Mike Lee ‘maiden speech’ to first meeting of Auckland Council
Rau rangatira ma – kua tae mai nei I te te kaupapa o te ra – te kotahitanga o Tamaki makau rau. Tena koutou katoa. Mr Mayor, Members of the Governing body, ladies and...
Gecko release on tiny Crusoe Island – brings to a close ARC legacy programme
Last Thursday I finally got to achieve an ambition I have had since 1996. In its last ‘legacy project’ the ARC released 30 common geckoes Hoplodactylus maculatus onto Crusoe or Papakohatu Island in the inner...
‘Dreamers of the Day’ book launch – regional parks and the legacy of regional government – speech notes by Mike Lee
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Friends of regional parks. Welcome to the Auckland Regional Council – for the second to last time. Tonight’s celebration is more than just the launch of a very special...
Auckland’s Brand New Start
Message from Mike Lee: This is a brief thank you to all those voters in Waitemata and Gulf who gave me such an emphatic win as Ward Councillor and also a thanks to the...
Cruise ship renaissance – could mean return to Auckland’s golden age of passenger shipping
The release of an economic impact report on cruise shipping reinforces the ARC and my own personal belief that cruise ship tourism has huge potential positive benefits for Auckland. The report, produced by ‘Market...
ARC Parks – Double Whammy! New coastal regional park and…at last new marine reserve at Tawharanui
New coastal park purchased by ARC 27 September 2010 – The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) has today announced the purchase of its final regional park, Te Muri Regional Park. Fittingly, it is the neighbour...
Kiwi release planned for Waiheke and Pakihi island
Very early in January whilst visiting a number of bird islets in the Hauraki Gulf with John McCallum, Ewen Cameron and Mark Bellingham, I was asked by John whether I could somehow assist him...
after 8 year battle – Onehunga Line and Station opens in grand style
Mike Lee’s speech Thank you to each and everyone in this enormous crowd for coming along today. This is a remarkable day in the history of Onehunga. In Auckland in recent years Auckland has...
Look out! ‘Long Hauler’ leaves ARC Station
The ARC Transport & Urban Development made another small piece of rail history yesterday by formally backing a novel rail initiative – something we are calling the ‘Long Hauler’. This came out of an...