Planning rules, public spending & protests

After a stop to refuel at Hong Kong a copy of a New Zealand daily newspaper was available as we re-boarded. An article was headed "developer charter claim ..." and read similar to recent articles in the English press on the revision to the National Planning Framework. The political debate focused on the $18 billion budget deficit in public funding and how best to tackle this with the same differences of approach being debated as in the UK. Although one of the reasons for the deficit is the spend on earthquake recovery which is something we fortunately do not share. On arrival in Aukland I encountered a protest march against "corporate greed and bankers". It feels just like home!