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Greg Sayers was seen in Rarotonga by Penny Hulse. Photo / Michael Craig

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: A councillor took a holiday to the Cook Islands. It was recorded as 'council business'

9 Nov, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

One councillor took a holiday but it was recorded as business. Who else has gone AWOL?

Auckland waterfront stadium proposal to be built on Bledisloe Wharf. Photo / Incredible Images

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Stress testing the waterfront stadium

7 Nov, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

COMMENT: The stadium proposal needs stress testing but is the council prepared to do that?

NEW ZEALAND

Revealed: New image of Auckland's waterfront stadium - and next steps

6 Nov, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

A new image of the proposed stadium has been released.

A Lime e-scooter being enjoyed on Auckland's Tamaki Drive yesterday. Photo / Jason Oxenham

NEW ZEALAND

Internal memo to councillors: Don't blow a fuse over e-scooters

3 Nov, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

The council memo on e-scooters is in and the message is: chill, bro.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has enemies on council on both the left and the right. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson's Phil Goff report card: Two years in the job

3 Nov, 2018 5:00am
19 minutes to read

Phil Goff has done 2 years as mayor so we asked those who know to give him a rating.

The reorganisation is necessary as Auckland Transport's budget is growing and expectations of the organisation are changing, chief executive Shane Ellison says. Photo / Geoff Ambler

NEW ZEALAND

Cycling unit pays price for Auckland Transport dysfunction

2 Nov, 2018 4:24pm
6 minutes to read

Auckland Transport is restructuring but the effect may not match the fancy words.

Artist's impression of the proposed new carpark building. The white building behind is the hotel. Photo / Ports of Auckland

NEW ZEALAND

Why have a stadium when you can build a car park and hotel instead?

2 Nov, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Forget the stadium, Ports of Auckland is building a carpark and hotel on Bledisloe Wharf.

Markings spray-painted on Albert St before it was dug up for the City Rail Link. Photo / Dean Purcell.

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Why are the Albert St plans so bad?

26 Oct, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Plans for Albert St after the CRL build are "deeply disappointing". How did that happen?

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Don't panic, they're only scooters

25 Oct, 2018 3:05pm
5 minutes to read

Yes there are people riding the new e-scooters dangerously, but that's no reason to panic.

An artist's impression of the proposed sunken waterfront stadium at Bledsiloe Wharf. Photo / supplied.

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Designing a stadium fit for Auckland waterfront

20 Oct, 2018 5:00am
7 minutes to read

COMMENT: New stadium proposal has design features that make it a great fit for Auckland.

An artist's impression of the proposed Auckland Waterfront Stadium sunken stadium. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Stadium an inspired proposal - now we need a champion

19 Oct, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

The new waterfront stadium proposal is magnificent but who will be its political champion?

All aboard. Commuters at Onehunga wait to board an electric train. Photo/file.

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Airport trams or trains is the wrong question

12 Oct, 2018 9:45am
6 minutes to read

COMMENT: Debate about trams or trains to the airport misses the point entirely.

Waterview's Te Whitinga bridge follows a curved line linking Mt Roskill/Puketāpapa with Mt Albert/Ōwairaka. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: In praise of a motorway

5 Oct, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

An award-winning design points to the potential of the city. And it's a motorway.

John Tamihere says Te Waipareira could take Panuku to court. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Tamihere's on the warpath but won't run for mayor

28 Sep, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

John Tamihere will not stand for mayor, but he sure is on the attack against council.

Early morning commuters at the Albany park and ride carpark on Auckland's North Shore. Photo / Jason Oxenham

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Park and rides are not the future and here's why

21 Sep, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Park and rides are not the solution many people think they are. We have better options.

Jacinda Ardern's plan spells out far-reaching, specific and measurable goals. Photo / Doug Sherring

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Why National will adopt Labour's plan

18 Sep, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

COMMENT: If National is true to form it will adopt Labour's plan. So how good is the plan?

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: The gulf between the generations

14 Sep, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Nobody says they're a nimby but we all have it in us: the generational divide in Auckland.

Chelsea Manning spoke about her motivation and the effects of her actions. Photo / Doug Sherring

WORLD

Battle-weary, Chelsea Manning soldiers on

8 Sep, 2018 5:00am
8 minutes to read

Chelsea Manning's had a very hard life - but so have the people she speaks up for.

All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams mixing it with the Drury Rugby Club juniors at the club in South Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: The National crime crisis

7 Sep, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

We have a crime crisis in this country, so why is National making it so hard to address?

The data is clear, a major underlying factor to Auckland's high road death toll is speed, Auckland Transport CEO Shane Ellison has told Auckland Council's Planning Committee. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Great slowdown: Crashes rise in Auckland, speed limits to drop to as low as 30km/h

5 Sep, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Speed limits set to fall as Auckland Transport gets serious about reducing road deaths.

On the night of April 10 this year, Auckland lost 40 per cent of its power network in just 15 minutes.

