Swimmers are being told to steer clear of the water at popular beaches on the North Shore after water quality tests returned poor results.

The best thing that may be said about a 36-storey glass tower to rise on the site of Auckland's Downtown shopping centre is that it will provide tunnels for trains out of Britomart.

Love or hate the idea of Precinct Properties' 36-level, $550 million downtown Auckland waterfront skyscraper, let's get the negatives out of the way first.

Auckland Airport is resisting pressure from a community group to soundproof homes under new flight paths north of Manukau Harbour.

The Auckland Council seems to be constantly surprised by decisions of its subordinate bodies.

Auckland Council and commercial landlord Precinct Properties have struck a deal to allow the City Rail Link tunnels to run beneath a $550 million, 36-level downtown office and shopping tower.

A big step forward in the City Rail Link project has been announced, revealing details of underground tunnels built near the waterfront.

Details of a new $550m tower for downtown Auckland have been released - the deal to build means one of the last City Rail Link hurdles has been cleared.

Tolls received full or partial backing from 53 per cent of those submissions and higher rates and fuel tax received 37 per cent support.

SkyCity will have made $27 million out of the convention centre deal by 2017 without even turning the first sod, the Green Party claims.

Violent incidents in the past fortnight on Auckland's southern railway line have the police and transport officials trawling through CCTV footage for offenders.

Northcote MP Jonathan Coleman has surveyed his constituents for views on the SkyPath proposed to run beneath the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Auckland's local politicians have labelled the Council's overseas postings to London and San Francisco an "outrage", while the mayor defends the decision.

Most libraries will have reduced opening hours, while some others will be extended, in a bid to save $1.1 million in Auckland Council's proposed budget.

The Auckland Council has filed its changes to ease controls for further reclamation of Waitemata Harbour for port use.

Ports of Auckland said its first-half net profit rose by 9.5 per cent to $28.9 million in the six months to December, driven by higher freight volumes.

A two-tonne tree branch that snapped from a 150yo oak tree, badly damaging a row of parked cars in Auckland Domain yesterday, had been 'extensively checked'.

A Super City IT project that soared in cost from $71 million to $157 million is back on track, say council officials, but some councillors still have concerns.

St Patrick's Square, a pride and joy of central Auckland's streetscape upgrade programme, is looking unloved only five years after a $9.2 million makeover.

Winston Peters says the Financial Markets Authority must investigate "a huge volume" in trading of SkyCity shares.

The capacity of the proposed Convention Centre falls under the limits the founding study on the project said was needed to make it viable for a return to the economy.

Sunset-chasers and their cars have been locked in Auckland's Mt Eden Domain again - despite a council apology last month to people stranded there by an earlier closing time.

Auckland boaties are rallying against council plans to weaken controls over further reclamation of the Waitemata Harbour for port use.

'Economists make forecasts," said the late, great, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, "not because they know, but because they are asked."