Latest fromAuckland Council

Council admits candidate list bungle
Auckland Council says 25 names were left off its candidate list for the upcoming local elections due to an "administrative oversight".

Roughan: Tunnel vision blindsides city
COMMENT: After the machines have gone, will life return to the Queen St Canyon?

Leader of Unitary plan off to Rio
The man leading the Auckland Council's Unitary Plan is basking in the sun at the Rio Olympics while his colleagues are ploughing through the details.

Auckland zoning maps get green light
Auckland councillors yesterday farewelled the days of traditional single houses for a new era featuring apartment living.

Last minute rush for mayoral bid
There are 17 people in the running for the Auckland Council's top job.

Council rejects volcano housing plan
Auckland councillors have voted by the narrowest of margins to stop housing being built on the Crater Hill volcano at Papatoetoe.

Piece from council carving goes missing
A wooden carving commissioned as part of a regional public art programme has been vandalised.

More needed to stand for council
Unless last-minute candidates step up today, many councils cannot fill positions.

Unitary Plan twist: Maori Board opt out
A meeting to make final decisions on a new blueprint for Auckland took a major twist this morning when members of the Maori Statutory Board opted out of the process.

Editorial: Tweaks will add balance to urban plan
The report of the Independent Hearings Panel on the proposed Auckland Unitary Plan injected a good dose of realism into the plan.

Victoria Carter: Move on, career councillors
COMMENT: Let's hope this election we might see some long-standing or well-known names step down and some new brooms.

Volcano housing 'would be low-income'
A family trust that wants to allow housing on a South Auckland volcano says the housing could be around $500,000-$700,000 - aimed at low- and middle-income earners.

'Shoebox' apartments for Auckland?
Council officers release "major policy shifts" to the latest draft of the Unitary Plan.

Big changes flagged for Unitary Plan
A proposal to build homes on one of Auckland's most prized volcanoes looks set to be rejected by Auckland councillors.

Phil Goff vows to cut council costs
Labour MP Phil Goff vows to cut fat, introduce road charges and cap rates rises at 2.5 per cent if he wins the Auckland mayoralty in nine weeks.

Near misses on Auckland Council tower job
Falling scaffolding and a dropped hammer are among five "near misses" on the multi-million-dollar fix-up job to Auckland Council headquarters.

Push for smoke-free CBD
A smoking ban in open spaces, such as footpaths, civic squares and beaches, is to be investigated by Auckland Council.

Auckland Council won't say if it holds tobacco investments
Auckland Council is not saying if it holds investments in soft drink, alcohol and tobacco companies only days after it purged fizzy drinks at its leisure centres.

Booze boats a public danger
A new council regulation requiring charter boats to have a liquor licence will create a dangerous "pub-like" environment when they are docked.

Panel paves way for shoebox living
Shoebox apartments could be back in Auckland after they were banned in 2007.

Goff gives Unitary Plan pass mark
Labour MP and mayoral candidate Phil Goff says he supports the overall thrust of the Auckland Unitary Plan.

Unitary Plan: Will it make housing affordable?
A huge jump in more intensive housing permitted in central Auckland may be the breakthrough frustrated first home buyers have been looking for.

Unitary Plan: Building rules axed
Minimum dwelling sizes, density limits and other development controls have been deleted from the new recommended rulebook for Auckland.

Unitary Plan reaction: 'My wife is in tears'
A couple who moved from London to raise their young family in New Zealand are "devastated" by the latest plan.

Unitary Plan panel delivers right answer
Auckland has made heavy weather of its plain need for dense development.

Watch NZ Herald Focus: Auckland's Unitary Plan explained
Watch NZ Herald Focus: Auckland's Unitary Plan is the new rulebook telling people what can be built where and how high. Aucklanders will be able to go the Auckland Council website, type in their address and find out what the or Unitary Planmeans for them.

Future look of Auckland to be unveiled
Watch NZH Focus: The future look and feel of Auckland will become clearer today when a new rulebook is released.

Hopes and fears for a new city
Bernard Orsman talks with Aucklanders about their hopes and aspirations for the future of the city.

Auckland needs council that takes charge
COMMENT: The Auckland mayoralty is a huge job and the election should be based on talent and who has the best skills to get results.