Pukekohe local councillor rejects urban sprawl concerns

Auckland's acting mayor Bill Cashmore is rejecting suggestions the market gardens of Pukekohe are at risk from further urban development. A report from Horticulture New Zealand says nearly a third of New Zealand's vegetable growing land has vanished between 2002 and 2016. It's chief executive, Mike Chapman, says reductions to Pukekohe's productive capacity would be disastrous. But Bill Cashmore, who's the Franklin Ward councillor responsible for Pukekohe, says the area's market garden land is safe.