Auckland
Picnics have come to symbolise many things about life in Auckland right now - they are a blessing and a curse, a political masterstroke and a retreat. Now they need to be the start of something more
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Might the drift to the north be resisted?
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If you were out and about in Auckland this weekend, you would have seen the level 2 is almost non-existent now. It’s further proof Labour faces a challenge this year in managing the public mood
Read MoreWhile overall income inequality may have been relatively stable over the last two decades, it appears to be increasing in Auckland (and perhaps in our other big urban centres).
Read MoreThe government has let the housing market deteriorate with measures which are insufficient, late and ineffective. As a first step we need to identify the underlying problems.
Read MoreDo we need more regulation in the housing market? Probably not -- existing regulation may be inflaming the problem of lack of supply
Read MoreThe Government's plans to use the Crown's land for houses for Aucklanders face a bit of a problem - it may not be able to sell them the land on which those houses sit.
Read MoreThe Northland by-election demonstrates we do not have a regional development policy. Should we? What might it look like?
Read MoreOne new seat added in Auckland. But that single proposed seat has ramifications that will ripple across the city with some surprising winners and losers
Read MoreIs the new rule that anyone holding public office who has an affair must resign? Come on. That’s setting the bar ridiculously high. It would mean resignations in parliament and in councils across the country.
Read MoreThere has been heaps of hype around the America's Cup, but beyond our national ego and sporting competitiveness, there is one very practical reason to hope Emirates Team New Zealand can somehow pull one out of the bag
Read MoreDavid Cunliffe's shadow cabinet reshuffle has been seen as quite measured and Cunliffe himself says it puts Labour on a war footing. But perhaps the most telling appointment has gone largely unremarked
Read MoreIncreasing the supply of housing is only part of the solution. Demand needs to be shored up. That means changing incentives so that wage earners can compete with investors.
Read MoreLook deeper into RMA reforms and you might find it's more exciting than you think: an Environment Minister taking her axe to urban trees, and the latest in a series of “democracy deficits” - this time affecting Auckland
Read MoreThe work of many years looks to have paid off in our largest city. New Zealanders seem to be putting the rugby corporate nonsense behind them. But can we all now start acting like good hosts?
Read MoreIt was a year of much effort but little reward for Labour and the Greens (and the Progressives). So was it a year wasted, another step towards oblivion? Or was vital groundwork laid?
Read MoreJohn Banks' campaign has him peering over motorways and turning up on television at the eleventh hour. Len Brown, meanwhile, is everywhere
Read MoreLabour's candidate selection for the Auckland electorates seemed odd, but National's willingess to risk the city for a bit o' gold and silver in the Coromandel is one hell of a punt
Read MoreFor once Aucklanders seem to be realising the wisdom of patience. Queens Wharf is worth waiting for and shouldn't be buggered for the sake of the rugger
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