Hobsonville Point: Sounding the electoral mood of Auckland's newest suburb
Hobsonville Point is Auckland's newest suburb, held up as a poster child for National's affordable housing model.
Ryan Frost loves running with his dogs, Juca and Lola.
The beagles are a new addition to the family – still puppies, really – and would have been out of the question until the account manager and his wife bought their first home in Hobsonville Point last year.
"No-one lets you rent with a dog," Frost says.
Ryan Frost walks his beagles, Juca and Lola - having dogs wasn't possible until he moved to Hobsonville Point.
He is among thousands of people flocking to Hobsonville Point in West Auckland following the Government's promise of affordable housing in the region.
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"We were first-home buyers, and if it wasn't for my Kiwisaver we wouldn't have been able to buy out here," he says.
Terraced apartments line the streets of Hobsonville Point.
The brand-new suburb has rushed ahead at break-neck speed. Entire communities have sprung up along roads that just a few years ago were a sleepy path to the local farmers' market.
"It's the fastest-growing area in New Zealand," local property consultant Mike Bristow says, out for a morning stroll with his wife and grandchild.
"I've been surprised that so many people have been attracted to the high density of living in Hobsonville Point. I was a bit wary at the start, but if you get good urban design, you can actually live in some fairly tight areas."
Property consultant Mike Bristow was wary of the high density housing in Hobsonville Point, but is now a supporter.
That popularity has come at a price, with property values rapidly climbing past the government's threshold of first-home affordability.
"Prices have really increased a lot over the three years we've lived here, to the point where I think it's quite an expensive place to live now," Bristow says.
Space is at a premium. Terraced cookie-cutter apartments line the streets like oversized pieces of Lego, their uniformity reminiscent of the white picket fence dream, except nobody here has space for a front yard.
Hobsonville Point is Auckland's newest suburb, touted as a poster child for the government's new housing model.
If suburbs had theme songs, Hobsonville Point's would surely be Pleasant Valley Sunday. As The Monkees jived in 1967, "rows of houses that all look the same … here in status symbol land".
Indoor garages are often turned into storage space – houses are cramped – and residents complain there's not enough room for everyone to park on the street.
But living in each other's pockets isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Local mum Amy Pattle says there's a "massive" sense of community for those living in Hobsonville Point.
Local mum Amy Pattle, who is taking a break from helping her son wash his bike on the footpath, says there's a "massive" sense of community.
"Even though the homes themselves and the yards aren't really big, there are lots of places within easy walking distance.
"Everyone looks out for each other, and there's always something happening in the community."
Gayatri Topiwala serves customers in the convenience store she runs with her husband in Hobsonville Point.
Gayatri Topiwala runs Hobs Point convenience store.
She and her husband saw the new suburb as an opportunity to start their own business.
"It feels safe and friendly," she says.
Landscaper Joseph Emms works on gardens in Hobsonville Point, but can't afford to buy a house of his own.
"A lot of new people are moving in, and getting to know them is quite good."
Those moving in are the lucky ones. The relentless march of Auckland's housing market means getting on the property ladder is still out of reach for many aspiring home owners.
Landscaper Joseph Emms works on gardens in Hobsonville Point. Calling them gardens is generous; they're tiny, pocket-sized patches of soil boasting a few token shrubs – but even so, he'd jump at the chance to live here.
Hobsonville Point is part of the Upper Harbour electorate, which voted for Paula Bennett and National in 2014.
"My partner and myself, we've got a young child, and we're still living with her family, because we can't get into a house," he says.
"We can't afford the deposit, and it's very hard to find anywhere to live.
"We're both earning decent money, and we've got good jobs, but it's just really tough."
Locals in Hobsonville Point are concerned about Auckland's housing affordability, and the lack of public transport.
A few blocks away, labourers laying pavers tell a similar story. They're putting in the hard yards in Hobsonville Point, driving from south Auckland every day to help create a community that's out of reach for people like them.
"Most of us poor people don't vote," one of them says, as smoko talk turns to the election.
"What's the point? We're not running the country."
Hobsonville Point falls within the Upper Harbour electorate. Like the suburb, the electorate itself is brand-new, carved out for the 2014 election when population growth earned West Auckland another member in parliament.
It's a safe blue seat: Paula Bennett swept to victory with 56 per cent of the vote, scooping up more than twice the level of support for her Labour rival. The party vote fell on similar lines.
But National should not take Hobsonville Point for granted. It may be the poster child for the government's new housing model, but locals here share the same concerns as many other residents across the super city.
"There's a lack of public transport out here, and in Auckland generally," Frost says.
"That's a big one for me."
Pattle agrees. Her husband currently drives to Constellation Station on the North Shore to catch a bus to the city, because there's no direct route from Hobsonville Point.
"Public transport here is still quite poor," she says.
"We definitely need more ferries going to the city."
And housing. Housing, housing, housing. It's on everyone's lips, and even those who have successfully fought their way onto the ladder are worried about what will come next.
On second thought, perhaps it's not quite right to draw comparisons to Pleasant Valley, where "no-one seems to care".
Because the locals of Hobsonville Point care very much.
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