MORENA. GOOD MORNING, AND WELCOME TO Q+A. I'M GREG BOYED. WELL, IT'S BEEN IN THE MAKING FOR WHAT SEEMS LIKE AN ETERNITY ` AUCKLAND'S UNITARY PLAN IS OUT. IS IT THE FIX THE GOVERNMENT WANTS FOR AUCKLAND'S UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING MARKET? HOW LONG BEFORE HOMES ARE CHEAP ENOUGH FOR FIRST-HOME BUYERS AGAIN? JESSICA MUTCH WILL HAVE REACTION FROM HOUSING MINISTER DR NICK SMITH AND THE AUCKLAND PROPERTY COUNCIL. PLUS ` WHENA OWEN LOOKS AT WHY THIS IS A CRITICAL ISSUE FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST AUCKLANDERS. AND YOU BLAME AUCKLAND? IT'S ALREADY CREEPING EVERYWHERE IT'S LIKE A CANCER. THEN THE RETIREMENT COMMISSIONER HAS BEEN SURVEYING YOUR VIEWS ON WHO SHOULD PAY FOR YOUR PENSION. ME. MYSELF. YOURSELF. YOU. BOTH AND THE GOVERNMENT. BOTH AND THE GOVERNMENT? WE'VE GOT CHILDREN AND` CHILDREN AND THE GOVERNMENT. SOME INTERESTING RESULTS TO TALK ABOUT. PLUS ` WITH A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO BUY THEIR FIRST HOME, WHAT KIND OF RETIREMENT WILL THEY HAVE? AND JACK TAME REPORTS FROM THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION. CAN THEY PLAY HAPPY FAMILIES UNDER HILARY? I THINK THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE CONVENTION WERE KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE A FIGHT WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER, AND YOU'RE PISSED AT THEM, BUT IT TAKES ABOUT 24 HOURS TO GET OVER IT. DUE TO THE LIVE NATURE OF Q+A, WE APOLOGISE FOR THE LACK OF CAPTIONS FOR SOME ITEMS. AND WE'LL BE TALKING HOUSING WITH OUR EXTENDED PANEL ` LEROY BECKETT FROM GENERATION ZERO, A GROUP PRO-INTENSIFICATION IN AUCKLAND. CHRISTINE FLETCHER, AN AUCKLAND CITY COUNCILLOR AND ROBERT JOHNSTON, FROM THE ST HELIERS-GLENDOWIE RESIDENTS ASSOCIATON. LOTS TO TALK ABOUT TODAY, BUT FIRST, HERE'S JESSICA. THANKS, GREG. OUR BIGGEST CITY COULD BE IN FOR A RADICAL TRANSFORMATION IF ITS COUNCIL ADOPTS THIS WEEK'S UNITARY PLAN RECOMMENTDATIONS. THE PLAN ALLOWS FOR MORE THAN 400,000 NEW DWELLINGS IN THE NEXT FEW DECADES, MAINLY BY PUSHING THE CITY UP. HOW WILL THAT LOOK? WELL, EXPECT TO SEE MORE APARTMENT BUILDINGS, MORE TERRACE HOUSING, MORE TOWNHOUSES, INSTEAD OF THE CLASSIC KIWI STANDALONE ON A BIG SECTION. BUT THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION ` WILL IT WORK? I'M JOINED NOW BY PHIL EATON, PRESIDENT OF THE AUCKLAND BRANCH OF THE PROPERTY COUNCIL AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE GREENSTONE GROUP. Thank you for your time. I want to ask you, what will Auckland look like if these recommendations are picked up? There just recommendations. There is a lot of work that has to be put in place. It will take time for this plan, which is just a plan, to be implement it. What could Auckland look like with this? The endgame as another half million people in Auckland. We have had significant changes with population growth in the past. We have now got 25% Asian and 27% Maori and Pacific. The dynamics of Auckland have been changing. It is different to how it was 25 years ago. We will see more of the same trends. In 25 years time and we have more intense housing, how many years will it take until homes in Auckland are affordable? The bottom line is a very long time unless something changes based on the current trends in the market in terms of supply. We have 6-9,000 consent being issued in the past five or six years. We need to bring it up to 15,000. That is a big leap for the industry. Are we talking a decade or five years until we see changes. It will be 3 to 5 years before we see meaningful changes from the unitary plan. Posted that, we will start to see some very large projects coming to fruition. The Tamaki project has 200,000 houses we've seen Hobsonville takeoff. These are big projects. Some of there were initiated by the government. They have all been initiated by the government. We have big infrastructure that has gone on and housing has followed that. We need more of that type of thinking. We need more then three of we're going to build these 51 houses a day. Do you think we have the resources? Ddo we have the builders and developers? Not yet. We are in a build and boom bust cycle. We had the GFC and have been trying to build up over the past three years. No one predicted the demand and rising prices that we are going through. Four years ago, this was not a conversation. We knew things were changing and we were growing. The Auckland plane was laid out. The government put in place the playboy amalgamation and the independent hearings process. Now we need to implement it. You talk about it being insanity. When will it be sane again? When the prices become affordable at the unitary plan will not click on for another 3 to 5 years. How long until first-time buyer can come out and buy a home in Auckland? Demand and supply are driving this. Demand is being driven by low interest rates and migration. Domestic migration as well as international migration. The supply-side