Andrew Dickens Afternoons

If you've listened to Newstalk ZB for the past 25 years you'll be very well aware of the Auckland problem.The growing pains of our largest city have been endlessly discussed and debated, opposed and supported. Throughout the rest of the country people rolled their eyes and snickered at the JAFAs and the bed of thorns they had constructed for themselves.But all along people with an eye to the future were warning that the Auckland problem would spread soon enough and we hope you're watching and learning.So payback time. Let's talk about Hamilton.The city is growing fast. Of course it is. Smack bang in the middle of the North Island. Smack bang in the middle of an immensely beautiful and fertile countryside brimming with jobs. Easy access to ports in Tauranga and Auckland. A couple of hours from splashing around in Lake Taupo. I've always wondered why it hasn't got bigger sooner.The Mayor is worried about where to stick all the people wanting to live there. So Andrew King wants the city to sprawl and he says it