Auckland councillors have passed the first stage of a new bylaw to make the wearing of lifejackets compulsory in small boats.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown is pressing ahead with a living wage for council workers after promising voters two months ago he would first assess its feasibility.

Ngati Whatua o Orakei has settled most lease payment negotiations on 20ha of waterfront land in the CBD around Auckland's Quay Park.

A push to make the wearing of lifejackets compulsory on small boats is another case of "Nanny State" and won't reduce drownings, a boating club says.

Ngati Whatua Orakei of Auckland has become a financial powerhouse and one of the richest iwi in New Zealand.

Would-be Green Party leadership challenger David Hay - whose application to stand as a candidate for the party has been rejected - says he's not finished yet.

The basic problem Mayor Brown needs to confront is not how his extra roads and railways and tunnels are to be built, writes Brian Rudman. It's how best to prune his $12 billion shopping list.

No one south of the Bombay Hills likes to admit the Auckland Council is having an impact on the whole of NZ, but there is now evidence that is hard to refute, says Mai Chen.

Len Brown wants his council to look more to public private partnership models to create new infrastructure, saying it could relieve the financial burden on ratepayers and taxpayers.

There's about one year to go until the general election, and there are some very important debates and decisions in play at the moment, writes Bryce Edwards.

Politicians of all persuasions are heading to Christchurch East this week ahead of Saturday's byelection to replace former Labour MP Lianne Dalziel.

Olympian and Auckland councillor Dick Quax has revealed he has throat cancer and credits his wife Roxanne for having him receive early treatment.

Anti-development protectionists lost fights at a beach north of Auckland and in Arch Hill this month.

Some bars' and restaurants' "happy hour" promotions will be outlawed under alcohol reforms which come into force next month.

Auckland councillor Cameron Brewer wants a council review into Len Brown's affair with Bevan Chuang widened to investigate a trip the mayor made to Hong Kong.

Perhaps the letters editor publishes particularly stupid opinions for readers' entertainment, writes Bob Jones. Conspiracists always being a particular source of delight.

'Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!' Luigi Wewege is clearly excited to announce his big news - he's engaged to a mystery brunette in the United States.

The National Government continues to have plenty of opportunities, successes, failures, and on-going difficulties to deal with, writes Bryce Edwards.

The amalgamation of Auckland and the introduction of the Auckland Plan have focused attention on Auckland's diversity, structure and economy.

A plan to build apartment towers up to 16 levels high around Milford Mall aims to make profit at the suburb's expense, says a lawyer acting for Auckland Council.

A Victorian homestead in Pt Chevalier is being temporarily removed from its site while its church owner seeks a resource consent to permanently remove it and construct a replica building.

A former mayor of Auckland writes an open letter to the leader of the Super City as he starts his second term.

To the extent the public took any interest in the recent local government elections, council debt levels were a common debating point, writes Bob Jones.

Bryce Edwards rounds up the must-read political items from the media and blogosphere over the last three days.

Conservative Party leader Colin Craig says there is not a mandate for the Government to sell further state-owned assets.

Bryce Edwards rounds up the must-read political items from the media and blogosphere over the last week.

A 27-year-old naval rating has been charged with the manslaughter of a trainee primary school teacher.

The saying that every vote counts rings true for Tracy Kirkley who has won a seat on the Henderson-Massey Local Board by one vote following a judicial recount.

The Government has warned that criminal charges could still be coming for officials who illegally increased rates and outraged ratepayers, despite a law change which legalised the rate hikes.