local government
Categories under local government
- auckland supercity (417)
- C&R (18)
- local body elections (119)
- supercity (101)
When is a toll road not a toll road?
Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, June 22nd, 2016 - 37 comments
When it is a variable network pricing mechanism …
Can We Support Phil Goff for Auckland Mayor?
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, June 21st, 2016 - 59 comments
Every year, Auckland is more of New Zealand. More of its real estate risk, more of its social problems, more of its productivity drag. Just more. And hence more of its politics. This government has long since abandoned policy coherence over any Auckland issue: housing, immigration, innovation, transport, electricity, youth employment, poverty, public health, growth, […]
Strategic Arse Elbow
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, June 2nd, 2016 - 135 comments
Today at about the same time the Government will turn the first sod of the city rail link and then announce more urban sprawl for Auckland. This is the most massive policy and programme contradiction in a lifetime.
Screw democracy – Auckland to get the Canterbury treatment
Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, May 28th, 2016 - 172 comments
It’s naked panic now. In response to the crisis that isn’t a crisis Key is going to overrule the council that his government created and screw over Auckland democracy just like he screwed over Canterbury. What do you think of that Aucklanders?
We’re going to burn it all, until we burn it down.
Written By: - Date published: 12:11 am, May 20th, 2016 - 173 comments
What does it really mean to reduce NZ’s total fossil fuel use by 50% by 2030: a warm up discussion for an upcoming thought experiment.
Justin Lester: begging is a social issue, not a crime
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, April 9th, 2016 - 50 comments
The Auckland local government race isn’t the only one where begging is becoming a top issue.
What should Auckland Council do about begging
Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, April 7th, 2016 - 55 comments
Two conservative mayoral candidates have proposed that people begging should be fined.
Justin Lester launches campaign for Wellington Mayor
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, April 4th, 2016 - 35 comments
Justin Lester launched his campaign for the Wellington mayoralty yesterday, focusing on housing, supporting small business and social services.
House Tales.
Written By: - Date published: 3:01 pm, March 22nd, 2016 - 32 comments
If ‘home is where the heart is’ then what’s the story when everything’s heartless?
Local democracy just got screwed
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, March 15th, 2016 - 31 comments
If the RMA Amendment Bill goes through, then community groups all over the country are going to become intimately acquainted with just how badly they have been shafted by Mr Smith and his accomplices.
Leggett does a runner
Written By: - Date published: 5:58 pm, March 11th, 2016 - 16 comments
Porirua Mayor Nick Leggett says he will announce his decision about running for Mayor of Wellington at a launch later this month. It sounds like he has already made up his mind about what he is running for; the real question is what is he running from?
Government plans RMA power grab
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, March 9th, 2016 - 29 comments
The Government is planning to allow the relevant Minister to change District Plans by regulation or to allow National Policy Statements to change district plans and to prevent submissions being received unless evidence contained is provided by a professional adviser with expertise.
Auckland Council IT Blowout; Guest Post
Written By: - Date published: 6:26 pm, March 6th, 2016 - 62 comments
TS regular SaveNZ looks at the background to the massive cost overruns in the Auckland Council’s IT department. It’s not about the democratic processes of council; it’s because the Supercity was set up to fail.
Young Nats run away from public debate on TPP
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 5th, 2016 - 47 comments
Surprisingly and refreshingly, the Young Nats initially agreed. A date was set, a venue booked, and promotion of the debate under way.
Hickey on Auckland housing
Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, March 4th, 2016 - 73 comments
Bernard Hickey’s piece from last Sunday on Auckland Housing is a depressing read.
Supercity IT cost blowout
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, March 2nd, 2016 - 70 comments
The real costs of the Auckland IT merger are at least six times higher than National’s original $200 million estimate. This significantly alters the economic case that was made for the “supercity”. Was National’s estimate deliberately wrong, or was it just incompetent?
Boots Theory: What is going on with the local-government Right?
Written By: - Date published: 1:25 pm, March 1st, 2016 - 19 comments
Stephanie Rodgers analyses two mayoral races and asks why the right in Auckland is so messy. And why Wellington looks more settled.
Fuster and Cluck ride again?
Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, February 27th, 2016 - 13 comments
John Palino has all but announced that he will also stand for the super city Mayoralty and there is a rumour that Simon Lusk will be his campaign manager.
