It's worth pointing out that Auckland has recently added a regional fuel tax to pay for some of their roading infrastructure. I haven't lived in NZ for a few y

It's worth pointing out that Auckland has recently added a regional fuel tax to pay for some of their roading infrastructure. I haven't lived in NZ for a few years now, but I grew up there. I wouldn't be surprised if your analysis on urban vs. rural centers being producers vs. consumers might be slightly off as the economy is heavily dependent on agriculture etc. New Zealand has two major problems: 1: Housing is completely out of touch with reality in Auckland (and to a lesser extent in all major centers). Auckland is one of the least affordable cities in the world to live in, and unlike San Francisco, lacks an industry that pays enough to keep up. 2: The regions are suffering from a death by 1000 cuts type scenario. I have a working theory that the move towards bigger and better and more powerful cities has been one of our gravest errors in modern urban planning.