Latest from Auckland Central

Silver cutlery discovery baffles police
Police are baffled by the discovery of a box of expensive-looking silver cutlery and kitchenware found hidden in the bushes at an Auckland cemetery.

Haven for hard partiers
In a bid to cut down unnecessary hospital admissions, five Auckland organisations have set up a temporary 'safe house' for out-of-control revellers.

Brian Rudman: Planning to move with the times
Aucklanders are now able to go online and discover how their own home and neighbourhoods are affected by the new masterplan, writes Brian Rudman.

Causeway tunneller begins journey
As a giant tunnelling machine is packed into 20 shipping containers in China, ready to build Auckland's $1.4 billion Waterview link, a major upgrade is starting on the adjacent Northwestern Motorway.

Fears as police shut Downtown base
Police plan to close their station in Downtown Auckland, upsetting nearby business owners who say they will feel less safe.

Driver rescued after Harbour plunge
A man has been rescued and a passenger is safe after a car was accidentally driven backwards and plunged into Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour this morning.

Auckland Council to vote on The Cloud, Eden Park
Auckland councillors will today vote on whether to pursue the Government's offer to hand over waterfront venue The Cloud and its share in Queens Wharf.

Public eeling not tolerated by Auckland Council
The Auckland Council says it will not tolerate people eeling in public parks after an eel trap was recently found at Western Springs.

Brian Rudman: Smith gets it wrong with land rant
Echoing demands from Prime Minister John Key that Auckland Council free up farmland for housing development, Dr Smith is vowing "to break through the stranglehold that the existing Metropolitan Urban Limit has on land supplies".

City subsidy for posh homes touted
Developers could receive ratepayer subsidies to build $1 million-plus apartments at a swanky housing development at Wynyard Quarter on the Auckland waterfront.

Dazzling, hypnotic wizards
Just go see this. French pyrotechnical wizards Groupe F offer a superlative, splendiferous, explosive extravaganza. Artistic director Christophe Berthonneau and his team, and Red Leap Theatre, are to be congratulated.

Crash causes major motorway delays
Auckland's Southern Motorway has reopened all four southbound lanes after a serious crash this afternoon, but gridlocked traffic will still take some time to clear.

Review: En route, Auckland CBD
Walking tours - especially those guided by a remote, apparently all-seeing, all-knowing central HQ - are full of tantalising possibilities: where will I be going? How will I know how to get there?

Developers picked to net $28m from Crown land selloff
A block of state housing land for sale in Sandringham is ripe for a townhouse development that could net a developer $28 million, a property expert has predicted.

Athletics: Fun, sun and running - it's our big day
It's the day where Auckland comes out to run. The Round the Bays run is New Zealand's largest mass participation sporting event.

Auckland a 'concrete jungle' - expert
An international strategy guru has rated Wellington and pre-earthquake Christchurch ahead of the Queen City as the country's most liveable city.

Community work for grave vandalism
A 20-year-old has been sentenced to 320 hours of community work for desecrating Jewish graves at a central Auckland cemetery.

Michael Barnett and Kim Campbell: Transit mess holds back growth
The building of infrastructure should lead and guide where new resources are to be unleashed. Auckland has a lot going for it, writes Michael Barnett and Kim Campbell.

My Auckland: Glen Innes
Tamati Patuwai (Ngati Whatua) tells Elisabeth Easther what he loves about living in Glen Innes, and how much the area has changed since he was a boy

Man allegedly pepper-sprays man known to him
An American-born medical officer has appeared in court for allegedly pepper-spraying a man he knew during an altercation at an Auckland petrol station.

Historic pub set to reopen
One of Auckland's earliest buildings, the Birdcage hotel, is bursting back to life after a feat of engineering which saw it shunted partway up Franklin Rd and then back again.

'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.

Gunman's stolen car found burnt
The car used by a man who robbed three people at gunpoint and fired five shots on top of Mt Eden has been found partially burnt in South Auckland.