A visit to Auckland

My interview on Radio New Zealand stirred the Auckland Coun­cil to ask me to come and talk about the experience of protecting the character of residential areas in Brisbane. Through the whole of Monday and half of Tuesday I had a queue of meetings and pre­sen­ta­tions. My visit made some ripples in the press​—​here is a selection:

The most supportive piece was a press release from the Char­acter Coalition, an umbrella group of amenity societies, picked up by the on-line scoop.co.nz​—​‘Brisbane heritage expert cham­pi­ons Character Coalition ideas’.

The New Zealand Herald’s Brian Rudman was keen too​—​‘Heritage move a breath of fresh air’, but the paper’s editorial line was negative​—​‘City’s blanket ban on razing old homes a step too far’.

The Aucklander ran this story​—​‘Council eyes house demolition ban’.

At the other end of the country, the Otago Daily Times picked up the story​—​‘Council ponders house demolition plan’.

Update 10 December 2012: The Auckland Council has made an announcement​—​‘Fresh approach to protecting heritage’.