Podcasts about auckland mayor wayne brown

Gareth Hughes is the Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa is a former Green MP and is no longer a member of any political party. Tim Hurdle was an adviser in previous National governments. He works in strategic communication and advisory, and is currently campaign director for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Gareth Hughes is the Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa is a former Green MP and is no longer a member of any political party. Tim Hurdle was an adviser in previous National governments. He works in strategic communication and advisory, and is currently campaign director for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Tuesday 13th of May 2025, Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming resigns suddenly, Former Cop Lance Burdett shares his thoughts. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown believes Auckland's the ticket to getting our country out of recession, Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges shares his thoughts. The Government's announced $100 million of the 2025 budget will go to helping kids with maths over four years, Upper Hutt Principals Association President Robyn Brown tells Ryan Bridge whether or not it will work. Plus, Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio has the latest on hundreds of distressing claims of childcare abuse at one of Australia's biggest childcare companies. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's Business Chamber CEO says we have nothing to lose by loosening transit visas for Chinese nationals. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's updated his Auckland Manifesto, laying out a Beehive to-do list. It includes calling for the Government to reconsider loosening transit visas for Chinese Nationals, giving them more freedom for short stays in the country. Simon Bridges told Ryan Bridge it would be an easy sugar hit for the economy. He says he can't think of single reason not to do it, as China's a lot more developed and wealthy than other South-East Asian countries. Bridges is also backing the mayor's renewed call for a tourist bed tax in the city. Browns calling for the Government to reconsider an Auckland tourist bed tax, adding a small levy on short term accommodation. Bridges told Bridge it'll help bring in funding so more major events can come to the city. He says both central and local government are failing Auckland when it comes to major events. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Parking Association believes multiple changes are needed for chasing up unpaid fines. In the three years to the end of 2024, just 68% of almost $29 thousand Auckland Transport fines were paid in part or in full. While AT says it's not a straightforward process, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says he's asked for advice on making them better debt collectors. Association chair Mike Kelly told Mike Hosking the psychology around it is one major issue. He says there are lots of people who get tickets daily for repetitive offences and aren't too bothered, and the tickets end up with the Ministry of Justice. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political commentators, Neale Jones and Tim Hurdle discuss a week of change - a board is returning to Health NZ, the Reserve Bank governor is suddenly gone, as is NZ's High Commissioner to London.Tim Hurdle is a former National senior adviser, consultant and director of several companies. He is currently the Campaign Director for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A planning expert is suggesting Aucklanders look to New York City for the impacts of congestion charges. A report, commissioned by Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, has found traffic will cost the city $2.6 billion a year by next year. Auckland University Architecture and Planning Senior Lecturer Timothy Welch says New York and London have effectively implemented congestion charges. He told Mike Hosking revenue in New York City has already increased because of faster buses and more foot traffic. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Truck drivers say it will take more than just congestion charges to address Auckland's traffic woes. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is hoping for practical solutions to traffic after a report found congestion will cost the city 2.6 billion dollars a year by next year. The National Road Carriers Association says it supports congestion charges, as long as they're fair. But Chief Executive Justin Tighe-Umbers told Andrew Dickens it still needs a second harbour crossing and fixes to council roads. He says some parts of the motorway also need to be widened. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The race for the biggest city's top job is on, with Auckland mayor Wayne Brown, urging voters to back him for a second term. Jessica Hopkins reports.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown have announced major changes to Auckland's transport policy decision making structure. This includes returning regional and transport planning to Auckland Council, and establishing a new Auckland Regional Transport Committee that will be tasked with developing a 30 year transport plan for Auckland, to be agreed upon by both Cabinet and Auckland Council. The changes mean Local Boards will also now have authority over certain transport decisions such as parking policies, and setting of speed limits.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has announced a new Police Base will be opened in the Auckland CBD. The base will be at 210 Federal Street, and will see the 24/7 public counter relocate there from its current College Hill location. It is expected to be ready to open in mid-2025. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown also spoke at the press conference.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about hīkoi mō te Tiriti and the successful third reading of the Restoring Samoan Citizenship bill. For State of the States this week they speak to Andre Fa'aoso from the Yale Daily News about United States commitments on free trade and climate at the APEC forum, a shift in policy on Ukraine, and recent Trump cabinet appointments.  They speak to Kanak youth activist Viro Xulue about a new United Nations report calling the French response to pro-independence protestors “alarming.”  And, with Tuesday Wire Host Castor, they caught up with protestors at the final leg of hīkoi mō te Tiriti in Te Whanganui-a-tara. For City Counselling this week, Sofia speaks to Councillor Julie Fairey about Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's Draft Mayoral Proposal for Auckland Council's Annual Plan for the year 2025-26 as well as a new space for homeless support in Auckland's city centre She also speaks to renowned Māori activist, Tāme Iti, about hīkoi mō te Tiriti and the support for its kaupapa.

