whichismoreenvironmentallysustainablethanreplacingthem.Alsothesebuildingsareresilientandhavesurvived100+yearsofearthquakesinWellington,whilethedamagefromrecentearthquakeshasledtoseveralcomparativelynewbuildingsbeingdemolished.

Wewouldliketoseemuchmoreemphasisonunderstandingthecomplexitiesoftheclimateimpactofhousingandurbandevelopment,asabove.Weunderstandthatbothnationallyandinternationallythereisincreasinginterestintheadaptivereuseofexistingbuildings,andwewouldliketoseethisexploredfurther.

Inconclusion

Thankyoufortheopportunitytomakethissubmission.TheoverallvisionandgoalsofthisproposedGovernmentPolicyStatementalignwithvaluesthatwestronglyagreewith,butweaskthattheGovernmentmakessurethatallthepoliciesthatguidehousingandurbandevelopmentsupportactionsthatmakeitpossibletorealisethesegoals.

RhonaCarson

PresidentNewtownResidents’Association

Appendix–theimportanceofsunshine.

TheNPS-UDallowslocalauthoritiestotakeintoaccountSocial,Economic,EnvironmentalandCulturalqualifyingfactorswhendecidingthelandtobezonedforintensification.

SUNSHINE

Sunlightisimportantforwarmthandwellbeing.Thatitwon’tmatteriftallapartmentbuildingscastshadeacrosslotsoflowrisehomesisanideafromacontinentalclimate.InthelikesofcontinentalNewYork,Paris,Milan,orMelbournetheclimatecanbesohotinsummerthatyouwanttoescapethesunandbeintheshade,andinwintertimeitissocoldthesunwon’twarmyouupanyway.InWellington’stemperatecoastalclimatewithitshighhumidity,directsunshineisimportantsummerandwinter,it’sthenaturalcarbonzeroenginethatpowersthesurvivalandwellbeingofourexistingtimberstructures,livingplantsandourpeople[tenantsandownersequally].InWellingtonpeopleseldomgatherintheshadewheninthesunisanoption.Becauseweareacoolerclimatemanypeoplearen’tawareofhowhighourhumidityis.*

Theverycloselypackedwoodenhousesonsmallsectionsofthecharacterinnersuburbswiththeirsmallgardensandtrees,formsuchatightdenseconfigurationtheeffectivegroundplaneisoften1-2storeysaboveactualgroundlevel.Muchofthehousingstockwerebuiltsoclosetogethertheyonlyreceivesunshineontwosidesandontheirroofduringthecourseofaday.ManyoftheexistingdwellingsinNewtownareaccessible,haveprovenresilienttoearthquakesandstorms.They’readaptablehousingstocksupportingmultigenerationalfamiliesfromdiverse

culturalbackgrounds.Theexistingneighbourhoodsandtheirgreeneryareanecosystemlikealivingbreathingorganism,partofthelungsofthecity.

Themassofestablishedbuildingsandtheirgardenvegetationdependonsunshineforsurvival.90to150yearoldwoodenhousesareallbuiltoutofuntreatedheartnativetimbersthatrelyonbeingwarmanddrytonotgrowmouldandrot.Sunshineisessentialtotheirsurvival.Provenoveracenturythecommunityofhomesisafitwithitssolarinput.Althoughsomethataretoodampremainandneedtobefixeduporreplaced,moststructureswheretheconditionsweretoodamphavealreadyrottedoutandbeenreplaced.Overthedecades,theimportanceofsunlightfortheoccupantsandthestructureshasbeenunderstood,acknowledgedandsupportedbythedaylightenveloperulesandheightlimitsintheDistrictPlan.

Addinsixstoreytallapartmentbuildingsblockingthesunshineacrossanexistinginnercityneighbourhoodthenthatneighbourhoodwillbecomecolderand,becauseofourhighhumidity,damper,shadedtreesandgardenswillceasetothrive,theexistingaccessible,adaptable,resilienthousingstockwillbegintorotanddecay.Spatialplanningfortheseexistingfunctioningcommunitiesoftenantsandownersneedstoconsiderasqualifyingfactorstheirnaturalrenewableenergyneeds,theircurrentfunctionality,theirembodiedenergyandtheirsequesteredcarbon.

∗ 82%humidityat3pmWed9thJune,abrightsunnyautumn-likeday

∗ 87%humidityat6pmTues8thJune,acloudyday.

∗ 100%humidityformostofMon7thJune(butnorain!),lowcloudmostoftheday