Latest fromBattleground Auckland
Who is John Palino calling a pig?
Mayoral candidate's billboard roughly translates to "Not afraid of divine opponents but a mayor like a pig. Choose wisely ..." according to Chinese MP Raymond Huo.
Ratepayers promised veto powers
Mayoral candidate Mark Thomas says he will introduce a measure to give ratepayers more say in council decisions.
Budget, transport crucial issues
Mayor Len Brown is back for a second term. He tells Bernard Orsman about lessons learned and the priorities for the next three years.
Local elections 2013: Tamihere aims to alter trust thinking
Former Labour Cabinet minister John Tamihere's bid to test the water for a political comeback has landed him a seat on the Waitakere Licensing Trust Board
Re-elected Brown to wield the knife
Re-elected Auckland Mayor Len Brown is promising to tighten the belt in his second term, starting with a pay cut for the new chief executive.
Mayor's final play for votes
Len Brown says if he is re-elected Mayor of Auckland he will revive plans to make entry to the council's swimming pools free regionwide.
Papers so far point to low poll
With just two days to go until voting ends for the Auckland Council, the final turnout is heading towards the 37.3 per cent return recorded in 2007 across the region.
West's ugly culture has Tamihere fuming
The West's drinkers are suckers, says John Tamihere. He says the 'ugly' drinking culture has been perverted by the way trusts monopolise pokies.
Election heads for low vote count
The Super City election race enters the final week with a stubbornly low voter turnout and a final push by Len Brown and John Palino for the mayoral chains.
Six wards key to Auckland
The political make-up of the Auckland Council looks set to hinge on the outcome of six wards, where the right is out to put the brakes on Len Brown's direction.
Candidate blames punctuation
Contender Rob Thomas admits claiming incorrectly in an official candidates' booklet that he worked 14 years for the cities of Wellington and Westminster.
Angry ratepayers seek SuperCity referendum
Members of the Northern Action Group reckon they would do better out of the SuperCity.
Len Brown's financial record
Soaring debt, hefty rate increases and a blow-out in the wages bill have marked Len Brown's first term as Mayor and Treasurer of the Super City.
Aucklanders told: Mow your own berm
Auckland City residents should follow the rest of the region, take pride in their community - and mow their own berms, says a councillor.
Mayor accused of pokies u-turn
Mayor Len Brown is trying to rewrite history over his support for the SkyCity pokies-convention centre deal, says mayoral challenger John Minto.
Young locals eager to shape city's future
Several candidates in this year's local body elections have only recently become eligible to vote.
Environment sets Westies apart
Former Cantabrian Ted Smith spent two weeks looking for a home in Auckland when he moved after the earthquakes in 2011, and "fell in love" with the West.
Meet Super City mayoral hopefuls
The Herald asked the 15 mayoral candidates for Auckland to answer three key questions in their own words.
Living wage gets a big tick
Auckland mayor Len Brown has finally endorsed a "living wage" for council workers - two weeks after his chief rival unexpectedly appeared to support the idea.
Palino vows to restart the mowers
With grass shooting up in the warm and moist spring, mayoral candidate John Palino is promising to reinstate mowing the council-owned berms in the old Auckland City area.
Candidates furious over booklet error
Some high profile candidates in Auckland's local body elections are angry their profiles were left out of a booklet that goes out with voting papers.
Whau - Single ward with two identities
Four years since the creation of Whau - carved from areas previously managed by two different councils - residents still struggle to identify themselves as one ward.