Auckland's Mayor Wayne Brown has never shied away from telling us exactly what he thinks. He's waged war on council-controlled organisations, like EkePanuku and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, with proposals to abolish them altogether and bring their activities in-house. He's never thought twice in criticising who he calls the “weasels in Wellington” (or, central Government), and he's also never shied away from voicing his concerns around Auckland Transport, which is currently dealing with a wave of violent attacks on drivers, and passengers. Today on The Front Page, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown joins us to discuss these issues – ahead of his trip to China, where he hopes to put the City of Sails on the to-do list for investors. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea DanielsSound Engineers: Paddy Fox, Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark says it's politically viable for New Zealand to host the America's Cup as we've done it before, and if we don't step up, someone else will. She says Kiwis love to see New Zealand doing well and winning – and says we know having the Cup at home comes with economic benefits. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says the hosting decision is in the hands of Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton. AUT Sailing Professor and former New Zealand world champion sailor Mark Orams joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you were in a bit of a rush yesterday morning, I dunno - perhaps somehow you were caught out by daylight saving and you scrambling to get to an appointment - and you forgot to put money in the meter before rushing off, you'd have been fined $40. If you did it today, exactly the same offence, you'd be fined $70. Almost double. Parking fines are up for the first time in twenty years and errant parkers will be facing stricter penalties across the board. I don't have an issue with the higher fines. If you don't want to be fined, pay for your parking. It's pretty simple. But despite supporting higher fines, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown isn't happy with the regime. He takes issue with the fact that fines are still set by central Government under the Land Transport Act, rather than local councils. I think he's got a good point. It seems absurd to me that for all the talk about localism, councils are still relying on an edict from Wellington to set their parking fines. If a council can't be relied on to set appropriate parking fines, how on Earth can expect it to manage a balance sheet, consenting or complex infrastructure planning? And Wayne Brown's quite right - there's no reason that fines in congested city centres should be the same as parking fines on the main street of a regional town. Central government says it wants local councils to be focused on the basics. Setting the parking fines within its own jurisdiction qualifies as a basic, for me. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

A replacement bridge, or a second one – or how about a tunnel instead?  The ongoing debate about a new harbour crossing in Auckland has reignited, with Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown laying out his vision for a second bridge, instead of the tunnel proposed by Labour.  The proposal has already proved controversial as it would require building through Meola Reef to Kauri Point.   How does this plan stack up with other proposals, and why is it taking so long to get this long debated crossing off the ground?  Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson joins us to discuss our biggest city's biggest transport headache.   Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Susie NordqvistSound Engineer: Evan Paea Producer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown wants the Government to build a bridge over the Waitemata Harbour instead of a tunnel. North Shore Councillor Richard Hills doesn't agree with the plan. He spoke to Ingrid Hipikiss.

Tonight on The Panel, Wallace Chapman and panellists Zoe George and Martin Cocker discuss Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's latest idea for a second harbour crossing, and Australian plans to put an age limit on social media. Zoe George is a freelance sports journalist and communications advisor Martin Cocker is a former CEO of Netsafe and founder of the Online Safety Exchange. 