is being caught by the depleted resources and we are trying to build them up. That is going to take time. At least that the changes on demand or supply, we will not see significant change. We have capacity constraints in the construction and development market. We do not have enough players and tradies and materials. We tender to our clients with projects and they will not negotiate. When you order concrete, you have a three-week window. And it used to be instant? It used to take days, and now take 6 to 9 months. By 2020, homes in Auckland will be affordable according to Nick Smith. Is it realistic? No. What has happened is the has been a shift. There is an 80% increase in house prices in four years that was not forecast. Neither Labour nor national were predicting anything like this. No one saw it coming. We cannot blame anyone for it, but it has changed the game. House prices are less affordable. Without the demand or supply shock, they will continue. One of the things taken out of the unitary plan is the idea of 10% of homes being affordable. If you are building more than 15 and development. What do you think about that? I like the independent hearing panel approach on this. by increasing pricing of housing by putting and these sorts of requirements, you're making it more expensive for everyone else. It only benefits a select few. A better approach is to open up supply. They have taken up a much broader approach rather than legislating. Who do you think other winners and losers out of this proposal? This plan is a medium-term plan. It is there for the next 25 years. Over the next 10 years, we will see change. Expectations will change within 1 to 2 years. We is a great development happen in Wynyard Quarter and Hobsonville. Auckland will one but it will be in the medium-term. There will be short-term pain before the game. People will have a house surrounded by other apartment zoning. Those apartments will slowly come on. Over time, that will change. It will create churn, but I think Auckland will when. This is the sort of broad and bold thinking Auckland needs and its plan to achieve more affordable housing than what we have now it is not the house price escalation. Thank you very much. THANKS, JESS. WHEN WE DO INTERVIEWS ABOUT AUCKLAND HOUSING ON OUR PROGRAMME, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT WE HEAR FROM VIEWERS OUTSIDE OF AUCKLAND WONDERING WHY WE BANG ON ABOUT AUCKLAND HOUSE PRICES. WHENA OWEN PUT THIS QUESTION TO ARTHUR GRIMES, A FORMER RESERVE BANK CHIEF ECONOMIST. # I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT ANY MORE. # I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT. SOLD TO YOU. # I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT. # ARE YOU INTERESTED IN WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AUCKLAND > WITH THEIR HOUSING ISSUES? > OH, BARELY. YEAH, I'VE GOT A BIT OF FATIGUE IN TERMS OF THE AUCKLAND PROPERTY MARKET. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE IN THE NEWS? ABSOLUTELY. EVERYONE SOUTH OF THE BOMBAY HILLS IS TIRED OF AUCKLAND. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULD IGNORE IT, BECAUSE IT IS A HUGELY IMPORTANT PART OF NZ, AND THE REST OF US SHOULD WANT AUCKLAND TO SUCCEED. GUITAR MUSIC PRICES HERE ARE STARTING TO GO BALLISTIC. SO, INVESTORS CAN'T REALLY BUY IN AUCKLAND, AND IT'S DRIVING INVESTORS DOWN TO WELLINGTON. TITAHI BAY THE OTHER DAY, 16 BIDS ON THREE BEDROOMS AND ONE BATHROOM, AND I THINK IT WAS ABOUT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. WE LISTED TWO HOUSES LAST WEEK BUILT ON PLANS ` SOLD OVERNIGHT. AND YOU BLAME AUCKLAND FOR THAT? > IT'S ALREADY CREEPING EVERYWHERE. IT'S LIKE A CANCER. REFLECTIVE MUSIC THERE'S SPREAD OF AUCKLAND HOUSE PRICES THROUGH TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, UNFORTUNATELY. ALSO NOW WE'RE SEEING LOWER INCOME. PEOPLE JUST CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE IN AUCKLAND; THEY'LL HAVE TO MOVE. REFLECTIVE MUSIC CONTINUES < SO YOU'RE KEEPING QUIET ABOUT BEING AN AUCKLANDER IN WELLINGTON? PROBABLY. (LAUGHS) THE HOUSING THING'S TERRIBLE. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I CAN'T BELIEVE THE PRICES. < HOW MUCH DO YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AUCKLAND < WITH THEIR HOUSING? IT IMPACTS THE WHOLE COUNTRY. COS IT'S CRAZY. IT'S JUST OUT OF CONTROL. WELL, ON THE FISCAL SIDE, THE GOVERNMENT SPENDS A LOT OF MONEY IN AUCKLAND. IT PAYS WAGES FOR, YOU KNOW, TEACHERS AND NURSES AND POLICE AND ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE LIKE THAT. THERE WILL BE PRESSURE IF AUCKLAND HOUSE PRICES DON'T COME DOWN FOR SOME INCREASE IN THOSE WAGES, AND THAT'S A REAL RISK FOR THE GOVERNMENT. IT'S GOT A RISK IN TWO WAYS. ONE IS THAT IT DOESN'T FRONT UP WITH ANY EXTRA MONEY, IN WHICH CASE THOSE PEOPLE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO EMPLOY TEACHERS AND POLICE AND NURSES, OR ELSE THERE'S A FISCAL RISK IF THEY DO COME UP WITH IT, IT'S GOING TO COST THE