Chris Bishop was forced to eat humble pie this week on his plan to make Auckland a more compact city. And the Government’s backflip on the number of new dwellings makes a mockery of Auckland Council’s recent consultation on Plan Change 120. How councillors are supposed to weigh the new proposal with open minds under that kind of pressure is anyone’s guess.

In a move that further undermines the country’s response to the climate crisis the Government has halved the methane reduction goal and determined that farms will not pay a price for greenhouse gas emissions.

Anti vax organisation Voices for Freedom has published a glossy well presented booklet suggesting how local body campaigns should be run. And it looks like a number of right wing campaigns are borrowing heavily from the information in the booklet.

My end of term report for the 2022-2025 term, one which has seen a budgetary crisis, two one in one hundred year storms a week apart and continued activity in the environmental, artistic and community areas.

The Taxpayers Union has been bombarding candidates demanding they sign up to a pledge to cap Council rates. Here is why I will not sign their pledge.

Kaipara District Council has circulated throughout the country a Franks Ogilvie opinion suggesting that local government obligations to Māori are limited. But even a cursory review of the opinion suggests that it is flawed and should not be used to minimise respect for Māori.

This post sets out my reasons for supporting the Deed of Acknowledgement between Auckland Council and Te Kaewrau a Maki and the joint committee for the Waitakere Ranges parkland.

Continued road stability issues out west mean that as a city we are going to have to radically change the way we handle road maintenance.