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
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Super Fund makes play for Auckland light rail, enthusiasm for cannabis investment crashes crowdfunding site, and Anglicans take step towards same sex marriage recognition. The NZ Super Fund will put in a bid to own, operate and build Auckland’s light rail network, reports Stuff. The Super Fund, … Read more
As we grapple with futuristic questions about driverless cars, mobility on demand, and end-to-end trips, is the two-wheeled answer right under our noses? Jolisa Gracewood and Sam Finnemore of Bike Auckland make the case Faster than walking and peak hour driving, cheaper than a private car or a taxi or Zoomy or Uber, the bicycle joins … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: A huge sack of cash for Auckland’s transport, a damning new child poverty report, and jailhouse snitches in the spotlight. The government and council will put $28 billion dollars towards a major plan to fix Auckland’s transport woes. Here’s a handy key facts story from Stuff, because there … Read more
After hurricane force winds battered Auckland on Tuesday night, lines company Vector awoke to the task of rebuilding its severely damaged network. Minoru Frederiksens talks Don Rowe through the aftermath. On Tuesday night a severe storm tore through Auckland, cutting power to more than 100,000 houses across the region. Whole suburbs went dark as trees … Read more
Illustrator and writer Toby Morris checks in with five Auckland residents to get their reactions to last night’s storm. Geoff Tonkins, 28, St Heliers Geoff was up reading up all this bloody hoo-ha about Taika saying New Zealand was racist. Racist!? Pfft. He had a real zinger of a comment lined up about the Maoris … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Toby Morris casts a critical eye over Remuera street Peach Parade. In the great cosmic list of pleasurable ways to spend time, ‘driving to the eastern suburbs of Auckland’ isn’t that highly ranked. But, it has to be said, … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Huge changes in transport strategy announced by the government, the Defence Force boss is stepping down, and the Royal Commission into state care abuse is open for submissions. The government is proposing an increased fuel tax, and money is being moved out of state highways, in … 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
The Golden Dawn, the Ponsonby pop-up bar that accidentally lasted seven and a half years, closed on Sunday morning. Simon Day and Emily Raftery were there, cameras in hand. Read our interview with The Golden Dawn’s Matthew Crawley and Nick Harrison here. The Spinoff’s music content is brought to you by our friends at Spark. Listen to … Read more
A diorama of Auckland dating to the 1930s was lost for decades, and shows in stunning detail the central city with light rail right through it, and before huge chunks of it were demolished. By Duncan Greive, images by Joel Thomas. Who ruined central Auckland? As we contemplate a decades-long healing process – building the … Read more
Auckland bar/venue/restaurant The Golden Dawn is closing for good on Saturday. Four days before its final party, Henry Oliver talked to entertainment manager Matthew Crawley and general manager Nick Harrison about the birth, death and music of the weirdest bar on Ponsonby Road. For the last seven and a half years, The Golden Dawn has … 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
The New Zealand Breakers have announced a new ownership group including two former NBA players. It’s a well-orchestrated transition which only serves to show how special former owners the Blackwells were, writes Andrew Mulligan. The Breakers just beat the Warriors to it, again. They were the first to bring a non-rugby title to the fully professional … Read more
We have a beautiful summer upon us and though school and kindy are back in session, our kids’ appetite for leisure-time stimulation remains undimmed. Here’s your crowd-sourced-from-real-parents guide to Auckland with little ones. Check out the Auckland Maritime Museum, one of Auckland’s most under-rated attractions for kids. Says one mum “it’s no cost for locals, … Read more
Street lights in Kansas City have wifi sensors which link with a live map, allowing residents to see traffic and free parking spaces. Clever huh? Mark Thomas says smart cities – those which embrace technology in planning – can reap big environmental and financial rewards. The word “smart” does not appear in Auckland mayor Phil … Read more
In the final part of our series exploring adventures around Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, our writers take a trip through Auckland’s backyard, and further beyond. Scroll to the end of the story for a chance to win a weekend exploring in the new Hyundai Kona. I once fake proposed to my then girlfriend. It was … Read more
A protest against the relocation of 15 mature trees from Quay St to nearby parks is continuing to prevent work on the cycleway extension. Jolisa Gracewood and Max Robitzsch of Bike Auckland sigh deeply, and explain how we got here. Having ended 2017 with a story about the opposition to the Grey Lynn cycleway, we … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens and luminaries making the news. In the first of our summer series, Kiwi battler Luke Haycook describes how he reached the first rung of the Auckland property ladder.
There are protest signs all over Grey Lynn, but who do they really represent? Jolisa Gracewood and Max Robitzsch present the case for better bike riding and good planning in Auckland’s inner west. Decades from now, we’ll look back on 2017 and say: that’s when it changed. That’s when Auckland reclaimed its urban mojo, stared … Read more
How can Auckland create a bigger, stronger and more rewarding night-time economy? Simon Wilson sets out a plan. Partner content in association with Heart of the City, who are interested in growing the vibrant night-time experience in the city centre. In the new year we’re getting lights on the harbour bridge. It’s a great initiative. And … 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
Last week food critic Simon Wilson took rookie fine diner Madeleine Chapman to upmarket restaurant The Grove. Then she took him to her restaurant of choice – here are their reviews of KFC. This piece was first published in December 2017. Read part one, The Grove, here. Madeleine Chapman The wicked wing was divine. Served … Read more
We sent Simon Wilson, who’s been writing about Auckland’s best restaurants for years, and Madeleine Chapman, who regularly wears a KFC tracksuit to work, to dinner at fine-dining restaurant The Grove. Here are their reviews. Read part two of The Critic and the Rookie: Simon and Madeleine go to KFC, here Simon Wilson The quail … 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
Yes, Auckland does need more houses. Urban planner Joe Jeffries explains why. A recent article in The Spinoff made the extraordinary claim that increasing housing supply cannot improve affordability and seemed to suggest it could make things worse. That article relied on a strawman version of Economics 101 supply and demand, claiming that model doesn’t … Read more
Auckland Transport is busily wrecking the suburbs of the city’s inner west. Simon Wilson takes a good hard look at the plans – and at the protests about those plans. Just look at what Auckland Transport has done to the West Lynn shops. A new bus stop sits right in front of a pedestrian crossing, … 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