Auckland Council members meet today on the thorny issue of building heights in town centres.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown is sticking with a projected population growth figure of one million more Aucklanders.

A new report says housing has become a battle between old and young - and the younger generation certainly isn't winning.

Central government is encouraging local bodies to become more focused and efficient. Many are considering mergers with others and seeing how to cut costs.

A group that helped to convince the Hamilton City Council to remove fluoride from its water supply says it will continue lobbying other councils throughout New Zealand to do the same.

Nine-year-old Isla Lodewyks is so upset the Auckland Council took down a rope swing in Puhoi that she has started a petition to get it back.

Health advocates say a Hamilton City Council decision to drop fluoride from its water supply will mean a costly decline in oral health and the poor will suffer most.

Muzzled and waiting in a sterile room for the vet's lethal injection, this was the last sight that 3338 dogs in Auckland saw.

Maurice Williamson's brief flirtation with fame is officially over, writes Brian Rudman. Dithering cost him his chance to become an international gay icon.

Central government politicians have called a roundtable meeting in Wellington tomorrow to look for ways to control street prostitution in South Auckland.

The company behind a proposed underground gold mine beneath homes in Waihi will appeal against parts of the resource consent.

The Government will appeal against a ruling that the new legal aid system is unlawful.

A robust process of engagement is essential to a successful plan, Bryce Julyan. Meaningful engagement requires time to assess and analyse the information received or given.

The courts will continue to operate with the current legal aid system for the timebeing despite the Court of Appeal ruling it unlawful.

Whether it's walls of apartments on the ridges overlooking Browns Bay or 18-storey high rises in Newmarket, the council is facing a chorus of complaints.

The head of Auckland Transport has come out swinging against the public transport system he runs saying trains and buses are late, infrequent and overcrowded.

Intensification of housing needs to be matched by intensification of amenities, writes Dr Jamie Hosking. It must be sensitive to heritage and design values,

Half of suburban Auckland built up with three-storey apartments? Under the rules of the draft Unitary Plan it's about as likely as the sun setting in the east.

The draft Auckland Unitary Plan proposes a fundamental change to the urban fabric of Auckland, writs Richard Burton. Multi-storey, high-density apartment buildings formerly reserved to the inner city and adjoining areas are now proposed.

The Government says it will take control of housing planning and consent processes from councils if they do not act quickly enough to free up land for houses.

Local government is where a lot of the governing people care about goes on.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown is backing down in the face of a citywide revolt against high-rise apartments and infill housing in a new planning rulebook for the city.

Auckland has overtaken Sydney as a host of premier events in Australasia and is now second only to Melbourne, an industry study has found.

Landowners having to pay the council a share of profits on rezoned properties.