Politics – Great Barrier Island News

Politics

A Leap of Faith or a Step Backwards? Orama’s Proposed School

EDITORIAL: The recent announcement of Orama Oasis’s intention to establish a charter school on Great Barrier Island should spark both interest and apprehension within our community. This proposal comes in the same week as the release of the disturbing report…

Sea Law Ruling: NZ, Others Must Cut Emissions to Protect Small Island Nations

Nanumea island, Tuvalu. Photo / TCAP/UNDP / CC By Karen Scott, University of Canterbury In a significant development for small island nations threatened by rising seas, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has found greenhouse gases…

Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. Photo / CC

Politics

AUKUS Indecision: Confusion or Caution?

By Robert G. Patman, University of Otago New Zealand governments have been actively exploring the option of joining pillar two of AUKUS for over a year now. But according to foreign minister Winston Peters, the government is “a long way…

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown speaks about his proposals for the city's budget. Photo / RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Politics

Wayne Brown tells Auckland Transport to ‘shut up and listen’

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown speaks about his proposals for the city’s budget. Photo / RNZ / Marika Khabazi Mayor Wayne Brown has told Auckland Transport to “shut up and listen” as he pushes ahead with his election promises. Brown wants…

Decisions from a Distance: Auckland Council Headquarters, 90 Kilometers Away from Aotea. Photo / NZME

Politics

This Is Why We’re Fed Up

EDITORIAL: As Aucklanders reluctantly accepted Mayor Wayne Brown’s minimal budget increase option last month, council staff seemed perplexed. Why wouldn’t residents want them to spend more? The reason is starkly clear: ratepayers in tough times see their hard-earned money wasted…

Mike Lee is advocating for pragmatic progress with a commitment to preserve the region's environment and community rights. Photo / NZME

Politics

Lee Supports Deregulation with a Twist: Advocates for Enhanced Eco Protections

Mike Lee is advocating for pragmatic progress with a commitment to preserve the region’s environment and community rights. Photo / NZME In the heated debate surrounding Auckland Council’s stance on the government’s controversial RMA Fast-Track Approvals Bill, Councillor for Waitematā…

Aotea/Great Barrier Local Board members.

Politics

Board Mobilises Against Fast-Track Bill

The Aotea Great Barrier Local Board is gearing up to submit its concerns on the government’s controversial Fast-Track Approvals Bill, as part of the Auckland Council’s collective feedback. The bill, promising streamlined processes for significant infrastructure projects, has sparked debate…

Looking out towards the rock at Pah Beach on Aotea, Great Barrier Island.

Politics

Destination Delusion: A Balance Between Sustainability and Survival

Some of the loudest voices on the motu yearn for quiet, pushing for further restrictions on tourism, seemingly oblivious to the widespread impacts their stance is already having.

Shipping containers in Bukit Merah, Singapore. Photo / CHUTTERSNAP

Politics

Rethinking the Viability of Free Trade in a WTO Stalemate World

By Jane Kelsey, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau The 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi has failed to resolve any issues of significance, raising the inescapable question of whether the global trade body has a…

Most will be familiar with this scene: a meeting that goes round and round on a topic – one that may not be important to the priorities of the company. People leave the meeting frustrated and unheard. And the whole experience is repeated the next time everyone meets.

Politics

How to Run an Actually Successful Hui

Aotea is a tapestry of vibrant threads from fiercely independent locals and mana whenua to tourists, communes, environmentalists to bach owners and everything in-between, each adding a unique hue to our community fabric. Authored by Katharina Naswall and Sanna Malinen,…