Native New Yorker John Palino has spent 17 years in Auckland and says he can't stand by and watch the city he loves become unrecognisable.

The successful businessman, restaurateur and reality TV star has put his hand up to contest Len Brown's mayoralty and his plans to intensify much of residential Auckland.

Mr Palino says his experience living overseas allows him to see howgreat Auckland is.

"Auckland is already one of the most liveable cities in the world," he says.

"We have a way of life here that people love, why would we want to play with that."

He says the message he's got from attending community meetings on the unitary plan, including many on the North Shore, is that people fear Auckland's growth and what it will do to their neighbourhoods and lifestyles.

"Right now people are being told it's either urban sprawl or intensification," he says.

"Council isn't giving any other solutions and that's not fair because those aren't the only choices.

"People need to have a choice, you can't just say to everyone that we are going to change your way of life and you better accept it."

The 53-year-old is visibly passionate about Auckland and says it worries him that people are scared of what the future might bring.

His eyes welled up listening to the story of Browns Bay resident George Gardner who went home shaking after learning at a meeting

that his suburban neighbourhood is to be zoned as apartment and terraced housing.

"It's pretty straight forward, we cannot let this happen because we're talking about people's lives," he says.

"We have to find another way to accommodate the growing population and we have to start thinking outside the square."

Mr Palino's own ideas centre around the creation of satellite cities.

He believes Manukau would be a perfect location.

"We could take advantage of a growing population and see it as an opportunity."

Importantly, he says, Manukau has space for commercial growth as well as residential.

Manukau wouldn't be the only option but being close to both the airport and Hamilton means it "ticks all the boxes", he says.

He believes the creation of at least one satellite city will take the pressure to intensify off other parts of Auckland.

"It's impossible to make Auckland more livable through this level of widespread intensification.

"In fact empowering communities and getting rid of bureaucracy, that is how you make a more liveable city."

The hospitality business has been Mr Palino's life since he started out as a dishwasher at just 13.

His aim is to bring the service mentality back to council because "that's council's job, serving the people".

- North Shore Times