City Counselling

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has criticised Auckland Council’s cultural and economic agency, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, for spending $737k to boost positivity about the city through their ‘Happy Guide’ campaign. 

Additionally, last week Auckland Council voted to move all speed racing to Onehunga, meaning nearly 100 years of speedway racing at Western Springs is coming to an end.

For City Counselling this week, Producer Sofia spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics.

Ports of Auckland has said the Fast-track Approvals Bill is the only way to keep its promise to Auckland Council regarding its deal to sell the Captain Cook and Marsden wharves back to Council to be converted into a waterfront attraction.

Ports of Auckland has committed to exiting Cook and Marsden in the period two to five years, saying the Fast-track would allow them to ‘honour that commitment to the city’. 

The Fast-track Approvals Bill, since its introduction, has been subject to much criticism, with concerns surrounding its impact on the environment and a lack of public consultation. 

Additionally, earlier this month Auckland Council introduced a new roaming dog squad to address the increase in dog attacks and roaming incidents in Auckland over the past year. 

Sofia spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these topics.

For City Counselling this week, Producer Sofia spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about Council's progress on emergency response systems and the buyout scheme for homeowners impacted by floods. 

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has revealed a proposal to build a second harbour bridge between Pt Chevalier and the North Shore as a cheaper alternative crossing option. 

This would involve using the naturally existing lava flow at Meola Reef to support a new bridge across the Waitematā Harbour crossing to Kauri Point on the North Shore. 

In response, critics have questioned the investment, whether the proposal would solve issues of traffic congestion, and have raised concerns regarding environmental implications, disrupting suburban areas, and iwi consultation. 

Additionally, Auckland Council received criticism earlier this week over information revealed through an Official Information Act request by the Auckland Ratepayers Alliance that Council spent over $250k on repairing four sets of stairs on Milford Beach. 

Sofia spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these topics.