On the show today: Today the Police Association reacts to claims I made on the podcast yesterday .. that South Auckland has a massive shortage of cops… 80 cops short - because a huge chunk of them have been moved to Auckland CBDs as part of that marketing exercise. He gets shit done and puts his boot firmly up the arse of those who need it… Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown joins me in his crusade against overzealous traffic management and the cone mania in the city.  A new audiobook platform just launching  in NZ is being run as a social purpose corporation .. so when you buy an audio book you can also select a bricks and mortar bookshop to receive a commission. Nick Johnson, co-founder of Libro.fm, joins us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, I think it must have been Wednesday or Thursday, I was harrumphing and muttering away like Waldorf and Statler from The Muppets. I was doing a little bit of that while I was reading about the latest sewage spill into a waterway in Wellington Harbour. I'm like, how in this day and age, can this still be? This is an outrage - and Helen tries to tune it out until she hears her name, and I said Helen, let's see if we can get Simeon Brown on... this is unacceptable. Sure. OK, fine.   Not Three Waters under Nanaia Mahuta, she sold it badly and things wrong with, but if not Three Waters, then what? Get him on the line to explain himself ...back to Statler and Waldorf! Helen's yes, all right, knowing that once our host was on one, it's probably better to try and sort it out a few minutes later!   She was back saying sorry Local Government Minister Simeon Brown can't talk, but he did say expect some news next week. And what do you know? Here's the news. I can see why he was busy over the weekend.   Simeon Brown, Christopher Luxon and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown announced a new water deal that will see government, council and Watercare work together to improve infrastructure and water delivery in the region. And it is hoped that this will be a template for other deals around the country. Obviously, they might have to be tweaked a bit when you're looking at the smaller regions with a smaller base with lower value water assets, but nonetheless it's been done. Deal done. Simeon Brown says Local Water Done Well is putting the responsibility for delivering the three waters that we require into the hands of the councils rather than overlaying its management and delivery with layers of bureaucracy and middle managers, will be the way to go. But councils won't be left entirely to their own devices.  “It is ultimately local councils putting forward their solutions for a financially sustainable approach. Rather than government coming and saying have four entities or ten entities or whatever number of entities, which are co- governed and spend $1.2 billion on it - we're actually going to let local communities put forward their solutions.  What's going to stop a water entity doing what many councils around the country have done and borrow, go nuts and find themselves up against a wall?    Well, we are going to put in place economic regulation and so that will mean that they will be regulated in similar ways to how electricity distribution companies are regulated. They'll have to outline their price path, they outline their capital expenditure, outline their asset management plans, that's about sensible economic regulations to assure that consumers are not blocked off and then their assets aren't being gold plated, And as part of that, we're putting a crown monitor in place, straight away, for Watercare, to make sure that there is better oversight over their investment plans and make sure that Auckland is getting value for money.”  That was Simeon Brown talking to Mike Hosking this morning. So, at least it's movement. We can't be paralyzed, sitting on our hands trying to work out the best possible way, while allowing raw sewage to be pumped into all of our waterways. And it's happening right around the country.   Wellington is particularly bad in terms of its drinking water, in terms of its sewage, in terms of the age of its pipes, in terms of they put out one fire and another one erupts somewhere else. There are some councils who have done a brilliant job and have invested ratepayer money sensibly and have got their water assets well and truly up-to-date and future proofed. Others haven't even started.   But, at least when you have a deal that's been announced, a deal that looks workable, it will see water rates rise by 7.2 percent rather than the 25.8 percent forecast. And that was what Watercare was warning, we're going to have to put it at that rate. We're now under this one going to be able to borrow more money to invest in infrastructure with the cost of borrowing spread over a longer period.   Not all councils are created equal. Not all councils are the same, so they're going to have to tweak and adapt and modify this deal to make it suit themselves.  But at least we're moving.   There are going to be challenges. They're going to be wondering what happens when one council has invested for years in upgrading its water assets, its ratepayers, have been responsible and said, yep, we understand that. Other councils have not, and how you work out who pays for what? But, at least there is movement.   Mergers and coalitions and works programs are being announced and that's what we need to be doing. We cannot, we simply cannot, leave it to the next generation to fix up our polluted waterways, our droughts, our dead rivers, our toxic drinking water. We can't. If there's one thing we can leave behind us, it should be clean streams, pristine seas and first World water services. That should be our gift to the next generation and at least we're making a start right now.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Simeon Brown unveiled their new water plan for the city, which will see an increase of rates by 7.2 percent, rather than the 25.8 percent proposed by Watercare. Simeon Brown joins the Weekend Collective to explain further. Later, Julie Anne Genter has been accused of 'intimidating' behaviour after a disagreement saw the Green MP leave her seat to confront a Government minister during a transport debate. Former Speaker of the House, Sir Lockwood Smith, joins the Weekend Collective to explain why 'standards have slipped'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has announced an extra $570,000 to help fight crime in the CBD. The funding will go towards more CCTV cameras and three pilot safety co-ordination hubs at Queens Wharf, High Street and Day Street. But Heart of the City Chief Executive, Viv Beck, says a police station downtown is still needed. Beck spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Tonight on The Panel, Wallace and panellists Zoe George and Mark Knoff-Thomas ask whether our Easter trading laws are out of date. And' Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's call to reform the rules governing who pays rates and how the money is allocated, including returning all GST charged on rates to local authorities.

On today's First Up pod: Labour spokesperson Jan Tinetti on tax cuts, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's call for the government to pay rates and disability funding; Warbirds Over Wanaka returns for the first time in four years and on Easter Eve we have tips for staycations and budget holidays. First Up - Voice of the Nathan!