Humans of Remuera revolt against the Unitary Plan
Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, February 26th, 2016 - 123 comments
The humans of Remuera succeeded this week in getting Auckland Council to withdraw evidence from the Unitary Plan hearing supporting increased intensification in the leafy suburbs.
Establishment appointed Council protects Establishment
Written By: - Date published: 5:21 pm, February 11th, 2016 - 39 comments
So National’s appointed ECan (undermining democracy since 2010) has decided that leading business man Hugh Fletcher & Chief Justice Sian Elias shouldn’t be fined for their cows sh!ting in a lake. National were accused of taking voting rights so they could favour dairy over Christchurch, and this seems a good example. Canterbury has suffered enough – it needs democracy back.
Government U turn on inner city rail link
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, January 27th, 2016 - 40 comments
John Key has announced that National will bring forward funding of Auckland’s inner city rail link. The decision is welcome but it should have been made years ago.
The great big list of John Key’s big fat lies (UPDATED)
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, January 27th, 2016 - 79 comments
How many more lies will John Key tell today in his so-called State of the Nation address? Virtual chocolate fish to whomever guesses the closest number.
Local Democracy
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, December 19th, 2015 - 35 comments
Ad discusses a phenomenon where Local Government is having a greater and greater effect on New Zealand’s development. But local politicians are having less and less effect.
Collins and the “monster” board
Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, December 7th, 2015 - 43 comments
Idiot turn of phrase or deliberately inflammatory? You be the judge.
Dunedin leads the way
Written By: - Date published: 4:14 pm, December 3rd, 2015 - 7 comments
On carbon emissions I don’t have any hope for NZ under National, which is still stuck in a stupid fossil fuel mentality. I do have hope for the people, organisations, and regions within NZ who are collectively taking action. And I’m proud that my home of Dunedin is leading the way.
A Labour Mayor for Wellington
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 3rd, 2015 - 47 comments
Deputy Mayor Justin Lester has announced his candidacy for the top job in the nation’s capital.
Standing in the Shadow of the Red Flag
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, November 25th, 2015 - 47 comments
“Why would Goff stand for the Auckland mayoralty as an independent candidate considering his life-long commitment to the Labour Party?”
Why indeed?
Is it time for Labour to stand candidates in local elections under the party banner? And can the party lift its profile and its general election prospects by being bolder in the provinces?
Phil Goff for Super City Mayor
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, November 23rd, 2015 - 42 comments
Phil Goff has formally announced that he is seeking the Auckland Super City Mayoralty as an independent.
Len Brown stands down
Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, November 8th, 2015 - 59 comments
Len Brown has announced that he will not contest the Auckland Mayoralty next year.
Five years as a united Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, October 30th, 2015 - 168 comments
Auckland Council is delivering a publication to all Auckland households celebrating five years of Auckland super city. But is there any reason to celebrate?
The left in Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, October 25th, 2015 - 15 comments
Ad comments on the change of National’s approach to local government in Auckland and suggests that there should be cooperation amongst the parties on the left locally and between the central organisations of the parties.
- ‘Effortless-seeming genius’: Carl Shuker’s favourite reads and other stories
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Carl Shuker, author of new novel The Royal Free. The book I wish I’d written I wish I’d written Philip Hensher’s Kitchen Venom. No one talks about it ...5 days ago - Gone By Lunchtime: Our decision desk is now ready to call the US election
The new old president, the hīkoi hits Auckland, and a momentous day of apology at parliament. After more than a week scrutinising the granular data, the Gone By Lunchtime podcast decision desk is ready to make a call: Donald Trump has won the US presidency. In a new episode, ...5 days ago
- Global carbon emissions inch upwards in 2024 despite progress on EVs, renewables and deforestation
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pep Canadell, Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Environment; Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Susan Santa Maria, Shutterstock Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuels continue to increase, year on year. This sobering reality will be presented to world leaders today at ...5 days ago - Hīkoi day three: Thousands of protesters walk across Auckland Harbour Bridge
RNZ News Thousands of supporters of Aotearoa New Zealand’s hīkoi mō te Tiriti — a march traversing the length of Aotearoa in protest against the Treaty Principles Bill and government policies impacting on Māori — have crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge. RNZ reporters with the march said it was swaying ...5 days ago
- Watch: Govt announces wrap-around services for people in emergency housing long term
