Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Year closes with government books in reasonable shape, Mallard sets record straight, and government bookings filling up accommodation sector. The half-yearly economic and fiscal update has been released by Treasury, and the numbers are (in context) remarkably good. Politik has a good wrap of that context, and … Read more
Voting is under way in the New Zealand general election. Explore the main parties’ pledges at Policy.nz, but here’s a whistle-stop tour of what’s on offer in the world of transport. Read more two-minute policy wraps here Public transport While there are a range of policy ideas for different areas of transport, only two parties … Read more
National’s new leader made her first big appearance in front of a crowd today, announcing her party’s $31 billion infrastructure policy. What got the biggest applause? It was standing room only (due to a lack of seats) at Judith Collins’ big policy address in central Auckland this morning. After a week of turbulence within the … Read more
Plans for a modern, efficient light rail network have taken an unexpected detour. Greater Auckland editor Matt Lowrie recounts the brief history of how we got here, and how there may still be light at the end of the tunnel. The good news is we’re not going to be sending billions of dollars offshore to … Read more
How come New Zealand’s transport planning isn’t keeping up with the ideas now transforming the cities of the world? Not radical ideas, just orthodox planning ideas. Like: banning cars from the middle of town. This article was originally published in April 2017. Here’s a pretty good list of cities. Madrid, Paris, Vancouver, New York, Oslo, … Read more
Politicians can’t make us feel less lonely, but they can adopt policies that create conditions for meaningful social interaction to flourish. This article tackles loneliness at the policy level, which is important, but won’t be much immediate help to individuals feeling lonely and isolated right now. If you’re in that situation, Loneliness NZ has some … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Saving water becomes crucial amid drought, means testing Super back in the news, and a hard look at a Special Purpose Vehicle. Aucklanders need to get serious about saving water or restrictions will come in. Newshub reports that’s the message from Watercare, who say that it’s not … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Former PM Mike Moore mourned, travel ban put in place in attempt to prevent Coronavirus, and Greens break government ranks over transport spending. Former PM Mike Moore has passed away at the age of 71, a few days after his birthday. A wide range of tributes … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: National closes year with policy blitz, fund announced for small businesses affected by tourism disasters, and a record worker exploitation fine handed down. Perhaps it’s meant to be a counterpoint to the government’s year of delivery. The National party promised eight policy discussion documents this year, and … Read more
New Zealand’s universities have a shocking record on emissions. If they band together, however, they could make a massive difference. Shaun Hendy explains. Humour me for a minute by imagining that the University of Auckland was facing a 40% budget blowout next year. Of course, you chuckle, this would never happen. The University of Auckland … Read more
Lime brought e-scooters to Auckland and changed the way we travel in less than a year. Now, the council is replacing it and Wave with three new contenders. Josie Adams goes to the Lime warehouse to say goodbye to the original scooters. In a warehouse in Eden Terrace, almost a thousand Limes hibernate. More than … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Braae reviews a night spent on the Intercity overnight sleeper bus getting from Wellington to Auckland. The most important thing to understand about long haul bus travel is that it’s all about getting exactly what you pay for, … Read more
Too many political platforms are designed for the benefit of white, male, 9am commuters. Women in Urbanism Aotearoa has put forward a list of policies for candidates who want to serve everyone in their communities. The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Concern about slow progress for major transport projects, smoking researcher under pressure over funding, and hikoi marches from Ihumātao to Ardern’s office. NZTA is struggling to get spending out the door, so the money isn’t flowing through the economy, reports Thomas Coughlan for Stuff. It’s because of … Read more
The skies are opening up, the car is unbundling, autonomous vehicles are in and fossil fuels are out. We are entering the shared mobility era where each trip you take is available at the touch of a button. So how is your commute set to change? Science fiction has long fantasised about the possibility of … Read more
Authorities are failing to probe the root causes of truck accidents despite a rise in crash fatalities, writes business editor Maria Slade. Police did not have the authority to investigate possible health and safety causes of commercial truck crashes for two-and-a-half years thanks to a hole in the regulations. From April 2016 to October 2018, … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major transport plans announced for Wellington, fears some forests will be unprotected from mega mast, and complexities of drug driver testing outlined. A major, decades long investment has been announced for Wellington’s transport network. It’s a mix of incremental short term upgrades focused largely on those not … Read more
It pays to shop around, and ridesharing services are no different. Some are cheaper, others are more convenient, so which is which? We take you through four options worth trying in Auckland. Uber: The Incumbent It’s the company synonymous with 21st-century ridesharing. A company so big, so ubiquitous, that ‘Uber’ isn’t just a name any … Read more
A report commissioned by Uber says Auckland wins Australasia’s traffic congestion Grand Prix and needs to embrace ‘point-to-point’ transport. It’s official: Auckland is the most congested city in Australasia, according to Uber. It hired international management consultancy Boston Consulting Group to look at transport in the region’s major cities and what role ridesharing services such … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Phil Goff confirms he’ll run for another term as Auckland mayor, Greens unveil members bill with sweeping electoral changes, and real estate agents are giving up. Auckland mayor Phil Goff has finally confirmed he’ll be seeking another term, and hasn’t shied away from the challenges Auckland … Read more
Marsha Pohatu has lost two front teeth and seen friends die while working in the New Zealand trucking sector. The industry’s culture of dangerous practices has to stop, she says. Exhausting and illegal hours, antagonistic and exploitative management, untreated injuries and fatalities: Driver Marsha Pohatu has witnessed the industry she loves at its grim worst. … Read more
Drivers peeing into a bottle because they can’t afford toilet stops and migrant workers sleeping in depots: The trucking industry is in a race to the bottom, a new study says. It took AUT researcher Dr Clare Tedestedt George several days to recover from her 15-hour interview with a truck driver. The conversation lasted that … Read more
Smaller, cheaper, cleaner: e-bikes and e-scooters are already disrupting even transport giants like Uber, writes Greater Auckland’s Patrick Reynolds. The electric revolution on our city streets, already underway, looks much more like a scooter than a Tesla. Why? Physics and geometry: size really matters for both energy consumption and spatial efficiency. And both drive affordability and therefore … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: CRL gets bigger before being built, Greens reluctantly tuck into a big dead rat, and police change goat-tasering policies. The government has signed off on plans to build Auckland’s City Rail Link even bigger, before it opens up. The NZ Herald outlines the changes – basically they involve … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Hayden Donnell reviews all New Zealand roads after driving 2500km in four days. The route over Takaka Hill is less a road than a rickety goat track hewn into the side of a mountain. It’s afflicted by slips and … Read more
Mike Hosking’s latest ‘modern parenting’ whinge is about children not walking to school. Jacquelyn Collins explains exactly why he’s wrong, and why parents are right to be concerned for the safety of their children on the school run. Mike Hosking is a keen and frequent participant in the popular modern pastime of reminding parents that … 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
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
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today: why the government is looking into public private partnerships to build infrastructure – and what the other parties think. What’s this all about then? The government are pushing for public private partnerships to fund big transport infrastructure projects, … Read more