DescriptionPaul is joined by lawyer and campaigner Max Harris to discuss Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's Long Term Plan proposal, which seeks to entrench his agenda of privatisation, low rates and low spending for years to come.This episode's co-hostsPaul, MaxTimestamps00:41 - The Long Term Plan and battlegrounds05:02 - Auckland Future Fund11:16 - How should we think about public assets?14:40 - Council fiscal responsibility straight-jacket22:10 - The right wing economic playbook and how the left can respond24:20 - Proposed cap on rates revenue29:46 - Consultation process and key players37:12 - Wellington council proposals38:35 - ClosingsIntro/Outro by The Prophet MotiveSupport us here: https://www.patreon.com/1of200

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's bluff has been called - he had no authority to tell Auckland Transport to immediately stop work on projects funded by the soon-to-be scrapped regional fuel tax. Emails provided under the local government Official Information Act show within minutes of the mayor making his formal request public, a councillor questioned if he held such power - the answer was no. It came amidst a tense public exchange between Wayne Brown and Transport Minister Simeon Brown, over funding the city's infrastructure. Amy Williams has the story.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown is demanding aggressive action to fix the supercity's rail system after multiple failures this week. 

The results of decades of under-investment in Auckland infrastructure are becoming clear. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's demanding Auckland Transport stop all projects that were funded by the Regional Fuel Tax.  The tax is being scrapped late June, and the mayor says it'll leave a $1.2-billion gap in transport funding over four years.  Trains were also cancelled this week due to heat speed restrictions on the tracks.  Committee for Auckland director Mark Thomas told Mike Hosking that their report found transport is almost the number one priority for the city.  He says they'll be arguing for much quicker and a larger solution to Auckland's problems, because it seems to be getting worse week by week.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, last year, National promised that, should it become the government, it would among other things scrap the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax, and yesterday they did just that.    Since the 1st of July 2018, Aucklanders have paid an additional 11.5 cents per litre tax on fuel, over and above what the rest of the country pays. Of course, the rest of the country may well feel the effects of that when it comes to the cost of petrol that will be passed on by freight carriers and the like.   Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown didn't like it when National made the promise then, and he certainly doesn't like it now. Simeon Brown though says Labour said that Auckland needed the fuel tax to deliver light rail. That was back in 2017. They haven't delivered on their major infrastructure projects, while Aucklanders continue to pay more at the pump. That's according to Simon Simeon Brown, the Transport Minister.    Mayor Brown says, well, hang on a minute. Yes light rail is a complete and utter fiasco (he didn't say that - I did), but the revenue from the Regional Fuel Tax, half of which is sitting in the bank, is committed to a $1.4 billion Auckland Infrastructure project, the Eastern Busway, which will carry 30,000 people a day between Auckland's South East and Panmure station. So that money is going to be used even though it's sitting in the bank. It is earmarked for a project. There are going to be buses and cycleways and without that money those projects look to be in doubt.   Northern Infrastructure Forum coordinator Barney Irvine told the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning, the Auckland regional fuel tax may be gone, but there are other ways to fund roading projects.    IRVINE: “Transport projects often generate a whole lot of increase in property value and the and the surrounding areas.”  HOSKING: “You want to go down that track, do you?  See I don't know about that. Because I live near a bus stop, you're going to tax me?”   IRVINE: “Oh, look, there's more to it than that, but the issue is that, yeah, there is a lot of value to be generated there, that gets generated there, whether it's the process of moving from farmland to suddenly land that that's designated for higher use, massive increase in property value and we're just not tapping into it.”    So, a novel way of introducing a tax.   So all of those people who are now living around the Northern motorway extension —recently opened to great fanfare, and everybody enjoys driving on it; I love driving on it when I'm heading north— all of those people who live around there should suddenly pay more in rates because they've got a better roadway right next to them.   All the people on the poor, benighted Meola Road project who are suffering now, all those people living in Point Chev who are suffering now, should pay more in rates because all of a sudden a busways opened up, and cycle ways have opened up, and it becomes a more attractive and desirable area to live, because there are many accessible ways to transport yourself from point A to point B.   That was just one of the options mentioned by Barney, but interestingly, an Infrastructure Commission survey conducted recently looked at different ways of funding infrastructure and asked the respondents what they thought was fair. No means of paying for roads was considered fair by the majority of respondents. So, they thought it was fair enough that user pays when it comes to electricity, user pays when it comes to water, but the majority said there was no fair way to pay for roads. I always thought user pays was about the fairest way you could get. When you've got somebody who was living in a house who doesn't have a vehicle, who very seldom (and this is probably those who are retired), very seldom makes long trips, doesn't need it for business, doesn't have a car, why should they pay for roading infrastructure?   Those who do use the roads often, those who do need the roads to conduct their business, shouldn't they pay? What is fair?   I mean the road to fairy isn't going to provide them. We're not going to suddenly, magically have a big hairy chested muscular being in a high viz vest, and tight shorts, and work boots appear and deliver roads overnight, at no expense to anyone. And they all work perfectly, you don't have to rip them up again.   That is not going to happen. That is pie in the sky.   So I'd love to know what you think is a fair way of paying for infrastructure, in this case specifically, roads. And not just roads. Roads have now come to mean more than that. Roads mean bus lanes. Roads mean pedestrian crossings, roads mean cycleways, in the modern parlance. We're more talking about projects rather than roads.   So, transport infrastructure, how do you want to see that paid? I would love to see too, greater scrutiny on how that money is spent. The Herald found that Auckland Transport is spending on average $470,000 to install a pedestrian crossing. And when you're looking at the latest fiasco in Auckland —the Meola Road Project— 29 raised crossings. 29. How long is that strip of road?    I used to live in the area for 20 odd years. Used the Meola Dog Park every day, and incredibly, for someone as distracted as I can be, I managed to cross that road, and back again, four times a week for 20 years without getting hurt. Without getting hit. without even coming close. Maybe it's an old-fashioned skill to be able to cross a road safely. There have been, as far as I can see, no major incidents on Meola Road, but people fear there might be, hence 29 raised crossings at $470K a pop! Come on!   As the Herald found, GJ Gardner can deliver a new home for $365 - doesn't include the land but come on. So yeah, raise money for roading infrastructure, and by that I don't just mean the roads, I do mean the buses, I do mean the cycleways but let's have a look at how you spend the money too.   You know, we really don't mind paying for infrastructure and we've had this discussion before. It's the wastage that really rips our shorts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's mayor is warning that cancelling the region's fuel tax will consign major transport projects to the scrap heap. The Transport Minister Simeon Brown has confirmed the government will end the city's 11.5 cents a litre fuel tax on June the 30th. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

