Should Auckland’s boundaries be redrawn? Part 1: the splitters
We’ve had a unified Auckland Council since 2010 – it replaced seven district/ city councils and one regional council, in the largest local government restructure in New Zealand since 1989. With such a major, complicated process, it’s a given that it won’t have been perfect: things that could have been done better, and things that should be revisited now that we’re seven years on.…
93 Comments Phil Goff’s first rates proposal
Yesterday Mayor Phil Goff released his proposal for rates in Auckland for the 2017/18 financial year, which starts on 1 July 2017. The proposal includes several things related to some of the issues we talk about that I thought I’d cover off.…
Transport Land Sales a One Way Street?
Today the Auckland Council are deciding on the rates for the coming year. While looking through one part of the document (29.1MB) I came across one aspect that caught my attention. Auckland Transport want to buy $80 million of property in advance so that they’ll have it available when it comes time to actually build the infrastructure they’re planning. …
The Value of Well-Designed Cities
When it comes to the debate about housing and development, there’s been plenty of discussion about the physical impacts of decisions we make, for example the height and bulk of buildings. There’s even been to a lesser extent a discussion on the capital costs of development, the costs of building or upgrading roads, pipes and other infrastructure.…
Rates for Crown-owned land?
Last month, Local Government New Zealand called for charging rates (i.e. local government property taxes) on Crown-owned land. The idea’s also been supported by the Productivity Commission and ACT’s sole MP, David Seymour:
Local Government NZ, which represents the country’s 78 local and regional authorities, is holding its annual conference in Rotorua.…
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