Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, August 31st, 2022 - 28 comments
Recent leaks and publicity have caused huge damage to Viv Beck’s campaign to become Auckland’s next mayor. They also highlight the stark difference between the left and the right in terms of campaigning.
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, August 23rd, 2022 - 24 comments
The Wellington Mayoralty is shaping up to be a contest between the incumbent Andy Foster, Labour candidate Paul Eagle who will be a direct challenge to Foster’s support base and Tory Whanau who is standing on a policy basis strong on sustainability including the construction of a comprehensive connected bike network.
Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, August 12th, 2022 - 35 comments
Self described tough man Leo Molloy has found the going too tough and has pulled out of the Auckland mayoralty race.
Written By: - Date published: 1:07 pm, August 9th, 2022 - 11 comments
Crises that profoundly test a small developed state like New Zealand have required huge growth in state strength and policy power. But was it the change we needed?
Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, June 30th, 2022 - 19 comments
Sometimes the egregious spin gets too much. And when developers who want a compact urban form are telling Auckland Council that its plans are not working you know Auckland Council has a problem.
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, June 21st, 2022 - 104 comments
An Auckland Ratepayers Alliance Curia poll that was trumpeted as claiming that Efeso Collins and Leo Molloy were neck and neck in terms of public support has attracted criticism after it was disclosed that the poll of 500 persons had 53% stating that they did not know who they would vote for.
Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, June 20th, 2022 - 41 comments
What started out as an ego driven campaign is now developing into full blown Trumism as Leo Molloy thrashes around attempting to court attention in the belief, Trump like, that it will convert into political support.
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, June 15th, 2022 - Comments Off on Selling Henderson Film Studios is Actually Good
In 2003 Mayor Bob Harvey drove the formation of Film Auckland and the construction of the Henderson Valley Studios. Now they are being sold. But this is a good thing.
Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, May 15th, 2022 - 9 comments
The Auckland mayoralty campaign promises to be a fascinating contest between a right winger promising to spend $1.5 million on the campaign and wants to turn sprinklers on the homeless and Efeso Collins who promises to run an inclusive respectful campaign.
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, May 8th, 2022 - 53 comments
Opposition to Auckland Council’s Cycling and Micromobility Programme Business Case appears to be motivated by the belief that plans to have more of the population walk and cycle instead of using cars will be unpopular. Overseas experience suggests that not only can these types of projects contribute significantly to sustainability but they can also be very popular.
Written By: - Date published: 5:22 pm, April 3rd, 2022 - 147 comments
If you’re out there in ZB land and believe that water management should be democratically elected, you won’t find respite here. Local Government has done a terrible job dealing with water and change is urgently needed.
Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, February 23rd, 2022 - 66 comments
Efeso Collins has announced his first Mayoral campaign policy and it is a biggie, free public transport for Auckland.
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, February 15th, 2022 - 6 comments
Some thoughts on the contribution of Phil Goff to Auckland during his term as Mayor.
Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, February 14th, 2022 - 52 comments
Phil Goff has announced that he will not seek re-election as Auckland’s Mayor.
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, January 31st, 2022 - 30 comments
The light rail route and mode decision this week shows something new. It’s in the nature of the state itself.
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, December 14th, 2021 - 21 comments
For the hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders who have decided to holiday at a town near you, just be careful: they may never leave.
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 4th, 2021 - 35 comments
Efeso Collins has announced that if Phil Goff does not stand as Mayor and Labour runs a selection process for the next Mayoralty he would be keen to nominate.
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, November 7th, 2021 - 36 comments
Southland Mayor Gary Tong has justified felling a forest to construct a coal mine by saying “[w]e all want to make a cleaner, greener planet, but we can’t do it in five minutes.”
Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, November 3rd, 2021 - 22 comments
With in-person shopping about to re-start in Auckland next week, this is the best moment we will have to reinvent Auckland: one customer at a time.
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, October 31st, 2021 - 56 comments
National aligned C&R has shown how bad it is at running elections by running an election where less than one in ten eligible people voted.
Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, October 3rd, 2021 - 243 comments
This weekend there have been two attempts to undermine the current Auckland Covid lock down. Brian Tamaki’s was not the most ludicrous.
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, September 20th, 2021 - 171 comments
Cabinet meets today to decide on the future of the lockdown levels in Aotearoa and more specifically on Tamaki Makaurau. Which way will it go?
Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, September 14th, 2021 - 27 comments
We’ve never seen a nationwide disease illustrate class and deprivation like the future of the country depended on it. Not like this. This should change us.
Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, September 14th, 2021 - 65 comments
As Tamaki Makaurau enters week four of lockdown things are at an interesting stage.
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, June 29th, 2021 - 21 comments
Its time for our local authorities (and other bodies such as NZTA) to come clean, and confess whether they allow the SIS to access their camera networks in this way. That would allow the people to judge whether it is acceptable, and hold them accountable if they feel it necessary. But I suspect that that prospect is precisely why the SIS has kept this secret for so long.
Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, June 23rd, 2021 - 10 comments
David Parker has shown a deft handling of the Oceans and Fisheries portfolio and in the past week has announced the accelerated roll out of cameras on fishing boats and a suite of actions designed to address the failing health of the Waitemata Harbour.
Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, June 17th, 2021 - 51 comments
Jenny looks at extending public transport to include cyclists
Written By: - Date published: 3:52 pm, June 15th, 2021 - 32 comments
I am pleased the right have moved on from overtly racist attacks on minorities. But I am bemused by the current level of vitriol that has been thrown at a group who apart from wearing lycra is doing nothing wrong.
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, June 11th, 2021 - 144 comments
Last week’s announcement of major changes to the New Zealand Upgrade program in my view was welcome.
Written By: - Date published: 3:43 pm, May 29th, 2021 - 100 comments
This Sunday Aucklanders have an opportunity to protest the catastrophic failure of NZTA to generate a cycleway from the North Shore to the CBD, and to promote a practical proposal to “liberate a lane” on the Harbour Bridge which would do the job in the meantime.
Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, May 26th, 2021 - 73 comments
Don’t knock local politics until you’ve had to stand up and defend a cycleway in public.
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