GOVERNMENT, AND OF COURSE THAT COSTS TAXPAYERS RIGHT THROUGHOUT NZ. AND THEY ALSO FACE PRESSURE WITH ACCOMMODATION SUPPLEMENT AS WELL. AS THE RENTS GO UP AND HOUSE PRICES GO UP, THERE'S A GREATER PRESSURE ON GOVERNMENT TO SUBSIDISE RENTS THERE, SO THAT'S A RISK FOR ALL OF US TAXPAYERS THAT LIVE SOUTH OF THE BOMBAY HILLS. TENSE MUSIC WHEN I CALLED FOR HOUSE PRICES TO FALL BY 40%, WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT WAS JUST TO BRING THEM BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE IN 2012, FOUR YEARS AGO. < SO AUCKLANDERS WILL HATE YOU FOR SAYING THAT. AND` WELL, NO, YOUNG AUCKLANDERS WON'T. I'VE HAD SO MANY CALLS OF SUPPORT FROM YOUNG AUCKLANDERS TO SAY, 'THANK GOD YOU'RE SAYING THIS, 'BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY IN THE WORLD WE COULD BUY A HOUSE.' THESE ARE LAWYERS AND PEOPLE, NEVER MIND LABOURERS. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE 30-YEAR-OLD LAWYERS SAYING, 'ARE YOU DAFT? WE COULDN'T AFFORD TO BUY A HOUSE IN AUCKLAND.' COS HOW ARE MY KIDS EVER GONNA GET INTO A HOUSE? THE CONCEPT OF OWNING A HOUSE IS FOREIGN TO ME AND PROBABLY WILL BE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. DO YOU THINK`? DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT? OH, ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. THAT IT'S LOOKING BLEAK? OH HECK, YEAH. YEAH. YEAH. I DON'T THINK THAT I'LL EVER OWN A HOUSE, AND I'VE COME TO TERMS WITH THAT, YEAH. SEND US YOUR THOUGHTS. WE'RE ON TWITTER @NZQANDA. YOU CAN EMAIL US AT Q+A@TVNZ.CO.NZ OR TEXT YOUR THOUGHTS AND FIRST NAME TO 2211. KEEP THEM BRIEF ` EACH TEXT COSTS 50C. WE'LL BRING IN OUR PANEL AFTER THE BREAK, AND HOUSING MINISTER NICK SMITH. IS THE GOVERNMENT HAPPY WITH THE NEW GROWTH PLAN, AND WHEN WILL AUCKLAND'S HOUSES GET CHEAPER? THAT'S NEXT. WELCOME BACK, AND WELCOME TO THE PROGRAMME. HOUSING MINISTER DR NICK SMITH JOINS ME NOW. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. I WANT TO GET YOUR REACTION TO THE PREVIOUS INTERVIEW. He said the unitary plan will take 3 to 5 years to kick and. Does that make you nervous? I disagree. At the Council takes the right bold decision and replaces those old, confused plans ` those old planes governing development in Auckland under 20 years old. They were for a smaller population they were a nightmare for people trying to build houses. The new rules kick in October if they are adopted. There will be a market response as early as next year in terms of new projects coming on board. When will it make a difference? When we look at the number of houses being built in Auckland, at the beginning of our government It was 10. It is now at 47 per working day. At need to get up to 60 to meet supply and demand balance. And make homes more affordable. At this is kicking in, we will a first-time buyer be able to buy a home comfortably in Auckland? Today I am announcing significant changes to the government's HomeStart scheme. People get up to $10,000 for a couple in an existing house or $20,000 for a new home. The hardest part for a young family tried to get a home is pulling together for a deposit. We also had a welcome home loan scheme, meaning you only need a 10% deposit. For a family that is they for five years and the average wage on Auckland they will have $40,000 and KiwiSaver. The government will give them another $20,000. The problem with this game, mainly in Auckland, is that the house price caps at 550,000. It hasn't been working, do you think the small amount of money will make a difference? Let me go through the numbers. We have how to 15,500 people across New Zealand get their first homes. How many people will pick up this one? We are aiming to achieve 90,000 over five years. An Auckland. We are lifting the price To $600,000. We are lifting to $650,000 for a new home. This is significant because and you're going to get the houses being built, you need to get the plan right. You also need to get the investment. But many apartment complexes will not push the button until they sell off at least 40% of the plans. The plans that I am announcing today will help deliver the cash and investment to help the developments. What all that buy? You don't get much in Auckland for $650,000. 25% of houses are in the back part of the market. a first home will not be any million-dollar suburb. Yes, it is a starter home, but we should not be creating the expectation the best time is going to be at North shore home. As a starter home. Do we need to have that mindset then a first-home has to be an apartment? Tthere is a perception that New Zealand is doing well. Our economy is doing well. We are attractive for Kiwis. The economy is growing strongly. This has risen as a consequence of Auckland and New Zealand doing well. Getting unitary plan right is a very important step. Getting supply and demand into balance ` we are on track to do that by 2020. One thing about that is building affordable houses. One thing being taken out of the unitary plan is that 