‘Short termism’ clear on Coast

As anyone from the Coast who finds themselves on our roads during the week will tell you, traffic is becoming more difficult by the day, and March is always particularly bad. We have seen some improvements over time – the motorway extension from Albany, Whangaparāoa Rd widening (from Vipond Rd to Red Beach Rd), the bus station (but no bus lane), an extra lane here or there in Silverdale and plenty of new sets of lights. But I must admit to thinking, especially while waiting in the Silverdale chaos, did anyone plan this? Is it intentional? When approval was given to the raft of development across the Hibiscus Coast, was there a strategic plan put together to ensure infrastructure, especially transport, would be able to provide for that development? Has strategic planning died? What we are seeing on the Hibiscus Coast is further proof of a worldwide dilemma known as “short-termism”. This is where, in the face of uncertainty, we doubt our view of the future. We don’t take risk of any sort, thinking that it is logical to just deal with what is in front of us right now. The problem with that approach is that there are many industries who are planning for growth and opportunity, who are gathering together the means, the skills and the competencies to grow, but that are being seriously hampered by those that are not. When those that are not are responsible for providing the infrastructure to allow for growth and opportunity, we see things like Whangaparāoa Road and Silverdale at 7am, parking at the bus station, and the motorway exit at Silverdale anytime between 4pm and 6.30pm.

Strategy is often about being different and doing different things. It’s about taking a view of the future and planning a way through it. We all know things can change so it’s important for that plan to be reviewed from time to time. Strategy is never set; it must be dynamic. But most importantly, execute the plan.

Auckland Transport does extensive planning, but in a business sense the effectiveness of that past planning needs to be measured by reality today. Every organisation is working with scarce resources – it’s how that organisation plots its course around those scarce resources that really matters.

A leading business thinker once said, “Strategy is one percent vision and 99 percent hard work”. So I would say to those planners of transport infrastructure on the Hibiscus Coast, take a view of the future and plan a way through it. Involve as many groups as possible, make some decisions, craft a strategy and then execute it. Only then will you be able to bring the community with you.

To come back to the question, has strategic planning died? No, not for many successful, thriving businesses throughout the Hibiscus Coast. If only that same intent, energy and innovation, that same optimistic view of the future, was inherent in those that decide on whether our infrastructure will be capable of allowing us to live and work the way we wish to in the future.