Auckland at the cross-roads
As I write this voting is underway for the local body elections. I am seeking re-election for a third term as Auckland Councillor for the Waitemata & Gulf ward, the heart of historic Auckland....
Author: Mike Lee
The Unitary Plan. Sustainable management? – or 1980s-style ‘big-bang’ deregulation.
The deregulatory hurricane called the Unitary Plan swept over Auckland last month and it is fair to say the place will never be the same again. Goaded on by threats from government ministers, in...
Dumb and dumber – NZTA and AT decide to exclude trains to the airport
When the mayor and the prime minister, launched the construction of the City Rail Link (CRL) before a euphoric crowd and performing dancers on that gorgeous morning in June, one would have assumed that...
North Rodney escape bid could help rest Auckland
When members of the Herne Bay Ratepayers Association Inc (HBRAI) asked to meet with me in May and included on the agenda the application by a rural northern Rodney group to break away from...
Opening speech at the Federation of Rail Operators of NZ (FRONZ) conference, June 2016
Good morning and greetings to my friends and colleagues from here in Auckland and to all of those from up and down the line – and a special welcome to those from overseas –...
Auckland’s disproportionate growth – not sustainable nor affordable
A letter I wrote to the Minister of Building and Housing Nick Smith requesting a revocation of a special housing area (SHA) at Kelmarna Avenue, Herne Bay, provoked a furious response. It has also...
The Nick Smith File
Letter to Hon Dr Nick Smith from Cr Mike Lee 22-April-2016 (1) Letter to Mike Lee from Hon Dr Nick Smith (2) Letter to Hon Dr Nick Smith 16-May-2016 (3)
My grandfather’s letter
I have had quite a long association with the Ponsonby during my time in politics, first with the Auckland Regional Council (I was first elected to the ARC ‘Auckland Central’ electorate in February 1992)...
A long time coming – the story of the Parnell Station
Good things in politics never come easy and unfortunately the converse also is true. Nothing illustrates this maxim better than the protracted saga of the Parnell Station. First proposed by ARTA transport planners in...
Too bloody big for its boots – Auckland Council arrogance sparks citizens’ backlash
After years of disruptive change, rates and user charge increases, and various scandals, Auckland really did need a period of political stability and civic calm. But no. Last November, the Council’s Unitary Plan committee,...