10% of homes will be affordable of more than 15 are built. Why is it being taken off the table? What is affordable? They did on the basis of submissions. They said this approach of trying to regulate house prices through the RMA does not work. As a minister in 45 sections, subdivisions, they were just get around it. How can you guarantee those affordable homes that you are talking about I going to be there for Aucklanders? You create a competitive market. I was interviewed about this 4 years ago and Christchurch. You can now get good-quality three-bedroom new homes and Christchurch for $400,000. Rents had dropped by 9% in the last year. Christchurch is very different to Auckland. Aucklanders larger but it is the same building materials and building Rates. If we can get is planning rules right, we had the same approach and Christchurch ` growing supply is at the core of the solution. Equally, it will work in Auckland. Are you confident we will be enough affordable homes in Auckland for this first home buyers to buy? As a consequence of the HomeStart scheme, which create a financial incentive for the development sector is there is an access to $430 million of government cash. That encourages them. That is more effective as the independent panel said. Make it easier for people to build houses, and that is the best way of getting a competitive market so we get affordable houses. With the unitary plan, how many times will be in that category that people can afford for the first time? That is an unrealistic question. Some families cannot afford a $350,000 home. Others can afford a $1 million home. Everyone has a different circumstances. What we need to do, and the unitary plan has done a good job are providing a wide range of different housing options from large sections to townhouses and apartments. The way you get affordable houses is, by planning. You're saying $650,000 as affordable. How many of those will be built? We will allow middle income earners ` we are raising the income As incomes have gone up since we started this game. You can only get access to this game at $80,000 income. That is going up to 85,000. It is going from 125,000 to 130,000 for a couple. The aim of this game is to put middle income families into modest homes. In Auckland, that is under $650,000. And Wellington and the rest of the country, 550 or 450. Thank you very much. THANKS JESS, LET'S BRING IN OUR PANEL. Reaction and confidence to what Nick Smith had to say? I think the independent hearing panel have heard the evidence. They are probably trying to play solemn. It is going up and going out. We have known since 2010 intended this day is coming. It is time to move on and work collaboratively together. The government and council had to lift the game and demonstrate we have the right quality staff in terms of assessments. We cannot go backwards. You are not a fan of a lot of this. Why are you not a fan? There are two issues here. The issue is on affordable housing. What we have seen on the eastern bays is two aspects ` but more houses have been built but they are not affordable. It was inflicted on them without any democratic principle. That is not true. This has been going on for five years. Excuse me, that is not correct. People affected by the first change had the opportunity to comment on it. People affected by the recent change` did your grip make a submission on this plan? My group made a submission on this plan. It is because they did not have the opportunity to comment on the huge change that has happened from December and January onwards. The point I really made as the changes that have been made the do not contribute your desire for affordable housing. First off, I will not ever be able to afford a house in St Helier's but there are a couple who are just outside and want to live outside. As the of looking in areas are slightly further out, like Glen Innes they will be able to buy in St Heliers, and it will decrease demand. If you bought a home on a quarter acre section and found there was going to be large apartment all around you, you would be a bit peeved wouldn't you? There are very few cases where this will happen. Looking back on my own history, I cannot think of an issue that has polarised old against youngsters. The Springboks tour. We do have to move forward. Where I have come from is that we need oversupply as they will assist in terms of giving choices. On one hand you have the people of St Helier's and Glendale saying they did not know. I think house has made a really poor decision in terms of character assessment there could have been done a lot better. Pre-1944, was always going to fall over. I do think we have to look to the future. We have to stop talking about houses and have to think about homes. Old and young want to belong to Auckland. Everyone will agree that the time for by messing about is over. Something has to be done. I agree completely. Pilot the outset as people were left wondering what was going