“NZ no more a half-gallon quarter acre pavlova paradise”

Tuesday 5 March

Environment Minister Marian Hobbs spelled this out as one of many reasons why good urban design was vital for the sustainable development of New Zealand’s urban environment.

The Ministry for Environment launched People Places and Spaces - A Design Guide for Urban New Zealand, at the Auckland Regional Council Chambers this afternoon.

Minister Hobbs said that as the Auckland region looks to accommodate a growing population it has to ensure that “our urban environments work for us”. She said that to achieve this, thoughtful urban design would become more important. “First, you haven’t got room for everyone to own the iconic ‘half-gallon quarter acre pavlova paradise’ - but more importantly, not all urban New Zealanders want to own a large home and section.”

Over 83 percent of the NZ population lives in urban areas. The Auckland region has 30% of NZ’s population now and is the country’s largest urban concentration. It is expected that the proportion of people living in urban environments, nationally and in Auckland, will continue to increase.

ARC Chairperson Gwen Bull believes that good urban design is vital for Auckland to become one of the top ten regions to live in the world. “The ARC and various Auckland councils have been working together and have already seen the production of guidelines for design of urban environments. However, there hasn’t been a nationally focused principles guide – today’s launch is important in that it will provide nationally consistent standards for the way we design our urban areas.”

As described in People Places and Spaces, the general profile of New Zealand settlements are that they are young and dominated by a suburban car-oriented pattern. Changing this to a more diverse choice of lifestyles, jobs, transport, and economic options while achieving good design outcomes is a complex task.

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For further information please call: Gwen Bull Chairperson of ARC 3662000 ext 7111 or Noel Reardon Manager Strategic Development 3662000 ext 8464 or Zac Qereqeretabua Communications Advisor 366 2000 ext 8135 MEDIA PACKS ON REQUEST

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