This week the Gals talk about Waitangi, infrastructure, law and order, the economy and the Pacific. Holly has some words for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown (bro), Brigitte gives us a Caucus lesson and Georgie fails at an investigation into a pot plant swearing in. Yass Queen to the “greatest political doco ever made” and Beehave Mate for some deliberate copy and pasting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summer With The Mayors continues again this morning as Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown joins Tim Dower. Mayor Wayne Brown says there will be plenty of things to take advantage of these holidays - from the ASB Tennis Classic to Movies in the Park. He told Tim Dower businesses and restaurants are holding out for customers. Brown says they want it to be better than the rest of the year, which has been disrupted by weather events.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is keen to progress the implementation of his ten year budget.  The ten year budget will go out for a month of consultation in February.   Brown says central government has crushed local government for too long, and imposed consultation on them when they hardly do it themselves.    He told Mike Hosking that there are also councillors standing in the way of proposals like his port operations lease, despite public support.   Brown says there are councillors who have made a long career of saying no to everything.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's new Minister for Auckland, Simeon Brown, and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown met today for the first time since National took office. The pair talked congestion charges, abandoning Auckland's light rail and ditching the regional fuel tax. Simeon Brown told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the meeting "went well", despite having previously clashed on issues like the Regional Fuel Tax.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not just national government that should concern us. Local government should concern us too. Auckland has spent an inordinate amount of time and money trying to become a world class city. But still, Auckland's problems seem to grow. From a growing debt issue to expanding bureaucracy and rebellious councillors. Who's in charge? Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown opens up on Podcast 220. We reference a new NZ authored book on Climate, and we visit The Mailroom with Mrs Producer. File your comments and complaints at Leighton@newstalkzb.co.nz Haven't listened to a podcast before? Check out our simple how-to guide. Listen here on iHeartRadio Leighton Smith's podcast also available on iTunes:To subscribe via iTunes click here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"This equity stuff is bollocks": Thats the verdict of Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown when it comes to introducing congestion charges to the city. The council's meeting tomorrow to discuss whether to bring in so called "time of use charges" for some of Auckland's busiest roads. It would cost drivers between $3.50 to $5 per trip during peak times. Congestion costs the city an estimated $1.3 billion a year. But there is concern the charges will hit the worse-off the hardest. Speaking on Morning Report the mayor's clearly not a fan of taking the idea back to rate payers. Auckland Councillor Alf Filipaina speaks to Lisa Owen. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6341141009112

