Dear Waitematā & Gulf voters, A recent Auckland@15 survey revealed ‘low trust in council governance’ with only ‘18% of Aucklanders feeling they have influence over council decisions.’ Despite the council now taking over $3 billion in rates and...
How do we solve the housing crisis and the problem of housing unaffordability The housing crisis, and the persistant failure by the political class to solve it, is in many ways the consequences of...
This to enable property developers to reach into the highly desirable northern slopes of St Mary’s and Herne Bays currently a special character area. ‘Location, location, location’. Photo Grant Mountjoy.
Helipads and their ear-shattering impacts on neighbours have become highly controversial in recent years, especially so in this ward. The issue was brought to a head once agaIn by the now rather notorious proposed...
The elitist ‘City Centre Master Plan’ is strangling the life out of the city centre The closing of Smith & Caughey’s with the loss of 98 jobs after 145 years as Auckland’s premier department...
Kiwi releas On a brilliant sunny afternoon on Friday 16 May on Waiheke Island, a visionary conservation project, 15 years in the making, finally came to fruition. One of the Ponui kiwis about to...
This year was the 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings which ANZAC Day was founded to commemorate. From that time onwards thousands of communities, in towns and cities across New Zealand and Australia, have...
On 27 February Council’s Governing Body confirmed the formal agreement between the council, government and the owners to enable the restoration of St James Theatre to finally proceed. Mayor Wayne Brown inviting me to second...
making the case to the Local Government Commission Late last year, as part of a six-yearly representation review, the council’s ‘Joint Governance Working Party’ rejected the council officers’ Initial proposal which was to restore...
