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?
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.
Surprisingly and refreshingly, the Young Nats initially agreed. A date was set, a venue booked, and promotion of the debate under way.
Bernard Hickey’s piece from last Sunday on Auckland Housing is a depressing read.
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?
Stephanie Rodgers analyses two mayoral races and asks why the right in Auckland is so messy. And why Wellington looks more settled.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Idiot turn of phrase or deliberately inflammatory? You be the judge.
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.
Deputy Mayor Justin Lester has announced his candidacy for the top job in the nation’s capital.
“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 has formally announced that he is seeking the Auckland Super City Mayoralty as an independent.
Len Brown has announced that he will not contest the Auckland Mayoralty next year.
Auckland Council is delivering a publication to all Auckland households celebrating five years of Auckland super city. But is there any reason to celebrate?
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.
Serious Fraud Office, Productivity Commission, Council failings, under-supply of houses, Developer Greed… a recipe for disaster
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 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 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.
The NBR reckons the Nats are tacitly endorsing Phil Goff for mayor of Auckland.
The text of a speech Andrew Little gave to the Committee for Auckland about Auckland’s future.
A guest post from Ad analysing Bill English’s speech where he blames planners for Auckland’s housing woes.
The Government this week proposed at considerable expense the purchase of a couple of panda. But at the same time the Government is again proposing to allow the drilling for oil in the habitat of Maui’s Dolphin which is facing extinction.
Mark Thomas who has close ties with the National Party has announced that he is going to run for the Auckland Mayoralty next year.
John Key says New Zealand has options in the face of a share market meltdown and is not like Greece (well that’s a relief). Simon Louisson asks how real are John Key’s options? Thanks to this Government’s profligate past spending, including irresponsible tax cuts, our options have narrowed drastically.
In South Korea the colliding intersection between economics, tradition and demographics is probably at its most extreme. However the same kinds of effects are being seen all over the developed world, and increasingly in parts of the underdeveloped world – and here.
Rod Oram looks at the way the regions are stifled in his Sunday Star Times piece.
What can be done to reduce Auckland’s residential rates take to make Auckland City a fairer, more sustainable and more affordable city?
That’s the Nats’ message to Auckland, who are getting a taste of some Canterbury style “democracy”.
I/S at No Right Turn on the continued suspension of democracy in Canterbury, and the Nats’ dump of their proposed “transition plan” under cover of the ABvSamoa game yesterday.
