Latest from Local Government

New Plymouth District Council to set up Maori Ward

New Plymouth District Council has voted in favour of establishing a Maori ward for the 2016 local body elections.

Fran O'Sullivan: Time for sidelined Labour MPs to step up

Cunliffe has yet to develop the necessary horizontal management skills to lead the Labour caucus and head Opposition efforts to hold the Prime Minister's feet to the fire, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Transport tops city to-do list

Improving public transport and the ease of getting around the city should be top priority for Auckland Council if it wants the world's most liveable city.

Craig's crew failed to fire in city seats

The Conservative Party passed the crucial 5 per cent threshold in 19 electorates, preliminary election results show.

Slip sees ratepayers charged twice

An error by Auckland Council led to 1638 ratepayers having $93,367 incorrectly deducted from their bank accounts last week.

Council seeks transport funding talks with new govt

Auckland Council wants to talk to the new Govt about special taxes, including road charges and vehicle congestion charges, to fund its transport programme.

Long-term Watercare boss steps down

Transport and housing top of list

Political parties are tailoring all manner of policies for Auckland, or more precisely at 1,030,125 enrolled Jafas, to win their vote.

Council's 'fixer' to leave over health

Watercare chief executive Mark Ford - who is known as "The Fixer" - is expected to step down shortly for health reasons.

Bob Jones: Bureaucrats wallowing in cultural correctness

'The Pope's Losing Battle with the Mob", headlined Warsaw's Polityka newspaper.

Dr Jamie Hosking: Smaller roads free us from traffic

We all hate being stuck in traffic. The usual response to congested roads in New Zealand, especially in Auckland, is to make the congested road bigger - turn a two-lane road into four.

Rubbish collection to go hi-tech

A new "pay-as-you-throw" system featuring microchipped waste bins is being proposed to standardise rubbish collection across Auckland.

One third of MPs are 'career politicians' - study

Hawkes Bay council merger shapes up as big issue for voters

After being relinquished by National's Chris Tremain, the battle for the seat of Napier has been heating up between Labour's Stuart Nash and National newcomer Wayne Walford.

Waterfront facelift plans revealed

The first images of a major facelift for Auckland's downtown waterfront have been released by the council.

The return of Luigi Wewege

Luigi Wewege is now a chief executive who wants to help rich immigrants move to New Zealand.

Brian Rudman: $25m dream a bridge too far

Who wants to shell out a king's ransom for "optimal uplift" of a bridge on Auckland's waterfront when there's already a decent one there, asks Brian Rudman.

Council's car fleet fraud could be worse

The Dunedin City Council's alleged vehicle fraud may go back further than first thought - and more missing cars and money are likely to be involved.