Memorandum To: Mayor and Councillors From: Michael Lee, Auckland Councillor. Date: 7 May 2015 Subject: Rail Operating Costs I am providing this memo at the request of the Budget workshp of 6 May. I...
Despite the mayor and council chief executive’s belated warnings, the Ports of Auckland appears to be pushing ahead with the $22m first stage of extending the Bledisloe container terminal nearly 100 metres out into...
The way the council has gone about backing down on its agreed September 2013 Unitary Plan policy of making reclamations of the Waitemata Harbour ‘non complying’ is deeply worrying. The original policy was soundly-based,...
The last month has seen a series of unhappy incidents that remind us that the neo-liberal reforms of the 80s and 90s still have a baleful influence on our public life – even in...
I planned to write something entirely non-political this month – about the latest conservation news on the Gulf islands – but now feel compelled to offer a few words on the Charlie Hebdo massacre....
Motu Kaikoura rat management programme – progress report. Michael Lee Trustee. December 2014. Motu Kaikoura (535ha) is a crown-owned scenic reserve purchased in 2004 after a public campaign, by a combination of...
Trams are back in the news of late. Auckland Transport planners theorise that Light Rail is the best option for future rail to the airport. I disagree with that (which you might find surprising...
The 1st November will be the 4th anniversary of the beginning of Auckland’s new ‘super city’ council. Much was promised when the seven former territorial local authorities and the Auckland Regional Council were disbanded/amalgamated...
Now that the dust is settling on the rather tumultuous events of the 2014 General Election – Labour’s worst performance in 92 years – and with the resignation – well sort of – of...
I find it an intriguing aspect of modern democratic societies – where power is contested by two major rival parties – that the closer their policies get, the more bitter and rancorous their political...
