Palino's alternative vision for Auckland
Ask restaurateur, businessman, actor and now mayoral candidate for Auckland, if he might be peering in from an ivory tower and if he is in touch with the Aucklanders – yes, he is; is the answer. “I have been in the restaurant business all my life and my restaurants were successful because I was talking to people and listening to feedback. I’ve always been in touch with the community and the people. My biggest thing is to give the voice back to the community.”
He is originally from America, where he ran restaurants and in New Zealand, his TV show, the Kitchen Job, was about fixing kitchens. The TV3 website says that’s where Mr. Palino is “saving restaurant and cafe owners from the brink of ruin!”
It’s easy to see why Mr. Palino is from the service industry. He is soft spoken, polite and very, very pleasant.
He came to New Zealand from America following his heart and a Kiwi girlfriend in the 1990s and “fell in love with the place”. The relationship ended, but he stayed on. Working 110 hours a week and never being there is the reason is why he has had “so many women break-up with him” and is still single at 53, “although planning to get married next year,” he is quick to add with a smile. He smiles a lot.
He speaks fondly of America. And being from overseas he has a distinct advantage he says; the most effective education to have. “I found when I came here that New Zealand was kind of like a young America where you could pick up the phone and call the CEO of any company and they picked up the phone.”
A newbie as a politician he may be, but in his Ponsonby office, he is animated and speaks passionately, detailing the ideas he has for the city; using pen and paper to illustrate what he exactly means. His comments current Unitary Plan further illustrate that he can have a bite.
“Over the years I’ve seen Auckland grow, the population growth is a really great opportunity. But during the growth in the last few years, we’re seeing a tremendous amount of deterioration,” he says. “And when they do plan like with the Unitary Plan, they do it incorrectly. Len Brown is saying that we don’t want to be like LA – ok – then why is your plan outlining exactly what LA did?
Continued from page 8
Mr. Palino has very specific ideas about planning for a future Auckland, but says, that’s “only if the people want it.” The current Unitary Plan has generated quite a bit of interest amongst Aucklanders as well as the ethnic communities. Anecdata suggests many want to take the opportunity to bring in overseas investment into Auckland through linkages to countries of origin.
“You want to intensify Auckland, 46-56 per cent, well let’s take a look at LA. Every single block in LA has apartments on it. So why did it sprawl and intensify… because you had only one CBD. And in Auckland we have only one CBD. You’re in fact going to have a plan that is going to do exactly what you say you don’t want. What the mayor has done is to tell you: this is how you’re going to live. Anywhere else he would’ve been in a lot of trouble for that,” Mr. Palino says.
Building clusters, is the answer, “We can take an area like Manukau and turn that into another cluster, another city. In the current plan, it will take about 30 years. So when are you going to actually put the transportation in? You can’t put the transportation in until you can afford it. So when is it going to happen? You don’t know when it’s going to happen.”
Palino may evolve into the avatar of Mayor yet; but he certainly has the approach of a performance oriented businessman. He intends to make the council dealings more transparent, cut unnecessary spending and get rid of inefficiencies. “You don’t want a lawyer running a business. I’m a businessman and I know how to surround myself with the best people for the right job.”
In the Mayoral race, this skill would certainly come handy along with good social graces, for which Mr. Palino gets full marks. He walks me to the lift and doesn’t forget to ask me what I think about his plans for Auckland. Which is very nice of him.
Ask restaurateur, businessman, actor and now mayoral candidate for Auckland, if he might be peering in from an ivory tower and if he is in touch with the Aucklanders – yes, he is; is the answer. “I have been in the restaurant business all my life and my restaurants were successful because I was...
Ask restaurateur, businessman, actor and now mayoral candidate for Auckland, if he might be peering in from an ivory tower and if he is in touch with the Aucklanders – yes, he is; is the answer. “I have been in the restaurant business all my life and my restaurants were successful because I was talking to people and listening to feedback. I’ve always been in touch with the community and the people. My biggest thing is to give the voice back to the community.”
He is originally from America, where he ran restaurants and in New Zealand, his TV show, the Kitchen Job, was about fixing kitchens. The TV3 website says that’s where Mr. Palino is “saving restaurant and cafe owners from the brink of ruin!”
It’s easy to see why Mr. Palino is from the service industry. He is soft spoken, polite and very, very pleasant.
He came to New Zealand from America following his heart and a Kiwi girlfriend in the 1990s and “fell in love with the place”. The relationship ended, but he stayed on. Working 110 hours a week and never being there is the reason is why he has had “so many women break-up with him” and is still single at 53, “although planning to get married next year,” he is quick to add with a smile. He smiles a lot.
He speaks fondly of America. And being from overseas he has a distinct advantage he says; the most effective education to have. “I found when I came here that New Zealand was kind of like a young America where you could pick up the phone and call the CEO of any company and they picked up the phone.”
A newbie as a politician he may be, but in his Ponsonby office, he is animated and speaks passionately, detailing the ideas he has for the city; using pen and paper to illustrate what he exactly means. His comments current Unitary Plan further illustrate that he can have a bite.
“Over the years I’ve seen Auckland grow, the population growth is a really great opportunity. But during the growth in the last few years, we’re seeing a tremendous amount of deterioration,” he says. “And when they do plan like with the Unitary Plan, they do it incorrectly. Len Brown is saying that we don’t want to be like LA – ok – then why is your plan outlining exactly what LA did?
Continued from page 8
Mr. Palino has very specific ideas about planning for a future Auckland, but says, that’s “only if the people want it.” The current Unitary Plan has generated quite a bit of interest amongst Aucklanders as well as the ethnic communities. Anecdata suggests many want to take the opportunity to bring in overseas investment into Auckland through linkages to countries of origin.
“You want to intensify Auckland, 46-56 per cent, well let’s take a look at LA. Every single block in LA has apartments on it. So why did it sprawl and intensify… because you had only one CBD. And in Auckland we have only one CBD. You’re in fact going to have a plan that is going to do exactly what you say you don’t want. What the mayor has done is to tell you: this is how you’re going to live. Anywhere else he would’ve been in a lot of trouble for that,” Mr. Palino says.
Building clusters, is the answer, “We can take an area like Manukau and turn that into another cluster, another city. In the current plan, it will take about 30 years. So when are you going to actually put the transportation in? You can’t put the transportation in until you can afford it. So when is it going to happen? You don’t know when it’s going to happen.”
Palino may evolve into the avatar of Mayor yet; but he certainly has the approach of a performance oriented businessman. He intends to make the council dealings more transparent, cut unnecessary spending and get rid of inefficiencies. “You don’t want a lawyer running a business. I’m a businessman and I know how to surround myself with the best people for the right job.”
In the Mayoral race, this skill would certainly come handy along with good social graces, for which Mr. Palino gets full marks. He walks me to the lift and doesn’t forget to ask me what I think about his plans for Auckland. Which is very nice of him.
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