on. People are not worried about intensification, provided is under control. The issues with Glenn Dowie as a potential doubling of the population but was not thought of the infrastructure. Even under the new transport network, Glenn Dowie gets a bus servers once an hour. With this really force the hand of both government and local government to actually get the infrastructure in place? I don't know. This plan only came out in the last fortnight. Auckland transport is supposed to be figuring out how to go forward for the next 5 to 10 years. A surprise. We have not heard more from Auckland transport? Transport is a whole other issue and it will get worse. I have been really pleased that the government in Auckland Council had been working together on the proposal. We would not have had that without amalgamation and the fact that the unitary plan was coming. It has actually forced the kids together and they are working together. The issue will now be funding in the funding get involved. We have to find ways of putting the infrastructure in place. This can't be avoided. People need transport and schools. Do think enough thought has been given to that? The end the government will help with infrastructure, the Ministry of education will help with schools, but we need the housing. And a lot of these areas, I have not seen anywher where schools will be put in the unitary plan. We are seeing in the eastern suburbs a number of schools building up which is taking up space which was playground. A lot more kids with smaller playgrounds. That is not improving the quality of school life for those children. As you include the population, they will be worse. What about the timeframe? We have had six years. Rodney Hyde, set the legislation in 2010. This has been the most important thing of this council. 550,000 titles, we're dealing with people's property rights. We don't have the luxury of being able to use the levers too much at the moment. . There are not too many more things that can be done. I don't want to be in a position of predetermination on issues we will debate next week. Aucklanders are wanting certainty. They want us to move forward. There will be a few issues that need further consideration. We were irresponsible in not doing those character assessments. This is time for the mayor to sit in the cheer as the only elected person regionally and to get on with it. Will you back. This? I know the majority of Aucklanders one certainty. They have heard the evidence and said we need oversupply. We need to go up and out. We will have 20% fewer single house zones. We will have more of our rural and area where people put housing. Nothing is perfect, but the world isn't perfect. We have an obligation to our children and grandchildren to get this right. You both own homes. Do you think this will kick in and make buying an apartment a realistic things are you, Leroy? It will be five or 10 years. By the time the plan will provide enough housing tries. At the moment we are only building for families. We are not building small units for singles and couples, the fastest-growing market. This will provide more housing choices for people like me. This is like the public transport debate 20 years ago. Whereas a point of change, Auckland Is becoming a international city. People said they would never migrate from their cars. Aucklanders are growing up. They want a range of choices. This is a good first start. It is beholden on the government and counsel to make sure there are no more leaky homes. People are frightened of the experience we have had in the past. We have to demonstrate and give them confidence that this will not happen again. We will have choices and add to the quality of people's lives. I think the infrastructure is going to be the one area that we really had to demonstrate that funding is going to be a problem and we're not going to prudent people Irresponsibly. Next year, we have capital revaluations. They're going to be done on the ups owning, and rates will rise. This is where maturity and policysetting will be required. Robert, HomeStart changes announced by Nick Smith ` what will that mean? It can only be positive. Looks like it provides the young people with more opportunity to buy houses. in our part of Auckland, there is not too much. That will be affordable. Part of what makes us a liveable city is the surrounding greenery which will be lost in the development. Our parks will become more important. We rely on the bank of mum and dad for the children for the future, and that is a unstable future. This is not an old versus young fight. The vast majority of Aucklanders want to be on the ladder. UP NEXT, WHO'S PAYING FOR YOUR PENSION? IT'S A QUESTION THE RETIREMENT COMMISSIONER HAS BEEN ASKING NZERS TO GET THEM THINKING ABOUT THE BIG ISSUES AHEAD. SHE'LL TALK ABOUT THE RESULTS OF HER SURVEY NEXT. THE RETIREMENT COMMISSIONER WANTS A CHAT. IN FACT, DIANE MAXWELL WANTS US ALL TALKING ABOUT HOW WE ARE GOING TO