NEW ZEALAND

Storm wiped out 40pc of Auckland power network in mins

4 Sep, 2018 11:54am
4 minutes to read

Auckland's April storm was almost unprecedented - but what do we do now?

NEW ZEALAND

Big Read: Helen Clark and the Apocalypse

31 Aug, 2018 7:42pm
20 minutes to read

Helen Clark talks about missing out at the UN, her career and what she's doing now.

Housing Minister Phil Twyford says the council is too close to the vested interests, like Nimbys. Photo / Jason Oxenham

NEW ZEALAND

Exclusive: Govt set to override Auckland's Unitary Plan so it can build more houses

31 Aug, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Housing minister Phil Twyford plans to override the Unitary Plan but the mayor is worried.

Auckland needs an Urban Development Authority, but it's got to be done well. Photo / Michael Craig

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: The need for new housing speed

31 Aug, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Auckland needs an Urban Development Authority, but it's got to be done well.

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage says he and President Donald Trump are good friends. Photo / Nigel Farage

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Nigel Farage, Don Brash and friends

25 Aug, 2018 5:00am
9 minutes to read

COMMENT: Farage is a nice man and so is Brash. What does that say about their politics?

The new bus networks are better but they need to fix the bus to Greenlane Hospital. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: How to fix the hospital bus

24 Aug, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

The new bus networks are better but they need to fix the bus to Greenlane Hospital.

Founder of Metro magazine, and its pioneering editor, Warwick Roger. Photo / supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson on Warwick Roger: A storyteller's devotion to good journalism

21 Aug, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

COMMENT: A tribute to Warwick Roger, founding editor of Metro, who died last week.

Simon Bridges faces a big battle in trying to get himself and his party to win the next election. Photo / Dean Purcell

NEW ZEALAND

Back to the future: The challenge facing National

18 Aug, 2018 5:00am
11 minutes to read

COMMENT: National's riding high in the polls but there's a lot for them to worry about.

Cornel West (above) and Douglas Murray (below) will go head to head in a potential explosion of arguments. Photo (main) / Getty Images

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: The speaker's pulpit is open for business

17 Aug, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Public intellectuals are lining up to speak in New Zealand. What's going on?

Simon Wilson and Don Brash. Photos / Doug Sherring, Duncan Brown

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: The free speech debate with Don Brash

11 Aug, 2018 5:00am
15 minutes to read

COMMENT: Is free speech undermined by political correctness? Here's the argument why not.

Is there a better city beach anywhere in the world than Takapuna on the North Shore? Photo / Brett Phibbs

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: The clowns at Takapuna town

10 Aug, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

COMMENT: How come Takapuna has such a beautiful beach and such a shabby town centre?

NEW ZEALAND

Hope over rage: Simon Wilson on the challenges facing Jacinda

4 Aug, 2018 5:00am
10 minutes to read

COMMENT: PM's back and she has some big tasks if she wants to lead a long-lasting Govt.

A glimpse of High St from the window of Unity Books. Photo / Sarah Ivey

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Time for pedestrians to take over High St

3 Aug, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

High St now has too many pedestrians so when are they going to do something about it?

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, pictured here with National Party leader Simon Bridges during the 82nd National Party Conference, said the MMP system was

NEW ZEALAND

Wilson: National's Old Zealand problem

30 Jul, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: National says it's forward looking but try telling that to half the conference.

Rhana Devenport says she will absolutely miss the demographic diversity of Auckland. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

What now for the Auckland Art Gallery?

27 Jul, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Auckland Art Gallery has lost its director - will we be able to get another good one?

Artist's impression of Aotea Station upper level.

NEW ZEALAND

Auckland's City Rail Link to be bigger but it will cost hundreds more millions

24 Jul, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

New projections reveal CRL as planned won't be big enough so they want to fix that now.

Is Auckland ready for a giant monolith of it's own? Pictured is Bastion Point in Orakei.

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: What's not to love about our own Eiffel Tower?

21 Jul, 2018 5:00am
13 minutes to read

COMMENT: Are we daring enough to build that giant pou on Bastion Point?

A 57-floor prefabricated building China which was finished in 19 days. Photo / AP.

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Prefabs are pretty fabulous

20 Jul, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Prefab housing is key to solving our crisis but it faces some ridiculous barriers.

Auckland's Civic Theatre is just one of the things that makes the Film Festival so magical.

ENTERTAINMENT

How to make the most of the film festival

19 Jul, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Hundreds of films and so little time to choose: how to make the most of the film festival.

Stefan Molyneux, Canadian writer. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Free speech: 'If you incite my neighbours to kill me, I'll expect police to arrest you'

13 Jul, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Simon Wilson comment: Free speech is not an easy subject, despite what the combatants say.

The Clichy Batignolles development in Paris. Photo / Getty

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: The housing we deserve

7 Jul, 2018 5:00am
14 minutes to read

The Unitec project is the Government's big chance to show us how good KiwiBuild can be.

