Auckland Council should follow its new focus in asking its agencies to get better value from its commercial assets, says the Government.

Loophole means ratepayers are liable to homeowner and developer, says council

The owners of Auckland's Palace Hotel could be prosecuted after the release of a damning report identifying severe damage to the heritage building before it was knocked down.

Structural engineers should work with conservation architects and architectural historians to ensure that no quake-damaged heritage buildings in Christchurch are demolished in haste, a heritage campaigner says.

Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the focus on heritage buildings after the devastating earthquake in Christchurch is 'unacceptable' at a time when thousands of residents' lives have been disrupted.

The Ombudsman has launched an investigation into whether an Auckland councillor knew she already had another job when she received a redundancy payout of more than $200,000.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent rebuilding Eden Park.

Aucklanders could be penalised for not recycling as part of a move to streamline how the city's waste is collected.

The Maori Party today continued to hound Local Government Minister Rodney Hide over his attitude to Auckland Council's Maori Statutory Board, asking in Parliament what he meant when he said yesterday it was "inherently divisive".