Politics – Great Barrier Island News

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,…

Politics

‘Dissolve Themselves in Acid’ – Brown Slams Govt Over Axed Fuel Tax

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has delivered a scathing critique of the government’s decision to abolish the regional fuel tax, suggesting those responsible should perhaps ‘Dissolve Themselves in Acid’, if they wanted to help the roading situation for Aucklanders. Brown, was…

Politics

Leadership Vacuum Amidst Transport Cost Crisis

Since 1960 SeaLink New Zealand (previously known as Subritzky Shipping Services) has served the waters of the Hauraki Gulf. Some are wondering if that’s what they do these days. Photo/ Ted McGrath EDITORIAL: Across the globe, from the Scottish Isles…

Politics

NZ Slides in Global Corruption Index

By Matevz (Matt) Raskovic, Auckland University of Technology In 2010, then US secretary of state Hillary Clinton famously described New Zealand as a country that “punches way above its weight”. She was referring to our role in international relations, global…