Organisational psychologist John Eatwell says bringing in charging on its own won't be enough to get people out of their cars. This after Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown pushed for a congestion charge to get people off the motorways during morning traffic peak. Auckland council will meet on Thursday to discuss its introduction. Organisational psychologist John Eatwell spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Auckland council will meet on Thursday to discuss whether to introduce congestion charges for Auckland's busiest roads. The so-called 'Time of Use Charge' would cost drivers between $3.50 to $5 per trip during peak times. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown spoke to Corin Dann.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown speaks to Lisa Owen. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6340712863112

Auckland's Mayor doesn't understand the decision to make infrastructure changes to accommodate more public transport on a popular city centre road.  Auckland Transport's decided to remove car parks on Karangahape Road and restrict the times on loading zones to allow room for a new bus service.  Businesses were given less than a week's notice.  Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told Mike Hosking that he doesn't know why this has to happen.  He says there's no car parking until 10 in the morning anyway because there's a lot of people catching the bus, and there aren't many carparks and those businesses need them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some positive news for Aucklanders left with flood-damaged homes.  The council has agreed to fund mitigation for properties which could feasibly be protected from harm in future severe weather events.   It's offering to pay up to 25% of a property's capital value for work like retaining walls, landscaping, and drainage improvements.   Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told Mike Hosking that the issue is vexed, but is a mixture of what he calls sensible decisions.  He says it minimises costs but maximises the help council can provide without upsetting ratepayers too much.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're currently a week away from the Aotearoa general election, and the majority of parties still don't actually have a clear arts and culture policy.  It's been a bit of an apathetic mood for arts in politics, with Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown threatening to cut back the funding for our local arts centres.  We also saw only one politician show up to the APRA Silver Scrolls on Wednesday Night, and unsurprisingly it was Chlöe Swarbrick.  Thankfully, after we reached out to each major party, Chloe was also the only MP willing to chat to us about their arts and culture policy! We recorded this during Fancy New Band, so sorry about the surfy backing track.

The Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says the raw sewage being pumped into the Waitematā Harbour is a result of many years of neglect. It will take an estimated ten days to fix the broken sewer pipe at the bottom of the 13 meter-deep sinkhole in Parnell. Mayor Brown says his city's ageing infrastructure was being exposed. Brown was unavailable to speak to Morning Report. Deputy mayor Desley Simpson spoke to Corin Dann.

Every Monday until the election, The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper, former Business NZ CEO Phil O'Reilly and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills have the insight word and analysis.  This week, NZME Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie steps in for Barry Soper. The panel discuss ACT's campaign launch over the weekend and whether its focus on co-governance is a vote winner or loser. They also chat about the hecklers and whether conspiracy theorists will continue to be a theme for the rest of the campaign. Heather poses the question whether this is the most boring campaign since 2014 and whether the first Leaders debate will be worth a watch. Plus, they take a closer look at Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's election manifesto and the Wellington Central race. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Criticism is coming in thick and fast for the Government's plan for a second Waitemata Harbour crossing. It wants to build two three-lane tunnels for vehicles and a light rail tunnel, with a route eventually linking Albany and the CBD. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown claims both National and Labour have failed to cooperate with the Council on big transport plans. He says it's exploring better, faster and cheaper plans. Wayne Brown joined Kerre Woodham to discuss the proposal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says his bold makeover plan for the waterfront will be made in one form or another. He wants a development with an open-air seawater pool, aquaculture, an exhibition centre and an amphitheatre on the water. There's no budget or suggestion for exactly how much it will cost. Brown told Mike Hosking he wants to get more money out of the port, a process he says was started under the previous mayor. He claims if the port operation became productive the development could be self-funding. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says his bold makeover plan for the waterfront will be made in one form or another. He wants a development with an open-air seawater pool, aquaculture, an exhibition centre and an amphitheatre on the water. There's no budget or suggestion for exactly how much it will cost. Brown told Mike Hosking he wants to get more money out of the port, a process he says was started under the previous mayor. He claims if the port operation became productive the development could be self-funding. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Gals take a look at the Green Party's housing policy, discuss the state of our health sector amid a flurry of announcements from the Government and unpick the “leaked draft” of the new proposed science curriculum. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is the subject of Question Time on this week's pod and we crown an MP with the Yass Queen title for their passionate speech in Parliament on the back of allegations against staff at Oranga Tamariki.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time to ramp up fines for overstayers in Auckland street parks according to the city's transport agency. Central government sets the fines, but they haven't gone up in close to a quarter of a century. Auckland transport says that means in some cases it's cheaper for a motorist to park up for the whole day and just cop the ticket. Mayor Wayne Brown spoke to Lisa Owen. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6329521471112

