Latest from Auckland Council

Future of Takapuna campground to be decided today

The fate of the Takapuna Beach Holiday Park on the North Shore of Auckland will be decided by a panel this evening.

Scrap GST if you want to help, council tells Govt

Auckland Council says the Government should scrap GST on affordable housing instead of looking to trim council growth levies on developers.

Govt piles on pressure for housing land

The Government is becoming increasingly heavy-handed over Auckland's housing shortage, with talk of a new Crown agency to free up more land.

Dick Quax: High density urban housing never been embraced

Aucklanders have never embraced the kind of concentrated living arrangements envisioned in the Unitary Plan, writes Dick Quax.

Mark Gunton: Battlelines drawn as Milford proves test case for intensification

Milford on Auckland's magnificent North Shore ticks all the right boxes for residential intensification.

Copter trust eyes court fight on cuts

Auckland's Westpac rescue helicopter service is considering asking a court to reinstate a $300,000 cut in its 2013-14 operating grant from the Auckland Council.

Race trend 'shock' for older Kiwis

A Grey Power official's complaints about immigration have been labelled uninformed, but the group's central Auckland president says they reflect the feeling of many elderly.

Mayor does u-turn on available land

Auckland has 2000 new sections ready to build houses on, says Mayor Len Brown, who last month claimed there was enough land for 15,000 homes.

My Auckland: Manurewa

Youth worker Flora Apulu tells Elisabeth Easther what she loves about living in culturally diverse Manurewa

Heritage campaigners fail in bid to curb demolitions

A proposed rewrite of Auckland's tarnished heritage rules leaves power in the hands of unelected officials and shuts out the public.

Permit too high for charity dig

A charity fundraising event had to be cancelled because the organisers couldn't cope with Auckland Council requirements.

'Green Rig' runs on diesel

Auckland Council chiefs are keeping under wraps a massive diesel truck bought second-hand for environmental education and other purposes, including civil defence.

'Shoebox' apartment rise tipped

The days of tiny "shoebox" apartments in Auckland could come back if a new rule in the unitary plan is passed.

Inner-city rail link delay 'untenable'

Auckland Council's chief planner says he wants the inner-city rail link completed by 2021, despite the Government saying there is a stronger case for building it almost a decade later.

Grant Guilford: Dung beetle plan a risky gamble

A controversial decision by the environment authority to approve the introduction of 11 new species of dung beetle to this country has exposed serious weaknesses in our biosecurity processes.

Meeting on grave damage

Auckland Council will hold a public meeting to address the desecration of infants' graves at a Glen Eden cemetery.

Brian Rudman: Best to get our hands on the tiller

Poor Murray McCully, writes Brian Rudman. Let's hope any other Valentine Day gifts he offered yesterday got a better reception than the one he couriered to the ingrates at Auckland Council.

Council accepts Eden Park 'gift'

The installation of a sound barrier at Eden Park could be the first ratepayer bailout for the debt-ridden stadium.