The Chief Executive of Watercare Raveen Jaduram has resigned. With Auckland Council’s recent Council Controlled Organisation review having been concluded and the recommendations released is this the opportunity to require meaningful change of Watercare?
There is a solid silver lining to the delay in the Auckland light rail to the airport project.
Just as most industries in New Zealand are firing thousands of people to cut costs, local government is getting ready to do the same.
2020 will now be the year that New Zealand will now rely on Auckland to get its shit together.
Stuff has an article up about last years local body elections in Auckland. As usual the interesting parts are at the end. But I have to reiterate – online voting isn’t the answer. As a programmer, I’d just call it stupid and dangerous.
It’s probably time to notice why Jones’ Provincial Growth Fund had to step in and provide several million of funding to patch up the water supply emergency in Northland.
The details of the Government’s $12 billion infrastructure announcement have been released.
Advantage is testing an idea out. What will a common accountability framework for the government look like?
It is pretty hard to miss a variety of cities around the world going nuts for apparently minor offences.
The Sky City National Convention Centre fire brings the Government Auckland relationship to a very sharp edge. It was tense before. It’s worse now.
Auckland Council voting returns are very low. But is the problem voter apathy or is our postal system not up to scratch? And will digital voting be a panacea?
A Whau Community and Resident Local Board candidate has apologised for using racist slurs against a minority group and accusing them of engaging in widespread fraud. But despite his apology an C&R spokesperson has doubled down on his original statements.
Auckland mayoral candidate Craig Lord has announced a policy that may turn the campaign on its head. Or may not.
Jordan Williams and the Free Speech Coalition are in the High Court protecting the rights of Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux to express views the details of which Mr Williams does not know.
A Recent High Court decision in Australia suggests that protection of indigenous land rights may be better than we think.
The background to the Ihumatao dispute is complex and problematic and resolving it may require the Government to review issues relating to privately held land and treaty claims.
John Banks has announced that he will not be standing for Auckland’s mayoralty.
Many a bold claim has been made for the necessity of responding to climate change, but when it comes to storms affecting one’s own home, Matata is surely the test case of this century.
The rate at which the building consents have increased in Auckland, and the shift to a more useful mix, has been incredibly fast. You can understand why National after their decade of failure for housing and transport have been targeting the authors of that success. It highlights National’s economic incompetence.
John Banks is reported to be considering another run at the Auckland mayoralty.
John Tamihere has caused jaws throughout the region to drop by proposing that half of Watercare is privatised.
John Tamihere has been endorsed by Jordan Williams for Auckland’s mayoralty. And his campaign has commissioned the Taxpayers Union to do a cost cutting exercise.
Hopefully the media will ask of National the tough questions, like how it is going to increase spending in critical areas, pay down debt and give us a tax cut at the same time.
One of the Roastbusters this week has talked publicly about what happened in an apparent attempt to start a music career. And John Tamihere has started his Mayoral campaign having to answer questions about his attitude to what happened.
The rise of cycleways, e-bikes, and e-scooters is steadily revolutionising commutes around Auckland, especially Central Auckland. Like public transport the economic reasons for commuters are easy to understand. You don’t get ridiculous parking costs or the lousy variable commute times of fat footprint cars jammed up on crowded roads.
The media has recently reviewed its predictions from last year and made a few new ones. How did it go? And what is going to happen in the next 12 months?
The progeny of Krakatoa, Anak Krakatau, that blew up and dropped most of its volume into the ocean to cause the December 22nd tsunami in Indonesia was very intense. Satellite radar images show that it lost most of its volume and the cone is just gone. That was just a minor eruption in a crowded world.
National MP Simon O’Connor is thinking of a tilt at Auckland’s mayoralty.
Auckland Council wishes to conduct a trial of online voting at next year’s local government elections. Is it time to try this out as a voting system?
Veteran Auckland political activist Penny Bright has died.
Labour’s Family Package and the Auckland Regional Fuel tax have both kicked in.
Not all the current government’s fault, but the arrival of the fuel tax this weekend heralds a number of very sharp rises in what we have to pay in order to run a car.
National has promised to overturn Auckland’s Regional Fuel Tax. But has no proposal for how the funding will be replaced.
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.
The signs are that Aucklanders are going to support a regional fuel tax designed to alleviate congestion.
A big storm is set to hit Auckland next week. And it won’t be the last.
