Better Balance Of City Growth Wanted

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31973, 28 April 1969, Page 22

Better Balance Of City Growth Wanted

'Hew Zealand Press Association

DUNEDIN, April 27. Every South Islander and most peopl e in the North Island outside Wellington and Auckland province would like to see a better balance of city growth throughout New Zealand, the secretary-manager of the Otago Chamber of Commerce (Mr J. C.I Manning) said today.

Every thinking New Zealander must have been shocked and deeply disappointed with the interim statement issued by the National Development Conference committee on physical development.” he said.

"The view that ‘a policy of decentralisation from the main centres may not be appropriate at this time, and there may be some social and economic advantages in continued concentration of growth,' is ambiguous to say the least.

“No-one is going to argue that there is a real case for a reversal of internal migration from rural districts to the cities. On the other hand, there is surely a very good case for more balanced growth among the main urban centres." Urban Growth

He said that today in New i Zealand saw the continued .acceleration of urban growth

concentration in the five northern centres—Whangarei,. Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, and Tauranga. Last year those cities alone accounted for . almost 60 per cent of the total national growth. On the other hand, the I whole of the South Island ab-il

: | sorbed less than 15 per eent ,<of the total population /growth. This was equivalent ■|to about one-third of the • year’s growth in metropolitan I Auckland alone. [ Mr Manning said the continued neglect of major national resources in the South 'lsland was a product of this | growing imbalance. i The one notable exception lhad been the exploitation of : cheap hydro-electric reIsources for transmission to ithe North Island. Case For Moving Out Mr Manning said the Australian “Financial Review" had just published for wide distribution a 20-page supplement on "Decentralisation in New South Wales, Australia,” under the heading, “The case for moving out (from Sydney) becomes stronger." Mr Manning said the case for more-balanced city growth in New Zealand was equally strong. “Must we wait until we get to the edge of the cliff?” he asked. "The National De-

velopment Conference cannot ignore this problem at its plenary session in May. “Everyone in Otago must speak out loud and clear. This ■ is a matter of national in-: iterest."