The starter's gun for the Super City elections goes off tomorrow when candidate nominations open for the mayoral chain.

RadioLIVE has dubbed Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee the Minister of No, writes Fran O'Sullivan. It is a label that might just stick after his frank response to Auckland Mayor Len Brown's latest foray into transport funding.

Watercare Services has hit back at critics of the $800 million central interceptor plan.

A Waikato wellness retreat that has nurtured hundreds of earthquake-frazzled Christchurch residents back to health for free may have to close its doors.

A lopsided mayoralty race is bad enough, but at councillor level, confusion abounds, writes Brian Rudman. "With what promises to be a one-horse mayoral race, this October's contest is likely to attract a turnout more akin to the 38 per cent of 2007."

Auckland is a work in progress and now is not the time to deviate from the current path, says Len Brown as he seeks a second term as mayor of the Super City.

The deputy leader of Communities and Residents, George Wood, has abandoned the centre-right ticket and set up a new ticket on the North Shore to contest October's local body elections.

The Waitakere Ranges Protection Society celebrates its 40th anniversary, knowing its battle to keep a wilderness on Auckland's doorstep is still far from over.

A year after closing 27km of walking tracks in the Waitakere Ranges in a bid to halt the spread of a disease that kills kauri trees, Auckland Council is being defied by hundreds of bush trail users.

It's time to ditch the reckless timetable, put back the notification date, and give council officers a chance to look at the feedback properly, writes Sally Hughes.

Under-fire Christchurch City Council chief executive Tony Marryatt will remain on special leave while an independent investigation is carried out into his actions.

Controversial Christchurch City Council chief executive Tony Marryatt's job is on the line today at a secret council meeting that will discuss his future.

Charging $3 for a 20-minute hospital visit is profiting from people's suffering, says Scott McGill.

Auckland Council's senior management are refusing to give councillor Sandra Coney access to a legal review of the new planning rulebook for the city.

The importance of well established and team sports to young people is a key finding in an Auckland survey of 8000 school-age boys and girls.

You'd think there was a civil war raging in Wellington, writes Bob Jones. "At its root lies a single factor, namely envy of Auckland's population growth and commercial expansion."

Christchurch City Council will continue to issue building consents despite losing its accreditation, but has seen its credit rating downgraded today.

Transport chiefs celebrating Britomart's 10th birthday as an underground train station are looking forward to punching a big hole out from its western end.

Former Auckland mayor Christine Fletcher has told how she effectively bet her home as well as $300 million of ratepayers' money on her vision for Britomart.

Forget kissing babies - one Supercity mayoral contender is selling sushi while waiting for voters to make up their minds.

If only the mayoral candidacy were as easy as "they are what they eat". It'd take out all the guesswork, and having to listen to boring policy blither-blather.

Troubled Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker has pulled out of the upcoming mayoral race as his council struggles with a consent crisis.

DOC has been warned that proposals to dig a tunnel or construct a monorail between Queenstown and Milford Sound could threaten the region's World Heritage status.

Auditor-General Lyn Provost has told the Auckland Council to urgently address purchase card payments after finding they were being made without appropriate documentation.