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: What's making Auckland business so grumpy?

6 Jul, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Why is Auckland business confidence down? Clue: it's got nothing to do with national debt.

The petrol price rises caused by increased fuel taxes will add up to 15.6 cents per litre (including GST) this year.

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Fuel taxes and the next big transport debate

30 Jun, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

COMMENT: Rises will hurt but not as much as some say - and let's improve public transport.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson says higher excise taxes will fund

NEW ZEALAND

Safety shares top spot in new transport priorities

29 Jun, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Safety, public transport and freight are the Government's new transport priorities.

Auckland's Nelson St bike lane during morning rush. Photo / Michael Craig

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: Why Hosking is dead wrong on cycle survey

29 Jun, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

COMMENT: Facts about that cycle lanes dispute last week - and the debate's larger context.

Transport Minister Phil Twyford at Parliament's Transport and Infrastructure Committee on June 14. Today he and Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced transport initiatives. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Government announces 99 per cent rise in road safety spending

28 Jun, 2018 2:30pm
4 minutes to read

Safety, public transport and the regions top the Government's transport priorities.

The Government says under new fuel taxes the wealthiest 10 per cent of households will pay $7.71 per week more for petrol and those with the lowest incomes will pay $3.64 a week more. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Revealed: How much more Aucklanders will pay for petrol every week

28 Jun, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

The Government announces new fuel tax amounts and says poor will pay less than wealthy.

Speedway Promotions' Bill Buckley told the committee Western Springs track was a bit small for the cars these days. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: The politics behind the personality disputes on Auckland Council

22 Jun, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

There's politics to blame for some of the meltdown on council - and some personal dislikes

Auckland Transport says public transport is its priority, and safety is up there too. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

Transport boss: Step away from your cars, Aucklanders

21 Jun, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Auckland Transport says public transport is its priority, and safety is up there too.

New transport spending plans will change the city but not fix all the problems.

NEW ZEALAND

$16.5b plan for new roads, more buses. But there's a sting.

20 Jun, 2018 5:00am
7 minutes to read

New transport spending plans will change the city but not fix all the problems.

Cycleways and shared paths are said to make people feel good about cycling in the city. Photo / Dean Purcell

NEW ZEALAND

Most Aucklanders now support cycling

18 Jun, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Annual survey shows strong growth in support for cycling and cycle lanes throughout city.

NEW ZEALAND

New hope for Auckland's rough sleepers

15 Jun, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

There's a multi-storey plan under way in Auckland to end rough sleeping.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff talks about his vision for Auckland in the coming year. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: The toxic council, the mayor and the malcontents

14 Jun, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

COMMENT: The politics and personal motives driving the discontent on council.

Western Springs Speedway. Photo / Jeremy Ward

NEW ZEALAND

Roar no more: Speedway is leaving Western Springs

8 Jun, 2018 5:00am
7 minutes to read

Speedway to leave Western Springs, cricket looks set to move in.

Labour's Shanan Halbert. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Northcote byelection: why either party could win

7 Jun, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Numbers suggest National and Labour both have a chance to win the Northcote byelection.

Auckland Council's new vision statement looks forward to the city of 2050. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Welcome to Auckland Plan 2050: But where will 700,000 people live?

6 Jun, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Auckland Council has reinvented its vision for the city over the next 30 years.

From left, Dan Bidois, Rebekah Jaung, Shanan Halbert and Stephen Berry.

NEW ZEALAND

Fun times and hellfire heckling in Northcote byelection

2 Jun, 2018 5:00am
8 minutes to read

On the campaign trail with candidates in the Northcote by-election.

When the Auckland Council voted for a regional fuel tax it heard some remarkable speeches. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: You should hear what the councillors said about the fuel tax

1 Jun, 2018 6:00pm
7 minutes to read

When the Auckland Council voted for a regional fuel tax it heard some remarkable speeches.

Rebekah Jaung, the Green Party candidate in the Northcote by-election. Photo / supplied.

NEW ZEALAND

Northcote Notebook: Rebel without the yell

31 May, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Meet the Greens' Rebekah Jaung, the softly spoken rebel with a cause

Tackling traffic congestion in Northcote is a priority for ACT candidate Stephen Berry. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Simon Wilson: A bridge from Northcote to Pt Chev?

28 May, 2018 5:41pm
6 minutes to read

In the Northcote byelection Labour has closed the gap, and Act has some very bold plans.

Police at the scene of an alleged hit and run involving a teenage cyclist. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Failings all round: Auckland's catastrophic road safety record

25 May, 2018 6:03pm
16 minutes to read

Deaths on Auckland roads have risen 77.8% in the past three years. What's going on?

Richard Barter takes grandson Jimmy Walker, 6, for a spin through West Lynn village. Photo / Jason Oxenham.

NEW ZEALAND

Unexpected hope for West Lynn

25 May, 2018 12:00pm
6 minutes to read

A solution is at hand for the planning fiasco of West Lynn village - and it's very good.