Auckland Council has adjourned and will reconvene at 10am tomorrow, after failing to vote on the mayor's updated budget. In an 11th hour proposal, Wayne Brown today suggested selling about half the city's Auckland Airport shares, alongside raising rates more and making more cuts to council controlled organisations and local boards. Newstalk ZB's Jacob Jones says it's not clear whether Brown has the numbers to pass his compromise Budget. "There's been a lot of questioning, it's been quite a slow afternoon in terms of getting through those new proposals. Because I think people are just trying to wrap their heads around it, because it was only dropped halfway through the meeting, after the lunch break." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's crunch time for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown as he attempts to get his final budget signed off by city Councillors. The main sticking point is the sale of the Council's $2.2 billion worth of shares in Auckland Airport. The council has a $375m dollar Budget hole and Mayor Brown maintains privatising the airport shares is the only way to keep household rates rises to 6.7 per cent (in line with inflation) and to avoid cuts to social services and the arts. However it's not clear whether he has the numbers to get his budget passed. One of those firmly behind the Mayor is Howick Ward Councillor Maurice Williamson, who joins Kathryn to talk about the process today and Manurewa-Papakura Ward Councillor Angela Dalton who's against the airport share sale.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is a petulant brat. This was evident last week when he had a very important announcement over Auckland's budget, where he spent a good portion of the time dissing Auckland councilors. The event was then completely overshadowed by Brown's attempt to ban some media from the announcement making the story for the media his apparent desire to restrict media reporting rather than the budget announcement itself. Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠#BHN⁠ ⁠https://www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠ Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter. @patbrittenden @Chewie_NZ

The government's at-least $1 billion buyout scheme for flood ruined homes has left councils scratching their heads about how much of tab they'll be picking up, and where the cash is coming from. The voluntary buyout scheme was unveiled yesterday. 700 North Island homes have been deemed category three, meaning the sites are two unsafe to rebuild on following the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle. 400 of those houses are Auckland; but owners won't find out exactly who is eligible for the buyout until June 12. Furthermore, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has raised the hackles of his councillors again, by forwarding them copies of emails from the public, including one that called them "dip shits". At the end of a contentious week, Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson told Checkpoint that Brown "could potentially at times use better language". She said Brown's behaviour - calling councillors "financially illiterate" and forwarding them copies of insulting emails - has not made the budget process smoother. "It's not made easier," she admitted to Lisa Owen.

Carrot and stick of shame was the theme of Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's revised budget reveal. He's offering to reverse planned cuts to the arts, social services and community boards but only if the city sells its $2 billion-worth of Auckland ariport shares. But a bigger rates rise is still on the cards. In a chaotic event, Mr Brown laid out his plan to plug the city's $325 million budget hole. His rambling speech was peppered with barbs aimed at everyone from the media to council agencies, and ended with a roll call of specific councillors he urged to get onboard with his plan. Our reporter Finn Blackwell and camera operator Marika Khabazi were there.  

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has a tough job ahead trying to convince councillors to back his controversial plan to plug a $325 million budget hole. At a chaotic meeting yesterday he delivered an ultimatum. He'll roll back funding cuts for arts, culture and local boards and keep a rates rise below inflation. But in return he wants to sell the council's airport shares worth $2.3 billion. RNZ contacted all 20 councillors; of the seven who agreed to speak, all said it's still not clear if the Mayor will get the backing he needs. Delphine Herbert has the story.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has had a big announcement today over Auckland's budget, however it's been completely overshadowed by Brown's attempt to ban some media from the announcement. Labour has come out hitting hard at National over taking prescription fees back off women who need contraception claiming under Christopher Luxon NZ will become the Handsmaid Tale. New super-power government body set to rule over news and social media content; film, gaming classification. The FSU is already raising many questions, some valid, some appear to be fear mongering based on what they 'think' will happen as opposed to what is in the proposed document. How's Paddy Gowers new show going? What do you think would be a good audience for a show with this much investment? Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠#BHN⁠ ⁠https://www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠ Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter. @patbrittenden @Chewie_NZ

