Three Kings Quarry - a huge hole to fill

To fill or not to fill? That is the question.
Winstone, owner of the 15ha Three Kings quarry, has applied for resource consent to fill it in but many residents are concerned at the scale of the project and how it may affect them.
Three Kings United spokesperson Austen Bell says the community group is against the [...]

Christian band rock their way to a Tui nomination

A Christian indie-pop band have been nominated for a Tui award at this year’s Vodafone music awards, continuing their success over the past year.
Primalband is nominated in the best gospel/Christian album category for their CD Your Way, which was released last year.
The band is a part of Primal Youth, a Christian group that helps young [...]

Sandringham residents oppose ‘Goliath’s’ expansion plans

Sandringham residents are preparing for a David and Goliath battle against the proposed Westfield St Luke’s expansion.
The proposed expansion will see double the number of shops and offices, as well as connecting Exeter St to Aroha Ave, a move residents are against.
The St Lukes Community Association (SLCA) has re-formed to help fight Westfield’s plans.
Association member [...]

Planting a sustainable future

Turning sheep paddocks back into native bush was the goal of about 30 volunteer tree-planters last Sunday at Orere Point’s Tapapakanga Regional Park.

The volunteer tree planting day was part of an Auckland Regional Council programme to restore the region’s parks to how they once looked and functioned.

Mags Ramsey, ARC park ranger [...]

Citizens ready to take action against super city

About 40 people met with community groups and MPs to discuss the super city proposal and its implications for Waitakere City on Monday night at the Kelston Community Hall.

The meeting was called by Grassroots Action Group (GAG), a West Auckland group formed to enable ordinary people to understand and have their say on the [...]

Auckland’s screen production industry on a high

Auckland’s screen production industry appears to have bucked the current economic downturn, showing a significant rise in revenue over the last financial year.
The 2008 Statistics New Zealand Screen Industry Survey has shown the trend is a national development, with Auckland taking the biggest chunk of the profits.
Screen production companies in the Auckland area had [...]

Auckland governance - hear ye, hear ye. Or not.

The proposed restructuring of Auckland’s local government has divided public opinion and sparked a great deal of outcry. Some worry their rural area will become slave to city interests while others fear restructuring is merely the first step towards privatising Auckland’s assets, worth $28 billion. Underlying much resistance is concern over lack of representation in [...]

Eden/Albert rejects ‘el cheapo’ Waterview motorway

A cheaper alternative to complete the Western Ring Route has been rejected by Mt Albert councillors.
Billed as the “missing link”, the Government’s new preferred option for the Waterview motorway is part tunnel, part road and significantly more affordable than the full tunnel option, which residents and councillors had previously approved.
Principal project manager at New Zealand [...]

Democracy shrunk, no questions asked

Changes to Auckland’s governance have polarised MPs and seen thousands marching in the streets, but the Government is defending the way it has gone about things.
Associate minister of local government John Carter says the process is “democracy at its best” but others have their doubts.
Green MP Sue Kedgley says the Government has “shrunk local democracy [...]

Hikoi damaged CBD campaign, says NBA

The head of the Newmarket Business Association has said Monday’s hikoi would have caused millions in lost profit for the CBD.
Cameron Brewer, general manager for the NBA, says the hikoi would have ruined the CBDs “open daily” campaign less than 72 hours after it was launched.
“Yesterday was good for Newmarket. [The hikoi] meant out roads [...]