This week on the David Shearer Show, public relations consultant and media commentator Matthew Hooton talks politics and promotes a new bridge over the Waitemata Harbour that would dominate Auckland’s skyline.

How did National Party leaders send their supporters a “secret signal” in Epsom in 2005 that allowed Rodney Hide to win the conservative electorate seat and does Hooton think the Act Party leader can do it again in 2011?

The political analyst says a comeback is possible for Winston Peters and that may well mean a Labour, Green, NZ First achieve 50% for a victory in 2011.

A key player in local and national politics, Hooton, with a group of business people, has got behind the Anzac Centenary Bridge 2015 as the new harbour crossing.

Rather than building a tunnel for road and rail while maintaining the existing the bridge, the Anzac Bridge would have 10 lanes including rail and access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Hooton believes it would be a bold and visionary step for New Zealand’s biggest city.

Listen live this Thursday at 9.05am on 104.6 Planet FM or online at www.planetaudio.org.nz.

Going on an overseas trip is usually a fairly pleasant experience. Getting to the Auckland International Airport and trying to find a park is anything but.

As we continue the series on transport issues in Auckland, Richard Llewylyn from the Auckland Airport and Jeremy Harris from the Campaign for Better Transport talk to David about a possible rail link to the airport.

The discussion covers the possible routes and technical obstacles that need to be negotiated before passengers who land at New Zealand’s busiest airport have a fast, efficient way of getting to the CBD.

Also find out what the Auckland Airport Ltd really thinks about a rail station at the airport.

Listen live this Thursday at 9.05am on 104.6 Planet FM or listen online at www.planetaudio.org.nz.

If there’s one thing that will improve the abysmal state of traffic in Auckland, it’s an inner city rail loop.

Not only would it improve transport for those living in the CBD, it would relieve the bottleneck at Britomart allowing more frequent services on the southern and western lines.
Relieving congestion in the CBD would also make a rail line to the airport more feasible.

This week David continues his series on transport in Auckland with a discussion on the inner city rail loop with chair of the ARC Mike Lee and Jeremy Harris from the Campaign for Better Transport.

A study, jointly funded by KiwiRail and ARTA, identified Britomart to Mt Eden as the preferred route with Albert St (between Victoria & Wellesley Streets), K Rd/ Pitt St and Symonds St as potential sites for stations.
If the CBD rail loop is approved soon, it could be completed within seven to 10 years.

Listen live this Thursday at 9.05 am on 104.6 Planet FM or online at www.planetaudio.org.nz Search: Shearer.

“As the local MP, I will be vigorously supporting and getting behind the local community throughout this process.  It is a strong and vibrant community which has been faced with uncertainty for many years due to this project,” David Shearer said. 

In a submission delivered to the ACC hearing on mitigation options for the $2 bllion project, David Shearer said the community has a strong sense of what needs to be done.

“The off ramp at the northern end of Waterview will further isolate the community from the facilities and shopping centre of Pt Chevalier. That is why a pedestrian and cycle-bridge to Pt Chevalier is needed to ensure residents are better connected with their closest shopping area.

“Work has already been done on this by Auckland University and Unitec as it was part of the winning design in a recent urban design competition.”

David Shearer said the wellbeing of children in the area also needs to be considered.

“The air stack of the northern portal needs to be located in a position which has the least effect on school children at Waterview Primary School,” David Shearer said.

“The community has made suggestions on this and should be listened to.

“Metro Football Club will also lose important green space at Alan Wood Reserve and Waterview. These grounds are currently used to capacity.

“It has been recommended that the NZTA and local government should build an artificial football pitch to compensate for losing a well used park and meet an increased demand.

“The community is making a number of strong arguments to lessen the impact of an off ramp cutting their community in two. They must not end up worse off because the Government took the easy option on the Waterview link,” David Shearer said.

As Aucklanders consider who they will be voting for in the upcoming October super city elections, transport is shaping up as one of the major issues.

That is why over the coming weeks on the David Shearer Show, David will be talking to a number of experts about various transport issues affecting the 1.4 million residents of New Zealand’s biggest city.

This week David talks to Barbara Cuthbert from Cycle Action Auckland.

