Insights: The cost of cheap decisions

Auckland ratepayers continually expect better levels of service and reduced environmental impact – as they should. However, at the same time the council is under pressure to keep rates as low as possible for ratepayers. This rational approach creates difficulty when decisions made decades, or even a century ago, are still having negative impacts today, says Auckland Council Economist Shane Martin.

“We often harken back to the ‘good old days’, but nostalgia has a way of distorting our memories by omitting the unpleasant parts. In fact, many of the decisions that were made in the past, especially around environmental and transport issues in Auckland, are inconceivable in retrospect and carried huge inter-generational costs.” – Auckland Council Economist Shane Martin.
For the full article, visit OurAuckland.

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