The trial will be for single people and couples without children who aren't already getting housing help and have been in emergency housing for more a year. ...5 days ago - Govt announces wrap-around services for people in emergency housing long term
The new trial will be for single people and couples without children who aren't already getting housing help and have been in emergency housing more than 12 months. ...5 days ago
- Abuse apology: Talk is cheap, it’s time for action
Analysis - Survivors felt Tuesday's apology was "hollow words" but some hope they're wrong. ...5 days ago
- Small Business Owners, MPs Rally Together To Demand Transparency In Tauranga Marine Precinct Sale
“This sale, and the lack of information surrounding it, shows exactly why we need better regulations to hold council staff and it’s leadership more accountable,” Harvey said.” ...5 days ago - The Lord of the Rings musical is better than you’re probably expecting
Musical theatre sceptics Gabi Lardies and Stewart Sowman-Lund review the three-hour spectacle at Auckland’s Civic Theatre. Gabi Lardies: Stewart, we sat through THREE HOURS of musical theatre last night. That’s a big ask for an audience trained on 12-second reels. Tickets are between $69 and $179 – we were both ...5 days ago
- Police officers ready to enforce gang patch ban
The meetings were to communicate what's expected when the law comes into effect. ...5 days ago
- Live: Day three and the hīkoi walks across Auckland Harbour Bridge
As thousands march two lanes on the bridge are closed as well as some on and off ramps. ...5 days ago
- The four funniest New Zealanders are ready for their holiday orgy
In 2016, Chris Parker, Tom Sainsbury, Kura Forrester and Brynley Stent surprised audiences with an orgy. Now they’re doing it all again, on a bigger, shinier stage. Eight years ago, four little-known comedians, two who had just met, ended their play thrusting, sweating and panting in an over-the-top orgy. There ...5 days ago
- New Zealand Government Refuses NGO Calls To Back End To Secret WCPFC Compliance Processes
Accountability.Fish, a global non-governmental organisation dedicated to improving the transparency and accountability of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), has raised concerns for some time over the lack of transparency within the ...5 days ago
- Apology approved: Apology bill not so much
With Parliament focused on polite apology without politics, two parties leaned more into angry and argued politics was unavoidable. ...5 days ago
- Prime time for cicadas: what a once-in-1,547-year bug population surge tells us about the nature of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Baron, Associate Professor, Philosophy of Science, The University of Melbourne Aussiepics / Shutterstock It’s a big year in America – for wildlife as well as for politics. I’m talking about periodical cicadas. These curious creatures spend most of their ...5 days ago
- Australian workers hoard more than 160 million days of untaken leave. So could you be forced to take...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Libby (Elizabeth) Sander, MBA Director & Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Bond Business School, Bond University Rawpixel.com With the end of year holidays looming, it’s easy to imagine Australians are getting ready to check out of the workplace and head for ...5 days ago
- The Incas used mysterious stringy objects called ‘khipus’ to record data. We just got a step clo...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen Thompson, Research Data Specialist, The University of Melbourne For more than a millennium, many Andean peoples used an object called a “khipu” (also spelled “quipu” and pronounced “key-poo”) to record and communicate information. Khipus were made with cords or strings ...5 days ago
- Who are the New Zealanders who can’t afford nourishing food?
By calculating the weekly deficit in people’s budgets, a new report shows how those receiving benefits or working for minimum wage often can’t pay for food after the cost of fixed expenses. One in five working-age New Zealanders doesn’t earn enough to feed themselves and their family well, new ...5 days ago
- New study suggests weight loss drugs like Ozempic could help with knee pain. Here’s why there may ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E. Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Pormezz/Shutterstock The drug semaglutide, commonly known by the brand names Ozempic or Wegovy, was originally developed to help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood ...5 days ago
- You will soon be able to power your house with your electric car. Here’s how
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Syed M Nawazish Ali, Research Fellow in Transport Electrification, RMIT University 24K-Production/Shutterstock This year, dozens of new models of electric vehicles have hit the Australian market – and more are coming. New models of battery electric and plug-in hybrids come with bigger ...5 days ago
- Live: Day three and the hīkoi prepares to cross Auckland Harbour Bridge
Two lanes on the Harbour Bridge will be closed from 8.30am as well as some on and off ramps on the motorway network. ...5 days ago
- The Cost Of Silence: NZ’s Role In Standing Against Iran’s Repression
The piece highlights the recent execution of Jamshid Sharmahd by the Iranian government, discusses New Zealand's current approach (as well as that of other democracies) toward the regime's hostage-taking tactics, and suggests an alternative, more unified approach. ...5 days ago
- Sex, abstinence and Trump: What is the 4B movement?