PAY FOR OUR RETIREMENT. WITH THE OLDER PART OF OUR POPULATION GETTING BIGGER AND STAYING AROUND LONGER, IT'S A CONVERSATION WE PROBABLY SHOULD BE HAVING MORE OFTEN. WE TAGGED ALONG TO LYNN MALL IN AUCKLAND WHEN THE RETIREMENT COMMISSIONER ASKED PEOPLE FOR THEIR VIEWS. YOU MAKE TWO CHOICES, ALL RIGHT? YOU CAN GO THE GOVERNMENT, MY CHILDREN, MY PARENTS OR ME. I THINK IT SHOULD BE EQUAL. EQUAL? OK. ME. MYSELF. YOURSELF? YOU? UH, BOTH IN THE GOVERNMENT. BOTH IN THE GOVERNMENT? ME. ALL RIGHT, GREAT. THE GOVERNMENT, COS WHILE WE ARE YOUNG, WE PAY THE TAX, AND THE SECOND THING IS I BELIEVE CHILDREN, COS I BELONG TO INDIAN CULTURE. LIKE, PARENTS LOOK AFTER` I'D GO WITH CHILDREN. CHILDREN AND THE GOVERNMENT? YOURSELF. YOURSELF? BECAUSE, NO, YOU SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR IT. I PAID TAXES FOR 20 YEARS TEACHING, SO... THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY'S COMING FROM, YOU KNOW. AND A RETIREMENT IS DEPENDENT ON AN INDIVIDUALS` WHAT THEY FANCY AS RIGHT FOR THEMSELVES, REALLY. THE BASIC LIFE, I THINK, UM, IF IT'S 50/50, THEN WE'RE GOING OK WITH THE PENSION THAT WE'LL BE RECEIVING. (LAUGHS) I LOOK FORWARD TO IT. OK, ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. THE RETIREMENT COMMISSIONER HAS ALSO BEEN SURVEYING KIWIS THROUGH HER WEBSITE, AND WE'VE GOT THE FIRST RESULTS. 83% THOUGHT PEOPLE SHOULD PAY FOR THEIR OWN RETIREMENT, BUT JUST 70% SAID THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD ALSO STUMP UP. 9% SAID OTHER, WITH PARTIES LIKE EMPLOYERS RESPONSIBLE. AND 2% WERE SETTING THEMSELVES UP FOR POTENTIALLY STRAINED FAMILY RELATIONS, SAYING THEIR CHILDREN HAD TO FOOT THE BILL. DIANE MAXWELL JOINS ME NOW. What do you think? Who is responsible for paying for our retirement? It's going to have to be the government and people personally. People had four choices, so that's why they had the government and me. Is there a generational gap? We saw it so clearly with the online results. Weeping talk to people face-to-face because you get a different understanding about what people think and care about. Older New Zealanders say they are owed and have paid their dues. Often people say society, a pension. Why do young people have a different mindset? We're growing up being told different things. We have an old retiring generation. It takes about 12 people to pay for one superannuated and. The government takes taxes and that's out this works. People tend to think there is just money there and it should be spent on the pension. How we fix this? Is about means testing or increasingly age? The reason we had going up and down the country filming people and mauls and doing surveys, video clips on you Tube, we are explaining how works. You can't change policy until the population understand what is happening. No politician in their right mind would bring about the policy changes needed because they know they would be punished at the polls. Before we can hope for policy change, we have to get a change in the popular imagination. Is there going to be a generation where there is no longer about money? We believe in super. The aged will get older. The age of eligibility has to go up, not today, but it does have to go up. By the time it goes up, it will be a no-brainer. We think of over 65 is as vulnerable, but that is historic. In 10, 15, 20 years, how we view this will have evolved and changed. The policy will follow. Young New Zealanders have to make the change now to save the winner will be later and less. Can you give an example of that? A person in their 20s saving for a deposit, how much money do they need to put aside over their working life? People get overwhelmed and put off by that. It depends on the individual and their psyche. It's about those incremental decisions you make over a lifetime. Housing is Cricklewood for a good environment for retirement. Wwhat I want to mention is the issue is if we stretch out the age to 6769, we have to say what we do for people who can't work that long. My frustration in reality, we have a gap of 50 to 70, with a lot of differences. Someone who is doing manual labour, their chances 50. We have to look at how we divert funds from the pension to help people from 50 onwards. Going back to housing, will this crisis see more people renting, still paying off the mortgage? We see renters coming into the 50s, 60s, 70s, renting in retirement is financially and psychologically challenging. People feel vulnerable. They are susceptible for a landlord looking to sell, and they don't have stability and security. Work going on with Kiwi Saver, home start, is fantastic. With Kiwi sabre, you have young people drawing out that money and then starting again. What is your feeling on that? I'm happy if they get into their own home, because paying down a mortgage is a brutal discipline. If people aren't paying down the mortgage, they tend to be eating, drinking, driving, wearing the difference between the rent and mortgage. A mortgage is a brutal