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.

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.

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

Concerns about "pop-up" intensification and neighbours having no say about apartments were raised at yesterday's first public council meeting on changes to Auckland's Unitary Plan.

People have tended to talk about Auckland CBD residents as if some form of sub-human species, who are forced to live in "shoe boxes", writes Dick Ayres.

The early commercial strips of Karangahape Rd, Kingsland, Dominion Rd and Ponsonby Rd are under threat from the draft Unitary Plan, say heritage groups.

The Auckland Council is toning down controversial plans for small-scale apartment buildings in half of suburban Auckland.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown is facing a mayoral challenge from the head of the council's Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel, the Rev Uesifili Unasa.

Concern about Auckland's draft Unitary Plan may be keeping a lid on economic confidence in the region, a survey suggests.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown is facing more grief over the Unitary Plan process with one councillor vowing to boycott secret meetings and local boards demanding access to public submissions.

Government appears likely to block attempts by councils to set stricter rules on genetically modified organisms.

Is it any wonder Auckland Council is having a hard time selling the Unitary Plan to the rest of us?

Auckland Council is coming under pressure to prove it can provide enough parks to keep up with population growth.

More than 1600 new apartment units are planned throughout suburban Auckland after a half-decade lull.

Calls of "shame" greeted Housing Minister Nick Smith when he arrived in Glen Innes to launch a redevelopment plan for the Tamaki area.

Auckland's low-income suburbs of Glen Innes, Pt England and Panmure will roughly double in population under a draft plan for more intensive housing to be unveiled today.

Barring some unforeseen catastrophe, we certainly will grow from 1.5 million citizens to over 2.5 million by mid century, writes Graeme Easte.

Lower building heights, tighter controls on developers and giving the public the right to object to apartment buildings are among changes being considered.

Support for the draft Unitary Plan is "melting faster than snow in sunshine" amid widespread anxiety over intensive housing proposals.

Public submissions on Auckland Council's draft unitary plan close this week. View a map of the draft unitary plan here.

The Auckland Council hasn't done any work to compare urban and rural infrastructure costs as it asks Aucklanders to adapt to a new way of life.

Better signage at bus stops is urgently needed, plus retro-fitting the Adshel bus shelters across the city to make them rain-proof, writes Brian Rudman.

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.

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.

Auckland's heritage character is under threat from apartments in half of residential Auckland, says the Character Coalition.

Plans to intensify Auckland with terraced housing and apartment buildings are deja vu for one community, which met last night to discuss the potential changes.

Sometimes it takes an outside eye to reveal the full extent of a change in circumstance.

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.