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Anti-Bunnings protest outside hearing
Protestors carrying signs saying 'Bugger Off Bunnings' have picketed Auckland Council this morning as a hearing on setting up a Grey Lynn branch continues.
TV stars join anti-Bunnings fight
Actress Tandi Wright and Seven Sharp presenter Jesse Mulligan want to stop the Bunnings Warehouse Grey Lynn.
Community message at the heart of trusts' pitch
Auckland's five licensing trusts are fighting to preserve levels of charity dollars from alcohol sales and poker machines.
Two-horse race after 'scratching'
The two main contenders for the Hamilton mayoralty are running a close race and with voter turnout at a new low - less than 10 per cent at the weekend.
Kim Campbell: The 'living wage' and what it really means
Higher minimum wages are also sometimes called for here and overseas as a way to introduce a "living wage", writes Kim Campbell.
Super City elections 2013: Tamihere plots political return
Former Labour Cabinet minister John Tamihere admits he is testing the water for a full-scale political comeback by standing for election to two local government positions.
Residents take on Bunnings
Hearings into a controversial Bunnings Warehouse in Auckland's Grey Lynnhave begun, and residents have turned out in force to try to stop it.
Election heads for low vote count
The Super City election race enters the final week with a stubbornly low voter turnout and a final push by Len Brown and John Palino for the mayoral chains.
Six wards key to Auckland
The political make-up of the Auckland Council looks set to hinge on the outcome of six wards, where the right is out to put the brakes on Len Brown's direction.
Editorial: Stay awake: it's time to make your vote count
Editorial: Local democracy has a delicate life at more risk of suffering from neglect than abuse. When most of its eligible voters ignore its debates and cast an unthinking vote.
Candidate blames punctuation
Contender Rob Thomas admits claiming incorrectly in an official candidates' booklet that he worked 14 years for the cities of Wellington and Westminster.
Angry ratepayers seek SuperCity referendum
Members of the Northern Action Group reckon they would do better out of the SuperCity.
McCarten: Lazy voters kill democracy
Time to mail in your voting papers for the local government elections, says Matt McCarten.
Watson feels wronged by claim
A local body candidate alleged to have snubbed pensioners at a campaign meeting this week said he knew nothing about the gathering and feels deeply wronged by the claim.
John Roughan: Grass an ideal election issue
It is a bit of a chore to mow the berm. I live down a right of way and have to push the machine up there for a wedge of grass between my drive and the next. Too often I forget.
Editorial: Black museum the obvious use for old jail
No building in Auckland is quite as grim as Mt Eden Prison.
Review of burial and cremation laws
A shake-up of how and where we bury the dead has prompted a city council to raise the "terrifying" possibility of people simply digging a hole and "putting granny in it".
Mayor: $800k salaries the market rate
Auckland Mayor Len Brown last night defended salaries of nearly $800,000 a year for two senior council executives, telling a public meeting, "You have got to meet the market."
Should councils have to mow grass berms?
The council voted to save $3 million by not cutting grass berms in the old Auckland City area. Was this a good move? Have your say here.
Calls for public services to be funded by local government
Local Government New Zealand and the New Zealand Initiative are calling for more public services to be provided by local government and funded by local taxes.
One street's view: it isn't clear cut
Opinions on who should mow the berms in Blakey St, Onehunga reflect the wider debate that's raging in Auckland.
Aucklanders told: Mow your own berm
Auckland City residents should follow the rest of the region, take pride in their community - and mow their own berms, says a councillor.
Malcolm Alexander: Have a say on how your city is run
If you were a shareholder in a huge business, one with $120 billion of assets and an annual budget of more than $8 billion, wouldn't you want a say in who should run it?
Environment sets Westies apart
Former Cantabrian Ted Smith spent two weeks looking for a home in Auckland when he moved after the earthquakes in 2011, and "fell in love" with the West.