The objections of a few wealthy Mt Eden residents have succeeded in killing a much-needed central Auckland housing development. How does this keep happening? Dominion Road has been marked for major transformation with over a billion dollars to be invested in high capacity light rail that will traverse the length of Auckland’s most famous street. … Read more
Councillors and council officers are forever going to public meetings to receive bad advice from angry people who mostly don’t know what they’re talking about. Hayden Donnell asks why. In Takapuna last week, Mayor Phil Goff, councillors and council officers stood in front of a packed meeting and got yelled at. They’d committed the crime … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Nurses strike set to take place tomorrow, China responds to Defence paper that names their country, and Auckland Council is being taken to court over two extremist speakers. In what is arguably the most important story of the year so far, the nurses strike is back … Read more
Spend money to make money? Not really. It turns out there’s very little in the Commonwealth Games for a host other than cost. In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens and shared a similar fate to many of its successors: the initial costs were vastly underestimated, they were plagued with cost … Read more
Cheat sheet: According to numerous reports, close to half of the Auckland Council have signed a letter expressing ‘no confidence’ in Phil Goff. But have they really? So nine councillors have signed a letter expressing ‘no confidence’ in Phil Goff? No they haven’t. Less than nine? No. Nine signed the letter. And wasn’t that a … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Auckland Council wants you to help buy trains. What’s the deal, and can they be trusted with your money? What’s all this then? Auckland Council has announced they will be making an offer of five year ‘green bonds’ … Read more
Parents living in South Auckland were shocked, but probably not surprised, to learn this week that Auckland Council have been underfunding their playgrounds. Angela Cuming looks at some of the reasons why – and what is being done about it. So Hamilton City Council has finally done the right thing and voted to build new … Read more
Good morning, welcome to winter, and and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Auckland Council passes 10 year budget, National hates Labour’s sentencing proposals, and a concerning glimpse of the culture at Tauranga hospital. Auckland’s ten year budget has made it through Council, meaning spending and rates plans for the next decade can be locked … Read more
Councillor outrage over a secret stadium report shows how much the mayor needs to learn about consensus building, writes RNZ’s Auckland correspondent Todd Niall. What’s the difference between being the Minister of Auckland, and the Mayor of Auckland? It’s something Auckland Mayor Phil Goff may need to ponder half way through his first term, after … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. Today we’ve got all the washing up from yesterday’s budget, plus news about councils, cows and creeps. The first budget of the Labour–led government has been delivered, with few surprises for those who’ve been avidly following developments over the last month. Finally, the exact spending plans the government intends to … Read more
If a fuel tax is the best way to fund Auckland’s development, Councillor Efeso Collins asks that the benefits be invested in the people the tax will affect most – those in his Manukau ward. My parents worked on factory floors at NZ Forest Products in Penrose, cleaning operating theatres of Middlemore Hospital, and driving … Read more
Trams are almost certainly returning to Auckland, backed by the government, the council, and now even the Super Fund eager to invest. But is it really the answer to the city’s transport challenges, asks former National Party cabinet minister Wayne Mapp There are four key elements in the government’s new transport plan for Auckland. They … Read more
Two restaurants with the exact same name operate beside each other in Mt Albert. But which is the real Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House? Madeleine Chapman eats and investigates. Occupying the heart of the Mt Albert food district are two rival restaurants right next door to each other. Both make cheap, generously portioned, delicious Chinese … Read more
Homelessness, high house prices and poor air quality. Many cities are struggling – but what to do about it? Mark Thomas reports from the World Urban Forum. There’s nothing like a global conference to both gain insight into the really big trends that are happening around the world, and to similarly despair at how slow … Read more
Auckland’s long battle with Wellington for the cultural capital crown will be lost once and for all if the council insists on leaving arts and culture out of its 10-year plan, argues the Basement Theatre’s Elise Sterback. In an effort to erase all memory of his predecessor, Auckland mayor Phil Goff is swapping out the … Read more
Think your voice doesn’t count? The chair of Henderson-Massey’s local board begs to differ, calling on all young people to have their say on Auckland Council’s 10-year plan. Calling all young people in Auckland, your city needs you. The long-term future of Auckland depends on what is adopted in the Auckland Council’s 10-year long-term plan. As … Read more
Yesterday Auckland Council voted unanimously to endorse the rāhui placed by local iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki on the Waitākere Regional Park, and close all walking tracks to help fight the spread of the deadly kauri dieback disease. Edward Ashby, the executive manager of Te Kawerau ā Maki, explains what it’s all for. New Zealand … Read more
The future of Auckland Art Gallery’s funding is in the hands of the council as it divides up its 10-year budget. Viv Beck, Heart of the City chief executive, wants them to fix the funding gap for the sake of Auckland’s cultural soul. Our mayor recently made a bold step to declare his support for allocating more money … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, we explain why swimming at some of Auckland’s best beaches might just be a terrible idea. So why can’t I swim at the beach? It’s contaminated. By what? Poop. Excrement. Fecal matter. And a few other nasty rogue … Read more
A Facebook post by the Auckland Council’s tourism arm encouraging people to hike in the Waitākere Ranges is another example of the council’s mixed messaging on the kauri dieback. Waitangi Day: the annual acknowledgement of the partnership Māori and the Crown entered in 1840. On the same day, the Auckland Council did its best to … Read more
On Thursday Auckland Transport released a draft budget that caused an immediate uproar – and then transport minister Phil Twyford said it was all a mistake. Auckland councillor Richard Hills explains why the draft budget was so bad, and what he intends to do about it. I was sitting in the office yesterday minding my … Read more
Concerned about the results of an official information request showing an estimated $40,000 being spent dealing with one NZ organisation’s official information demands, the Spinoff seeks comment from public spending grassroots watchdog the Taxpayers’ Union. Not all heroes wear capes, but if there is any justice in this benighted world Jordan Williams has one in … Read more
What exactly, asks Simon Wilson, has the council decided to do about kauri dieback? Why did the Māori board members contradict themselves and which trails have been closed? The Auckland Council voted on Monday to substantially increase spending on the environment, including the fight against kauri dieback. Surprisingly, that’s a first. But it turned down … Read more
The Auckland Art Gallery is under threat – from a council that ought to know better. Partner content in association with Heart of the City The formalities at the opening of the Lindauer exhibition were, as you might expect, highly ritualised and extremely moving. A gallery connected to the culture of its place. I think … Read more
The council has voted to close tracks in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park and spend a lot more money trying to stop the spread of kauri dieback. But, asks Simon Wilson, is it enough? It’s quite good to think of kauri dieback the way you think of Alien, or The Walking Dead, or any other … Read more
Is it 1.4%, 2.5%, 6.2%, 9% or something else? Simon Wilson explains how much Auckland rates are really going to rise under the mayor’s new proposal – and wonders why some of the reporting has been so confusing. This afternoon Auckland Council debates the draft 10-year budget proposed by mayor Phil Goff. They may have … Read more
Last week Auckland Council voted to build an extension on Queens Wharf: a fixed walkway to two moored “dolphin” buoys, stretching 80-85 metres further into the harbour. Simon Wilson was at the meeting and asks, how the hell did that happen? The Golden Princess was in Auckland on Friday. A modern cruise ship, new to … Read more
Team New Zealand manager Grant Dalton didn’t turn up to today’s council meeting to decide where the America’s Cup syndicates should be based. As Simon Wilson reports, he already knew he wasn’t going to get his way. The writing was on the wall at the start of the meeting. Team New Zealand, insistent at every … Read more