discipline, so if they go back to 0 on the savings front, they will be smacking money into that mortgage and paying down an asset. Does the housing crisis mean they will have to work longer? It's going to happen anyway. With the housing affordability crisis, they will have a mortgage longer. I hate seeing the intergenerational fighting. We can't keep squaring off against two has the most and the best, who took what of who, who had three education. The people who sent people to war won out over who had a tougher. We see that coming through in a way that is going to be a problem for New Zealand. I have a fantasy about a bipartisan agreement. How cool would that be? The reality is this people who do jobs like mine help the public understand what is going on? I don't hold out much hope. A government in the future will have to raise the age. What I want the government and the opposition and anyone else in politics to do is the signalling that there are changes ahead. We'll leave it there. Thank you very much for your time. JACK TAME WRAPS UP THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION FOR US AFTER THE BREAK, WHERE HE ALSO FOUND OUR AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. WATCHING FROM THE SIDELINES. TO GET TPP THROUGH THE U.S. CONGRESS IS GOING TO BE A HUGE LIFT, AND THAT IS NOT BEING HELPED BY THE HIGH LEVEL OF POLITICAL DEBATE. THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OVERNIGHT IS GOOD NEWS FOR HILLARY CLINTON, WITH THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION HELD THIS WEEK GIVING HER A 15-POINT LEAD IN NATIONWIDE POLLS OVER HER RIVAL DONALD TRUMP. THE FIGURES SHOW CLINTON WITH 46% SUPPORT AMONGST AMERICANS, WHILE TRUMP ONLY COMMANDS 31%. TRUMP RECEIVED A BUMP OF 5% AFTER THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION HELD TWO WEEKS AGO. CLINTON ACCEPTED THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION IN PHILADELPHIA ON THURSDAY NIGHT. TRUMP CALLED HILLARY'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BORING AND BRAGGED THAT MORE PEOPLE WATCHED HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH THAN HERS. WE BEAT HER BY MILLIONS ON TELEVISION. MILLIONS! CROWD CHEERS WE BEAT HER BY A LOT. HONESTLY, THE NUMBERS WERE INCREDIBLE, WHICH TELLS YOU, ISN'T IT GOOD TO HAVE TRUMP RUNNING FOR THE PRESIDENCY? BOTH CONVENTIONS HAVE HAD THEIR SHARE OF DRAMA, WITH ANGRY DSYTOPIAN SPEECHES AT THE REPUBLICAN MEET, WHILE THE DEMOCRATS SAW THE RESIGNATION OF THE PARTY CHAIRWOMAN, VIOLENT PROTESTS AND ARRESTS. BUT WITH THE HELP OF SEVERAL INCREDIBLE SPEECHES, BY THE END OF THE CONVENTION IN PHILADELPHIA, HILLARY CLINTON'S TEAM IMPROVED THE SENSE OF PARTY UNITY AMONGST DEMOCRATS. JACK TAME WAS THERE. UPBEAT MUSIC PEOPLE CHEER DEMOCRACY IS A VERY MESSY BUSINESS, A BIT LIKE MAKING SAUSAGES. THE PUBLIC WILL GENERALLY EAT THE END RESULT, BUT YOU SURE WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE HOW IT'S PUT TOGETHER. 320 MILLION PEOPLE REPRESENTED BY A TWO-PARTY DEMOCRACY. PEOPLE SHOUT JESUS <BLEEP>ING CHRIST! IS IT ANY SURPRISE THAT BEING ON THE SAME TEAM DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN BEING ON THE SAME TEAM. AFTER A DISJOINTED REPUBLICAN CONVENTION LAST WEEK, THE DEMOCRATS BEGAN THEIR CONVENTION WITH A LITERALLY VIOLENT DIVIDE. I'M NOT GONNA ACCEPT THAT I HAVE TO VOTE FOR HER. I CONSIDER HER DISHONEST AND CORRUPT. PEOPLE CHANT OUTSIDE THERE WERE BANNERS. HILLARY CLINTON AND TIM KAINE. PEOPLE SHOUT INSIDE THERE WERE BOOS. BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTERS TAPED THEIR MOUTHS SHUT, BELIEVING THE PARTY ESTABLISHMENT HAD CONSPIRED AGAINST THEIR CANDIDATE. I THINK IT WAS ENTIRELY INAPPROPRIATE AND UNCALLED FOR, AND I THINK SOME OF THAT IS ON BERNIE SANDERS. HE WAITED WAY TOO LONG TO GIVE HIS ENDORSEMENT SPEECH. THE WISCONSIN DELEGATION WAS ONE OF MANY DIVIDED BETWEEN SANDERS AND CLINTON SUPPORTERS. THERE ARE JUST ONE OR TWO PEOPLE THAT WERE REALLY LOOKING TO MAKE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES AND MAKE A POINT INSTEAD OF PARTICIPATING IN THE PROCESS AND HELP GUIDE THE PARTY TO THE FUTURE WE THINK IS BEST. THERE'S A GOOD COALITION OF US HERE, SO WE'RE ALL STICKING TOGETHER AND WE'RE GONNA FIGHT TILL THE END, ABSOLUTELY. COULD YOU SEE YOURSELF FIGHTING FOR HILLARY? FOR HILLARY HERSELF, NO. AND I MOVE THAT HILLARY CLINTON BE SELECTED AS THE NOMINEE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. CHEERING BUT, GOODNESS, IT'S AMAZING THE DIFFERENCE A FEW STRONG SPEAKERS MAKES. IN THE SPRING OF 1971, I MET A GIRL. BY DAY THREE OF THE CONVENTION, THOSE SANDERS FANS WERE STILL WEARING THEIR COLOURS. TENSION INSIDE THE HALL LARGELY DISSIPATED. YEAH, I THINK THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE CONVENTION WERE KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE A BAD FIGHT WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER AND YOU'RE PISSED AT THEM, BUT IT TAKES ABOUT 24 HOURS TO GET OVER IT AND THEN YOU REALISE HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM AND HOW MUCH YOU HAVE IN COMMON AND THAT YOU WANNA BE WITH THEM AND THAT THINKING YOU WANTED TO BREAK UP WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND THAT FIRST 24 HOURS AFTER THE FIGHT. WELL, I'VE BEEN A HILLARY FAN EVER SINCE I CAN REMEMBER. RITA ROBERTS THINKS IF ANYTHING THE BATTLE WITH BERNIE SANDERS HAS ONLY STRENGTHENED HILLARY CLINTON'S GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN. THIS IS MY VERY FIRST TIME, AND I'M AT THE AGE OF 70, SO, YOU KNOW, I AM FEELING LIKE I'M HANGING ON IN THERE. I LOVE IT. YOU KNOW, FOR ALL THE PARTISAN SHIFT IN AMERICAN POLITICS, IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE A FEW SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRAT CONVENTIONS THIS YEAR. BOTH CONVENTIONS HAVE OBVIOUSLY BEEN NOTICEABLE FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE PARTY DIVIDES, BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCES AS WELL. THE DEMOCRATS CONVENTION FOR A START IS MUCH, MUCH MORE DIVERSE, PERHAPS MUCH MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF AMERICAN SOCIETY AS A WHOLE. BUT IT'S ALSO MUCH MORE BUREAUCRATIC. JUST WALKING AROUND ON THE FLOOR HERE, THERE ARE SO MANY MORE RULES, SO MANY PLACES YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO GO, SO MANY MORE HI-VIS VESTS. IT'S BIG GOVERNMENT, CONVENTION STYLE. I'M ONE OF 24 TRANSGENDER DELEGATES ` ELECTED DELEGATES ` ELECTED BY OUR STATE CONVENTIONS, AND THAT HAPPENS TO BE MORE TRANSGENDER PEOPLE THAN PEOPLE OF COLOUR WERE AT THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION. STILL, THERE'S ONE SPECIFIC POLICY ISSUE THAT RESONATED WITH DELEGATES AT BOTH THE GOP AND DEMOCRAT CONVENTIONS. OH, TO GET TPP THROUGH THE US CONGRESS IS GOING TO BE A HUGE LIFT, AND THAT IS NOT BEING HELPED BY THE HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL DEBATE. BUT WITHOUT GETTING TOO TECHNICAL ABOUT IT, IT'S CERTAINLY A MISTAKE TO ASSUME IT'S DEAD IN THE WATER NOW. FOR A FORMER TRADE MINISTER TURNED AMBASSADOR, WATCHING THE OPPOSITION TO THE TPP FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL TICKET ISN'T PARTICULARLY CONFIDENCE-INSPIRING. LET'S WAIT AND SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT. SO TO PUT THIS ANALYSIS TOGETHER, YOU'D HAVE TO SAY, NO, IT IS NOT DEAD IN THE WATER, BUT IT IS GOING TO REQUIRE A VERY HEAVY POLITICAL LIFT WHEN THE MOMENT FOR CONFRONTING THAT HAPPENS, AND THE HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL DEBATE GOING ON HERE SURE AS HECK DOESN'T HELP. THERE ARE JUST OVER THREE MONTHS NOW TILL THE GENERAL ELECTION. CONVENTIONAL POLLING THEORY WOULD SUGGEST THAT IN ABOUT THREE WEEKS' TIME WE'LL HAVE A REALISTIC PICTURE OF THE LIKELY RESULT ` TRUMP OR CLINTON. JACK TAME REPORTING THERE. YOUR FEEDBACK AFTER THE BREAK, THEN, WE LOOK BACK AT THE BOOM TOWN THAT WAS AUCKLAND IN THE SWINGING '60S. NORTH, SOUTH, WEST, EAST ` YOU BECOME INFECTED WITH THE EXCITEMENT OF SEEING VIGOROUS GROWTH EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK. WITH THE UNITARY PLAN THE BIG LOCAL NEWS OF THE WEEK, IT'S WORTH REMEMBERING IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THE CITY'S UNDERGONE A BIG TRANSFORMATION. BACK IN THE '60S, THE EQUIVALENT OF A TOWN THE SIZE OF WHANGAREI WAS BEING ADDED IN THE CITY EVERY 12 MONTHS. AS THIS NATIONAL FILM UNIT'S "PICTORIAL PARADE" SHOWS, IT WAS THE START OF THE CITY'S SUBURBAN SPRAWL. THE ARMIES OF WORKMEN ADVANCE. HERE AT GLEN INNES, THEY ARE PUTTING UP 73 SHOPS, A HOTEL, BANKS AND A COMMUNITY CENTRE. WITHIN THREE YEARS, ANOTHER 16,000 PEOPLE WOULD HAVE MOVED IN. NORTH, SOUTH, WEST, EAST ` YOU BECOME INFECTED WITH THE EXCITEMENT OF SEEING VIGOROUS GROWTH EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK. BEYOND THE TAMAKI, THERE WILL SOON BE ANOTHER 4600 HOUSING UNITS, 40 ACRES OF INDUSTRY, 12 SCHOOLS, COMMERCIAL AND SHOPPING AREAS. SHORTLY, ANOTHER 20,000 AUCKLANDERS WILL MAKE THEIR HOMES IN A NEW SUBURB THE SIZE OF HASTINGS. A NEW BRIDGE OVER THE TAMAKI IS OPENED BY THE HONOURABLE MR WATT TO LINK SOME OF THESE FAST-GROWING AREAS. THIS IS ONE OF ONLY A NUMBER OF BRIDGES COSTING OVER �1M BEING UNDERTAKEN AROUND AUCKLAND AT THE MOMENT. AS THE CITY GROWS OUTWARDS AND NEW SUBURBS ARE ESTABLISHED, A HEAVY LOAD IS PUT ON THE TELEPHONE SERVICE. CABLES ARE LAID IN SUBURBAN STREETS TO COPE WITH THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR TELEPHONES. THERE ARE NEARLY 400,000 MILES OF WIRE IN TELEPHONE CABLES ALREADY UNDER AUCKLAND STREETS. WHEN THE NEW CABLE IS INSTALLED, ALL YOU WILL HAVE TO KNOW IS WHICH WIRE TO JOIN TO WHICH. WAKA HUIA IS NEXT. REMEMBER, Q+A REPEATS TONIGHT AT 11.35PM. THANKS FOR WATCHING AND THANKS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS. THOSE WERE THE QUESTIONS AND THOSE WERE THE ANSWERS. THAT'S Q+A. SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY MORNING AT 9. CAPTIONS BY ALANA DRAYTON AND FAITH HAMBLYN. CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT ABLE 2016.