Throughout Europe and across the developed world, cities are moving towards more bicycle-friendly cityscapes as leaders recognise the many benefits associated cycling, not only as recreational activity, but as a mode of transport.

Barbara talks about those benefits and describes, in some detail, what Auckland could look like if we followed the example of cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

Listen live this Thursday at 9.05am or online at www.planetaudio.org.nz Search: Shearer.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.

While the students and academics at the University of Auckland focus on the inspiration, Auckland Uniservices Ltd helps with the perspiration side of the equation.

As we continue the ‘Growing the Pie’ series this week, David talks to Uniservices CEO Peter
Lee about how intellectual property can be used to improve this country’s economic prosperity.

‘The Growing the Pie’ series, on the David Shearer Show, is an opportunity for leading business leaders, academics and commentators to share their views on how to increase economic growth in this country.

Uniservices manages the university’s intellectual property and is responsible for all research-based consultancy partnerships and commercialisation.

And that intellectual property is often the result of some fascinating research.

Mr Lee talks about epigenetics – how life outcomes like intelligence and obesity can be influenced by what happens in the womb – and the electric cars that can be recharged without needing to be plugged in.

Listen live at 9.05am this Thursday on 104.6 Planet FM or go to www.planetaudio.org.nz Search: Shearer.

Today Transport Minister Steven Joyce announced the start of the tender process for the construction of the Waterview Connection, part of the Western Ring Route. At a cost of over $2 billion, this project is clearly going to be the largest this country has seen.

“If the Minister is going to bulldoze Waterview Park, Alan Wood Park and Hendon Park he needs to guarantee access to alternative green spaces. Right now, local residents are bearing all the costs of the new motorway.

“There’s been a lot of talk, but so far no money has been set aside for bridges, other green areas or for local residents.

“The Minister can not ask these communities to give up their local parks – places where children go to play and families spend time together – without providing them with a way to access alternative green community spaces in return.

“Last year in the heat of the Mt Albert by-election Steven Joyce estimated the cost of the project at $1.4 million. Now we find with all the other add-ons he didn’t announce then the project will be $2 billion, and could go higher.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the last of these spiralling costs. How much more is this project likely to cost before it’s finished?” said David Shearer.

Having decades of senior level experience within the public sector, Howard Fancy knows the challenges of developing public policy that sustainably improves economic prosperity.

As we continue the ‘Growing the Pie’ series, Mr Fancy tells David: “I’ve never worked for a Minister who didn’t want the economy to grow faster.”

‘The Growing the Pie’ series, on The David Shearer Show, is an opportunity for leading business leaders, academics and commentators to share their views on how to increase economic growth in this country.

Having held senior roles in Treasury, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Education, Mr Fancy was last year appointed director of Motu, Economic and Public Policy Research.

Motu is a think tank funded by individuals and various organisations including government agencies and private companies.

Mr Fancy explains why we do not want schools encumbered with “too many policies” and how all New Zealanders benefit when overseas students “feel comfortable here”.

Listen live at 9.05am this Thursday on 104.6 Planet FM or go to www.planetaudio.org.nz Search: Shearer.

In this year’s budget, the Government closed a loophole – that enabled people on higher incomes to pay tax at a lower rate – by lowering the top rate of personal income tax. The Labour Party’s Finance spokesperson David Cunliffe likened it to “the Catholic Church dealing with sinners by abolishing sin”.

This week on ‘Growing the Pie’ series, David Cunliffe dissects Budget 2010 focussing on its likely impact on New Zealand’s growth.

The ‘Growing the Pie’ series, is an opportunity for political figures, academics and commentators to share their views on how to increase economic prosperity in this country.

New Zealand has been slipping down the OECD’s wealth rankings for decades which Mr Cunliffe says is due to the ‘triple deficit’ – the savings gap, export gap and knowledge gap.

Why does our love affair with real estate chiefly benefit “Japanese housewives and Belgian dentists” and what happened in 2002 to make John Key and Bill English “not the best political buddies”?

Listen live this Thursday at 9.05am on 104.6 Planet FM or online at www.planetaudio.org.nz Search: Shearer. You can also find earlier programmes on www.davidshearer.org.nz