supercity

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National wants to add to Auckland’s gridlock

Written By: - Date published: 4:11 pm, May 2nd, 2018 - 16 comments

National has promised to overturn Auckland’s Regional Fuel Tax.  But has no proposal for how the funding will be replaced.

The Big Auckland Transport announcement

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, April 26th, 2018 - 39 comments

Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff announced the ATAP, the transport programme for Auckland for the next ten years. At $28 billion it is the largest civil infrastructure programme since World War II.

A storm is coming

Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, February 12th, 2018 - 65 comments

A big storm is set to hit Auckland next week. And it won’t be the last.

Auckland Council by election hypocrisy alert

Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, January 22nd, 2018 - 13 comments

The National candidate for the Maungakiekie Tamaki Auckland Council by election is complaining that if the Labour candidate wins it will trigger a costly by election. But he is ignoring the fact that the three current by elections have all been caused by National endorsed local government representatives resigning.

Is it time to Nationalise Auckland?

Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, January 13th, 2018 - 52 comments

It has been a decade now since Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide proposed amalgamating all of Auckland’s city councils into one enormous entity by dumping much of the Royal Commission’s proposals. Well it’s time to hold its results to account.

Just vote – Auckland Council version

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 18th, 2016 - 31 comments

It is local government election time.  If you want to vote for progressive candidates these are some suggestions.

The Mayoral candidates and the living wage proposal

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, September 4th, 2016 - 29 comments

I attended the Living Wage People’s assembly this week in St Matthews in the City.  The idea behind the meeting was to get Mayoral and Waitemata ward candidates to express their views on the living wage proposal as well as improved public transport services and rental accommodation standards.  The organiser was Living Wage Aotearoa who have been […]

Auckland Unitary Plan

Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, July 27th, 2016 - 19 comments

Auckland’s Unitary Plan will be available on the web at 1:30pm today, with a tool for checking the impact on any Auckland address.

How to wreck a busway

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, July 19th, 2016 - 20 comments

The Government’s proposal to allow hybrid vehicles to use bus lanes is not only crazy but they did not talk to local authorities before doing so.

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.

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?

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?

Future Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, October 19th, 2015 - 22 comments

There are rumours that National is looking to organise a new regional ticket, Future Auckland, to contest next year’s local body elections in Auckland.

Christine Fletcher’s dear Phil letter

Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, October 15th, 2015 - 17 comments

Christine Fletcher has penned an open letter to Phil Goff where she criticises in trenchant terms super city’s current performance and offers some thoughts on where improvement can be made.

Auckland Council debates the TPPA

Written By: - Date published: 1:34 pm, October 9th, 2015 - 26 comments

Auckland Council yesterday passed some seemingly non contentious resolutions requesting for the text of the TPPA to be released and seeking a response from the Government about resolutions that had been passed a couple of years earlier.  But the resolutions were opposed vigorously by right wing councillors who then complained about the time and expense the debate consumed.

Smith embarrassed as Iwi propose legal proceedings over Auckland housing

Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, June 15th, 2015 - 60 comments

Ngati Whatua and Waikato-Tainui have announced that they will seek a declaration from the High Court on their rights to participate in the constructing of social housing on Crown land in Auckland.  Their proposal that the Crown joins with them in making a joint application is a good one.  Surely Nick Smith will agree to this.

Hosking wants Auckland Council deposed

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, May 8th, 2015 - 45 comments

From the I kid you not files Mike Hosking believes that Auckland Council is to blame for the housing crisis, not immigration, not favourable tax conditions for landlords, not the global financial crisis and not the lack of restrictions on home ownership.  And he believes that Nick Smith should step in and Roll Auckland Council.

Ports of Auckland is out of control

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, May 3rd, 2015 - 30 comments

Ports of Auckland’s recent behaviour outlines a major weakness with Auckland super city.  Corporate interests are able to take precedence over the wishes of our democratically elected representatives.

Palino and Slater have to be joking

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 pm, October 18th, 2013 - 261 comments

Of course John Palino did not know about the Len Brown Bevan Chuang relationship despite Chuang’s boyfriend who knew of the relationship being on his campaign team and despite Cameron Slater’s father being Palino’s campaign manager. Update: The Herald this morning has reported that Chuang claims to have met Palino for 90 minutes two days before the news of the affair was made public where the disclosing to Brown of the news was discussed.

Lusk/Slater to run negative Auckland campaign

Written By: - Date published: 3:49 pm, July 15th, 2013 - 58 comments

According to the tip line the farcical duo of Lusk and Slater will soon be kicking off a large negative campaign against Len Brown.

The bill arrives for the “supercity”

Written By: - Date published: 1:52 pm, August 1st, 2012 - 37 comments

The bill for the Nats’ Auckland “supercity” is arriving in ratepayers’ letterboxes. Some are in for a nasty shock…

Aucklanders to pay for Nats’ negligence

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, May 28th, 2011 - 73 comments

Auckland ratepayers are going to be stuck with a huge bill for the Nats’ failure to properly cost the merging of  the old Councils’ IT systems.  As Russell Brown puts it – “Someone has to be accountable for this”…

News round-up

Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, February 10th, 2011 - 6 comments

*English vs English on assets sales, as business commentators come out against the flawed business case for privatisation. *Will Hide honour his word and resign over Supercity debacle? *Foreshore Bill to join CERRA as a constitutional outrage. *Economic woe keeps coming. *Is the ‘brighter future’ on its way or just more Key stunts?

Happy birthday Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 12:01 am, November 1st, 2010 - 8 comments

Happy Birthday Auckland!  The new Supercity is now in effect, with Mayor Len Brown at the helm.  How is the tension between a left wing mayor representing a third of the country, and a right wing central government, going to play out?  The Nats can’t afford to let Auckland fail…

John Banks: Signs I’d like to see

Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, September 22nd, 2010 - 33 comments

John Banks has gone big on billboards in his campaign for mayor.  So I thought I’d show some that I’d like to see…

Another broken Supercity promise

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, August 28th, 2010 - 18 comments

Yet another broken promise on the Auckland Supercity, as ministers fail to consult on the directors of council-controlled organisations. Will The Herald stand by its earlier thundering editorial?

Can we talk about the issues please?

Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, July 14th, 2010 - 25 comments

Can we pease have some reporting on the actual issues in the super-major race and where the candidates stand? I’m so sick and tired of loading the news-sites to be told who spent what on what (with the implication that there’s all a massive scandal somewhere) or a factual piece reporting on the opinion of some supposed expert on how the candiates are doing as if it’s a horse race.

Banks joins the spenders’ club

Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, June 29th, 2010 - 41 comments

I have very mixed feelings about all this scrutiny of the spending of public figures. However, for the record, Supercity mayoral hopeful John Banks now joins the spending club.

Strong showing for Len Brown

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, May 16th, 2010 - 9 comments

Sam Cash writes it’s good news for Auckland with Len Brown opening up a strong lead over John Banks. Len Brown’s campaign seems to have been quietly gathering momentum since he launched his insurgency last year.

Aucklanders revolt against Right’s Supercity

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, May 14th, 2010 - 37 comments

The Right has forced the Supercity on Aucklanders who don’t want it, don’t need it, and won’t benefit from it. Aucklanders were denied their legal right to a referendum on amalgamation into the Supercity. But they’re getting a vote soon. And they’re going to punish the Right’s candidates. And, of course, Brown is also just a far better candidate.
Aucklanders – check OurAuckland and vote.