Phil Goff’s 10-year ‘build it’ budget finally got the green light on Thursday, with one of the provisions being that the infamous ‘bed tax’ is now set to be extended to homes listed on sites like Airbnb. What does this mean for hosts? And are other regions set to follow? (PLUS, other things you should … 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
As the population of New Zealand booms and our largest city grinds to a standstill, the government faces a once in a generation challenge – housing the nation. Don Rowe spoke to Master Builders’ David Kelly about the state of the New Zealand construction industry, and how the private sector will play an essential role … Read more
This morning the government and Auckland Council announced a record $30b investment in solving Auckland’s transport crisis. Don Rowe reports. Atop a broken escalator the two Phils stood shoulder to shoulder, sharing a vision of a better Auckland, a cleaner Auckland; a Greater Auckland, if you will. The Government and Auckland Council together will embark … 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
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
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
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
Auckland Council meets today to debate where to site the America’s Cup syndicates. Simon Wilson has five questions he’s hoping someone will answer. There’s no perfect answer to the question of where to site the syndicates that will compete for the America’s Cup in 2021. There’s not even a good answer. Still, we want one … Read more
Hosting the America’s Cup should be the perfect event for a sailing city like Auckland, shouldn’t it? So why, asks Simon Wilson, is there a risk it’s going to wreck the surrounding area? Something has gone seriously wrong with waterfront planning in Auckland and the America’s Cup is threatening to make a bad situation even … Read more
Mayor Phil Goff has announced the results of his first round of spending cuts and, as Simon Wilson explains, they’re full of surprises – not least for him. Phil Goff is not going to slash and burn the council’s spending on promoting Auckland to the world. That’s despite a good deal of gnashing of teeth … Read more
The Herald says communications spending at Auckland Council is out of control, but is that true? Simon Wilson looks at what council comms should be doing and why. The water went off in parts of Auckland yesterday. But Watercare didn’t post anything about it on its website and it put out no information on social … Read more
Winston Peters has ideas about what should happen to the Auckland port, but this week the Auckland Council took matters into its own hands. Simon Wilson was there and reports on the latest round in the battle of the Auckland port. Fifteen months ago the council received a report from a Consensus Working Group that … Read more
A year into the job, Mayor Phil Goff is having big problems with his budget. And with water, transport, housing, the America’s Cup, the rest of council and the whole of government. And he’s still trying to beat up on the city’s tourism and economic development agency, ATEED. But somehow, says Simon Wilson, he also … Read more
Auckland mayor Phil Goff talks tough on the need for a dedicated Māori seat on council. So here’s a cat to throw into the government coalition talks: the Auckland Council wants the new government to let them have a Māori ward, elected by voters on the Māori roll in the same way they elect MPs … Read more
It’s 10-year planning time. The time when the mayor sets out his vision, his plans to realise that vision and the budget he will use to do it. But there’s a $6 billion hole in the money that needs to be spent on Auckland, and right now Phil Goff has no idea where the council’s … Read more
Where’s Phil? Eight months into his first term as mayor, Phil Goff hasn’t had any spectacular embarrassments and he hasn’t blown the budget. Is that good enough? Simon Wilson doesn’t think so, and each day this week he’s got a challenge for the mayor. Here’s the first. Why isn’t Phil Goff a champion for the … Read more
To fix the housing crisis in Auckland, mayor Phil Goff put most of the key players in a room and locked the door. Good plan. And guess what? They’ve produced a really good report, full of good ideas and provocative proposals, says Simon Wilson. Now we’ll see who really wants to fix Auckland’s housing problems. … Read more
The Storm in the Port: The story of Auckland’s waterfront is one of environmental degradation and indifference to the interests of iwi, writes Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei deputy chair Ngarimu Blair. Now that the port may be for sale, it’s time to redress the balance in favour of the kaitiaki of Tāmaki Makaurau. Read other contributions … Read more
Yes folks, hold on to your rates, it’s time for the other budget! This week’s council budget is set to get a lot of people’s backs up, writes Simon Wilson – and some of it might not even be legal. NB: An earlier version of this story attributed the distribution of white feathers to The … Read more
Andrew Little wants Phil Goff close to him in cabinet, he has revealed in an interview with The Spinoff. Not actually in cabinet, but as an important part of Wellington’s decision-making processes about Auckland. If the Labour Party gets to form the next government, Auckland can expect some big changes. During an in-depth interview with … Read more
Mayor Phil Goff is likely to lose the vote at council for one of his signature policies: the “bed tax that isn’t a bed tax”, otherwise known as the targeted accommodation rate he wants to charge hotels and motels. It will be embarrassing for him and, far worse, it’ll put a $30 million hole in his … Read more
With a water shortage threatened for Auckland, we invited Phil Goff to give us some tips on how to take a short shower. He declined! And then we discovered this… When I was young and devil-may-care I used to ride a motorcycle with the wind in my hair, because that’s how we rocked back then, … Read more
How come there’s still no publicly available business case for the government’s next big transport priority in Auckland – the East-West expressway that will cut Onehunga off from the foreshore? Simon Wilson reports from Council. Mayor Phil Goff took the stairs to the meeting room on the top floor of the town hall two at … Read more
Hayden Donnell identified the people who did well, and the ones who got massively owned, in the Auckland local elections. Originally published October 8, 2016 Winners Chlöe “22” Swarbrick Chlöe Swarbrick, whose campaign cost roughly the same as the Goff campaign’s cheese budget, came third with nearly 27,000 votes. Despite being a complete political novice, Swarbrick … Read more
New Auckland mayor Phil Goff wants everyone to know he’s in charge. He’s been laying down the law for council officers, getting offside with some of the councillors, turning himself into the star of his own show. This week, as the new mayor and his council meet for the last time in 2016, Simon Wilson … Read more
Should David Shearer’s South Sudan appointment be confirmed, a byelection is likely in Mt Albert, signalling the departure of the last ex-Labour leader and leaving the question hanging: did the party err in knifing him? “Former leaders” are a mixed blessing for a political party – they can be weathered, wise old owls, or they … Read more
National list MP and Mt Roskill candidate Parmjeet Parmar wins Simon Wilson’s award for the most emotionally unintelligent politician of 2016 as he weighs up the contest in the byelection phoney war. Parmjeet Parmar made a constituent cry at an electorate meeting in a Mt Roskill school hall last Monday evening. It was a bit … Read more