The High Court has ruled in favour of Auckland Transport in a case brought against the council managed organisation by All Aboard Aotearoa.
The case was over Auckland Transport’s Regional Land Transport Plan or RLTP which would lead to a 6% increase in transport emissions in Auckland.
For our fortnightly chat with Auckland City counsellor Pippa Coom, as part of our regular city counselling segment Casper and Pippa discussed the RLTP case as well as an update on the local election process.
Eight local boards from central Auckland voted on the issue of special character areas in Auckland, contributing to a longstanding debate around housing intensification and preserving Auckland’s inner-city suburbs.
For the our regular city counselling segment Casper spoke to Auckland city counsellor Shane Henderson to get a sense of what happened in this debate, what the vote means and how it might affect the future of housing in Auckland.
The native Kauri Trees in the Waitakere Ranges have been under threat from the Kauri Dieback disease for years.
While this is naturally occuring, humans disturbing the area have led to the rate spreading quicker than normal and the trees being put at major risk.
However, a recent report from the council has revealed new details on the spread, showing that the issue, while still prevalent, might not be moving as quickly as previously thought.
To learn more, I spoke to Richard Hills for our regular City Counselling segment about what they’ve recently discovered.
The Auckland city council’s Value for Money Committee recently reported that the council exceeded its savings goals for the 2021/22 financial year.
However, there has been some controversy around overspending on cycleway infrastructure projects with some Aucklanders claiming that the council’s money is being managed loosely.
For Casper's fortnightly chat with Auckland city councillor Pippa Coom they discussed the council’s financial situation as well as the alleged overspending on some cycleway projects and what might be going on.
Phil Goff’s last climate budget as Auckland mayor has been passed by the council.
Last week Casper discussed this budget with Auckland city councillor Pippa Coom and this week, for his fortnightly interview with councillor Shane Henderson he asked for an update on the budget and its importance.
Casper also asked Shane for his perspective on the Ports of Auckland recently scraping its automation project after sinking $65 million dollars into the effort, and what this says about the ports’ direction.
Phil Goff released his final Climate Action Budget as Auckland mayor.
The billion-dollar package proposes widespread investment in transport and is intended to be a starting point for the city meeting its climate emission obligations.
For Casper's fortnightly chat with Auckland city counsellor Pippa Coom they discussed the mayor’s proposed budget, what it contains and what it will cost for Auckland residents.
Cycling infrastructure has been widely reported as receiving $1.7 billion in new funding, with investment in renewable transport forming a part of Auckland’s plan to halve emissions by 2030.
Auckland city council has also closed submissions the NPS UD public consultation, informing its plan for housing intensification.
For Casper's fortnightly chat with Auckland City Councillor Shane Henderson they discussed this investment in Cycling infrastructure as well as an update to their discussion a few weeks prior around housing intensification. Casper first asked Shane what is planned for Auckland’s cycling infrastructure in the 2022 budget and what its implications are for the city.
As part of the 2022 budget allocation for transport the government announced a two months extension to the half-priced fares scheme. The cheaper fares have been a part of the government’s response to the cost of living crisis but are currently only a temporary measure.
For Casper's fortnightly chat with Auckland city Counsellor Pippa Coom they discussed the extension of this scheme announced in the budget, how it’s been performing so far and what might be possible as a permanent solution.
The Council has recently made some major pre-budget announcements regarding Climate Action and cycle implementation around Tāmaki Makaurau.
The new Climate Action Targeted Rate aims to continue supporting public transport implementation and protect the cities low lying coastal areas from floods.
They’ve also implemented new funding for the cycling business case with aims to continue implementing cycle lanes and provide more safe areas for cyclists.
To learn more Liam spoke to Councillor Pippa Coom on our regular City Counselling segment about the changes, first discussing that the CATR is and what it holds for the future