Our Growing City

Our Growing City

Understanding the challenges of change in a growing city

Wednesday 6 April 2022
Online Panel Discussion
 

Tāmaki Makaurau is growing. We’re fast approaching two million people with another million expected in the next 30 years. And, as our city grows, so does the need for Aucklanders to have more housing choices closer to the everyday things they need.  

In 2022, Auckland Council, like other councils around the country, will make changes to its planning rules to support more housing density around the city centre and town centres and near rapid transport. These changes are in response to the government’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD), which is designed to increase housing supply and to improve New Zealand’s housing affordability.  

But change like this can be unsettling. 

The ability for Aucklanders to understand and accept the reasons for change in our city will be critical as council, government and other agencies give effect to transformative strategies such as the NPS-UD, Climate Action Plan and Transport Emissions Reduction Plan.  

In this Auckland Conversations we will confront the topic of change and look at why change is challenging for residents of growing cities. We’ll explore how a population which is resilient and open to change is critical to the success of a growing city. 

Jess Berentson-Shaw

Social Scientist, Narrative strategist

Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw is a social scientist and narrative strategist. She is committed to a society where everyone gets what they need to thrive, and where we live within the boundaries of our planet’s ecosystems. Jess has worked across government, business and the not for profit, advocating and agitating for the use of best evidence in decision-making to achieve these outcomes. In an evolution from evidence agitation Jess co-founded The Workshop with Marianne Elliott in 2017. At The Workshop she researches both what evidence suggests are changes that will make the biggest difference to people and the planet, and the shared mindsets and narratives that can hinder or enable people’s support for such changes. Jess now works with people in research, governments, kaupapa Māori organisations, business and social and environmental movements to help them understand the role of mindsets, and improve people’s decision making using tested social science and communication strategies. Jess has a PhD In Health Psychology from Victoria University and is author of Pennies from Heaven: Why Cash Works Best to Ensure All Children Thrive  (2017) and A Matter of Fact. Talking Truth in a Post-truth World (2018). A BWB text . You can find her words on national media outlets including Newsroom, Stuff, and RNZ.

Shamubeel Eaqub

Economist, Sense. Partners

Shamubeel is an experienced economist who makes economics easy. He is also an author, media commentator, and a thought leading public speaker. He has over a decade of experience as an economist in Wellington, Melbourne and Auckland in leading international banks and consultancy. Shamubeel is a partner at Sense. Partners - a boutique economic consultancy. He is on various boards of charities and commercial firms. 

Rod Oram

Business Journalist

Business journalist Rod Oram contributes weekly to Newsroom, Nine to Noon, and Newstalk ZB. He is a public speaker on deep sustainability, business, economics, and innovation. Rod is a member of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship, which brings together people from here and abroad who seek to contribute to global change from Aotearoa.In Citigroup’s annual global journalism awards, Rod was the winner in 2019 in the General Business category in the Australia and NZ region for his columns in Newsroom on Fonterra; and he was the NZ Journalist of the year.In the New Zealand Shareholders’ Association Business Journalism Awards, Rod won the Business Commentary category in 2018 and 2020 for his Newsroom columns.Rod was a founding trustee and the second chairman of Ākina Foundation, which helps social enterprises develop their business models in areas of sustainability. He remains actively involved with the foundation and the ventures it supports.In 2016, Bridget Williams Books published Rod’s most recent book, Three Cities: Seeking Hope in the Anthropocene, details at bwb.co.nz/books/three-cities

Councillor Richard Hills

Environment and Climate Change Committee Chair, Auckland Council

Councillor Richard Hills is chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee and North Shore ward Councillor. He is a second term councillor and, when elected, was the second youngest councillor in Auckland Council History. He is Auckland Council’s first rainbow councillor and belongs to Ngā Puhi.Councillor Hills’ priorities include people, public transport, climate change, youth, mental health, and the environment. He is currently leading Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri, the Auckland response to climate change.Prior to election as a councillor, Cr Hills spent two terms as a member of the Kaipātiki Local Board and was a youth worker, employed across health boards in Auckland.

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