Auckland Council's budget committee has voted 16-7 for a proposal to increase rates by 3.5 per cent for each year of a new 10-year budget.

The costs of burial plots and grave digging could rise by hundreds of dollars at some Auckland cemeteries.

An Auckland Council plan to make the costs of burial similar across the region could result in hikes of hundreds of dollars at some council cemeteries.

The number of fines issued by Auckland parking wardens for unsafe tyres has almost doubled in three years, but some councillors say the practice is 'over the top'.

Main work on the $2.4 billion city rail link will be pushed out to 2020 unless the Government comes on board with early funding, say officials.

Revised plans for a high-performance centre for Yachting New Zealand in Takapuna have been unveiled.

Auckland is taking a leaf out of New York’s fashion books with t-shirts, jumpers and other merchandise declaring: “I love AKL.’’

Aucklanders wanting to celebrate Guy Fawkes on November 5 must find a public display or stay in their backyards, the council says.

The Transport Minister, Simon Bridges, may not be as loud and brash in his pronouncements as his predecessors but the message yesterday remained the same.

People do not have to be lawyered up to participate in the Unitary Plan process, says the judge chairing the independent hearings panel.

Warkworth's village character and market town charm is being put at risk by a big retail development aimed at luring motorists on SH1, say residents.

The first step towards saving what is arguably Auckland's most magnificent theatre, the St James, has taken far longer than it should have.

The Crimes Act provides penalties for up to seven years' imprisonment for wilful property damage, and is long overdue to charge graffiti offenders under that act, writes Bob Jones.

What is Auckland Council's mandate? According to the royal commission on Auckland governance, amalgamation would provide better services through well co-ordinated resources that, with economies of....

The latest round of Auckland property valuations present, as usual, a double-edged sword.

A big court case over one of Auckland's most ill-fated apartment tower developments is set down to be heard early next year.

A new body to undertake urban regeneration of neglected suburbs such as Avondale, New Lynn and Otahuhu is being mooted by Auckland Council.

Community housing groups want the Auckland Council to underwrite "housing bonds" worth $30 million to kick start more than 200 new homes for low-income families.

Moving furniture between the Town Hall and Henderson for Auckland Council meetings - described as an "absolute bargain" by mayor Len Brown - has cost ratepayers more than $14,000 since the Super City amalgamation.

A ban on domestic open fireplaces and old wood burners affecting up to 85,000 homes is being drawn up by Auckland Council.

Waterfront Auckland CEO John Dalzell had the biggest pay boost among council chief executives for the past two years, taking his salary to more than $500,000.

A $25 million upgrade of Mt Smart Stadium for the Warriors was considered in 2012, but was never actively pursued.

Property values rose 6.4 per cent nationwide in September, slowing from an annual pace of 6.9 per cent in August, according to QV.

A study of the superyacht industry has found visiting vessels generated more than $40 million for New Zealand last summer - which could rocket if facilities were expanded.

There is support on Auckland Council for a plan to relocate the Warriors from Mt Smart to Albany's QBE Stadium as part of a sweeping reform of Auckland's sporting facilities.

An organisation has been launched to oppose a new Auckland Council rule requiring owners to seek iwi approval for work on their land.