Latest from Local Government

Dolphin sanctuary on line

Auckland councillors have been bombarded with more than 200,000 emails urging them to oppose the latest proposed oil exploration plan.

Parnell on verge of regaining glory

Parnell, the inner-city suburb that reflected the golden days of the ‘80s and ‘90s, is undergoing a quiet renaissance. We look at what's being done.

Editorial: Council tax plea hard to stomach

Councils have been pleading for a new source of money for as long as ratepayers can remember.

Cash-strapped councils need to look at spending - Bennett

Decision to dump councillors from transport board deferred

Council funding reform plea shot down

Prime Minister John Key has sprayed cold water on calls for a comprehensive rethink of how local government spending is funded.

Councillors on AT board face the axe

Auckland Mayor Len Brown opposes a plan to stop councillors serving as board members on Auckland Transport.

Funding study boost for council

Auckland Council's desperate hunt for new revenue to supplement an ever-growing rates burden may be boosted by a Local Government NZ funding review.

Rates won't go into convention centre: Brown

Auckland mayor Len Brown says the council will not put any ratepayer cash into building or running an international convention centre.

George Wood, Dick Quax, Cameron Brewer: Our rate, borrow and spend city

If this lack of regard for the financial resources of individual members of our community is to be curbed, it is critical that a strong message of opposition comes through from the community, writes George Wood, Dick Quax and Cameron Brewer.

$64k traffic island goes in, then out

'That's ratepayer money, it's just unbelievable'. Last week Tauranga City Council put in a $64k traffic island. This week it ripped it up.

Len Brown: An investment in Auckland's future

Aucklanders have spent many, many years admiring what other cities have, but we're catching up now, writes Auckland Mayor Len Brown. There's a real sense of pride growing around our region.

Brian Rudman: Liveable Len could stop the chop

Just because pohutukawa trees prosper in Auckland's coastal setting is not a reason to treat them as a weed and hack them down when they get in the way of a road builder.

Has Auckland got its 10-year budget right?

Aucklanders have seven weeks to provide feedback on a draft 10-year budget that, according to Mayor Len Brown, includes some of the biggest decisions on the city's future. Send us Your Views.

Michael Ayrton: Cornwall Park a magnificent gift that keeps giving

While four million visitors enjoy the park each year, not one cent of the costs comes from rates or taxes, writes Michael Ayrton. That is thanks to the magnificent bequest of the "Father" of the city.

John Armstrong: We all know the act is not the problem

Got a problem? Then blame it on the Resource Management Act, writes John Armstrong. "Nick Smith is using the RMA as a smokescreen. The Auckland housing crisis is really a crisis of insatiable demand."