Some women say they are protesting Trump's re-election by swearing off men. Will the idea fizzle? ...5 days ago
- NZ’s food manufacturers are embracing the idea of a circular economy but are slow to implement it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sitong Michelle (Michelle) Chen, Senior Lecturer in International Business, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Around the world, the growth of industry and consumption has escalated environmental damage through increased emissions, waste and pollution from landfills. The current linear economic ...5 days ago
- Live: Day three and the hīkoi moves through Auckland
Two lanes on the Harbour Bridge will be closed from 8.30am as well as some on and off ramps on the motorway network. ...5 days ago
- Horrific, heartbreaking, wrong: Who apologised, and how
Politicians and public sector bosses say sorry, but victims of state abuse have something to say, too, writes Toby Manhire in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Sorrow and substance ...5 days ago
- NZ warned against ‘blood offsets’ from carbon credit breakthrough
The COP29 climate summit has already notched an early win, taking a step forward on settling rules for international carbon trading – but environmental groups have cried foul at the rush through of the policy and the substance of the standards for emissions removals.One of the issues which stalled negotiations ...5 days ago - As te reo Māori grows, so does the search for trilingual interpreters
Deaf Māori face exclusion from their whānau and cultural heritage due to an extreme shortage of trilingual interpreters. Imagine being deaf and at the tangi of a loved one. You stand when everyone else stands, sit when everyone else sits, and stare at the lips of speakers, trying to catch ...5 days ago
- We have the ratings for Stuff’s ThreeNews. What story do they tell?
Duncan Greive analyses three months’ worth of ratings data to get a sense of whether Stuff and Three’s big bet is paying off. When Three shocked the country by announcing it was shutting Newshub earlier this year, as many as 10 groups are thought to have canvassed the idea of ...5 days ago
- Trump’s shadow looms over major summit
As the PM prepares to attend a major summit for the first time, the most important figure in discussions will be far away The post Trump’s shadow looms over major summit appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 13 November
The post Daily crossword, Wednesday 13 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- The politics of saying sorry
Comment: Christopher Luxon had the least baggage of almost anyone in senior positions in Parliament, going into his national apology for the abuse of children in state care.He just hadn’t been there. He only came into Parliament in 2020, became National’s leader in 2021 and Prime Minister in late 2023.The ...5 days ago
- A lot of talk but little help for Fijians facing rising sea levels
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa this year, climate change was high on the agenda, the big talking point for politicians and NGOs.After spending a week there, hearing how Pacific Island nations were worst affected, The Detail’s Sharon Brettkelly went to Fiji to see what was being ...5 days ago
- Xero hits record high on hopes of boost from pro-business Trump
Xero has its sights set on the large, but more competitive, US market The post Xero hits record high on hopes of boost from pro-business Trump appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Face-off against surveillance
Opinion: We are constantly being watched and recorded. Thanks to the proliferation of AI facial recognition technologies we are being watched even more: on the street, in the bank, in shopping malls, on public transport, at the supermarket check-out, even our phones are likely watching us. Are AI facial recognition ...5 days ago
- Where are we all going? Our population trends in 10 charts
Opinion: The shape of NZ’s changing regional population profile is always a popular point of discussion. Since we wrote on it last year, population growth has peaked and turned rapidly lower. Here, we take another tour of the regions to see how this slowing has been experienced, and what the impacts ...5 days ago
- Is there a worse way of discussing one of NZ’s founding documents?
Opinion: The select committee needs to call for submissions from people who have constitutional, legal and Indigenous rights expertise The post Is there a worse way of discussing one of NZ’s founding documents? appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Where is the global leadership fighting climate change now?
Opinion: World leaders from more than 100 countries are gathering this week at the United Nations climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, at COP29, to discuss the threats of a rapidly warming world.Under the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, which has been signed by almost every country in the world, there is a requirement ...5 days ago
- Trump has won, but are there any winners in the Middle East?
A week after the ‘shock’ re-election of Donald Trump to the Whitehouse and over a year into one of the most blood-soaked periods of the Middle East’s tortured modern history, the question is, what has been lost and has anything been won, and what impact might Trump II have on ...5 days ago
- Majority of landlords reject Government’s no-cause evictions
Though a majority of landlords oppose no-cause evictions, their return will be celebrated by the few large property investors who called for them The post Majority of landlords reject Government’s no-cause evictions appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
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