Tony Watkins

Whakapapa is local, unique and specific.

87) All civilisations contain the seeds of their own destruction. There is no evidence to suggest that Western Civilisation will be any different. Indeed all the evidence suggests that we are well on the way to destroying ourselves. The rate at which we are consuming the world’s resources is clearly not sustainable. The levels of pollution we continue to generate are clearly not sustainable. Perhaps debate is needed on issues such as climate change but the loss of species or desertification, for example, are beyond debate.

88) The Roman Empire passed away. The Ottoman Empire passed away. The Mongol Empire passed away. The signs that all these empires were about to pass away were clear enough and yet no effective action was taken. They all passed away for different reasons but in common they had an inability to be responsive to change.

89) Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of history. Those who do not know their whakapapa do not know who they are.

90) Effective planning is responsive to change. This is what you look for in a District Plan.

91) The ruins of Troy are far from the sea, although once this was a thriving port. The ruins of Ephesus are far from the sea, although this was once a thriving port. The ruins of Pergammon are far from the sea, although this was once a thriving port. All over the world we can see civilisations which destroyed themselves because those in power failed to read the ecological signs. A District Plan reads the signs.

92) The lesson of history is that power structures are not responsive to change because they are afraid to lose power. Concentrations of power are doomed to collapse. Greed is insatiable. In contrast whakapapa is generous.

93) Above all else sustainable civilisations have been concerned with the distribution of power. Whakapapa embraces whanau.

94) No great insight was required to know that our global credit system would collapse. The only question is whether we have learned anything.

95) In a time of crisis a Heritage Precinct becomes a place of contemplation. It is here that enough of the past remains for us to be able to ask fundamental questions about the nature of change. A Heritage Precinct makes it possible to step back from day to day concerns and ask the really big questions.

96) The only thing which is certain is that tomorrow will be very different from today. There is no alternative. We can choose to ignore the inevitable but it will still be inevitable. We can grasp our moment in history or let it pass us by.

97) In a Heritage Precinct everyone needs to take responsibility for themselves and the consequences of their actions. This is democratic urban design.

Rather than seeking to control the future we should read the signs of our times.