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has made a last-minute bid to build support for a $2.3 billion sale of the council's airport shares ahead of releasing his final budget proposal today. Councillors were called to two confidential meetings yesterday, one in the morning on the sale of the airport shares and one yesterday afternoon to discuss a draft of the mayor's final budget proposal. Brown will release his final budget proposal in the board room at Auckland Transport at 8.30am this morning - a day later than planned. At yesterday morning's meeting, staff from Flagstaff, the Australian firm engaged by the council to advise on the sale, addressed councillors via video link. The meetings come the day after Brown condemned “Labour MPs in waiting” for not getting behind his plan to offload the airport shares and an earlier report that Brown believes he only has nine votes to sell the shares with 12 votes against. However, a handful of councillors are believed to be wavering on both sides. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is keen to sell the council's shares in Auckland Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker Ever since his first budget proposal before Christmas, Brown has made the sale of the council's 18 per cent shareholding in Auckland Airport the centrepiece of a plan to address a budget hole, now standing at $375m, and in line with an election promise to “stop wasting money”. Brown's preference is to sell the shares, keep rate rises as low as possible - hopefully around the inflation rate of 6.7 per cent - increase debt by no more than $100m, and moderate spending cuts, including reinstating a $2 million cut to Citizens Advice Bureau. If he cannot sell the shares, Brown has threatened to reinstate deep cuts to social services and the arts and said rates could rise up to 13.5 per cent. In an interview with the Herald yesterday, Brown zeroed in on “Labour MPs in waiting” who, he said, knew selling the shares was the right thing to do but were telling him they had been contacted by the unions and others, so they didn't want to do it. “The council is not a waiting room for would-be MPs, they are here to do what I am here to do, which is to stop wasting ratepayers' money,” said the mayor. Brown did not name the councillors with ambitions to be MPs, but several councillors have strong ties to the Labour Party and a potential future in national politics. One Labour councillor, Josephine Bartley, said she is not in the camp of being an MP in waiting. “What I look at is what is best for Auckland not because of any deals or future political prospects,” she said on social media. Brown reminded councillors that only 4 per cent of Aucklanders supported higher rates during public consultation on the proposed budget and most supported a full or partial sale of the airport shares. “There are a lot of people out there with mortgages in a spot of bother, and I feel sorry for them. I don't want to make it any worse,” he said. - Bernard Orsman, NZ HeraldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZ Herald Super City reporter Bernard Orsman joined Kerre Woodham mornings to break down what has been described as a chaotic press conference for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's budget reveal. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has made a last-minute bid to build support for a $2.3 billion sale of the council's airport shares ahead of releasing his final budget proposal today. Councillors were called to two confidential meetings yesterday, one in the morning on the sale of the airport shares and one yesterday afternoon to discuss a draft of the mayor's final budget proposal. Brown will release his final budget proposal in the board room at Auckland Transport at 8.30am this morning - a day later than planned. At yesterday morning's meeting, staff from Flagstaff, the Australian firm engaged by the council to advise on the sale, addressed councillors via video link. The meetings come the day after Brown condemned “Labour MPs in waiting” for not getting behind his plan to offload the airport shares and an earlier report that Brown believes he only has nine votes to sell the shares with 12 votes against. However, a handful of councillors are believed to be wavering on both sides. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is keen to sell the council's shares in Auckland Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker Ever since his first budget proposal before Christmas, Brown has made the sale of the council's 18 per cent shareholding in Auckland Airport the centrepiece of a plan to address a budget hole, now standing at $375m, and in line with an election promise to “stop wasting money”. Brown's preference is to sell the shares, keep rate rises as low as possible - hopefully around the inflation rate of 6.7 per cent - increase debt by no more than $100m, and moderate spending cuts, including reinstating a $2 million cut to Citizens Advice Bureau. If he cannot sell the shares, Brown has threatened to reinstate deep cuts to social services and the arts and said rates could rise up to 13.5 per cent. In an interview with the Herald yesterday, Brown zeroed in on “Labour MPs in waiting” who, he said, knew selling the shares was the right thing to do but were telling him they had been contacted by the unions and others, so they didn't want to do it. “The council is not a waiting room for would-be MPs, they are here to do what I am here to do, which is to stop wasting ratepayers' money,” said the mayor. Brown did not name the councillors with ambitions to be MPs, but several councillors have strong ties to the Labour Party and a potential future in national politics. One Labour councillor, Josephine Bartley, said she is not in the camp of being an MP in waiting. “What I look at is what is best for Auckland not because of any deals or future political prospects,” she said on social media. Brown reminded councillors that only 4 per cent of Aucklanders supported higher rates during public consultation on the proposed budget and most supported a full or partial sale of the airport shares. “There are a lot of people out there with mortgages in a spot of bother, and I feel sorry for them. I don't want to make it any worse,” he said. - Bernard Orsman, NZ HeraldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This morning, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is expected to unveil his plans to address a $325 million budget hole. That will include a bid to sell off the council's 18% share in strategic asset Auckland Airport. Councillor Maurice Williamson, who is in favour of selling, doesn't think the mayor has the votes for the sale. Morning Report invited several councillors believed to be in favour of keeping the airport shares on to the programme this morning, but no-one accepted. Maurice Williamson spoke to Tim Watkin.

The council's budget shortfall for the next financial year is expected to reach $375m- up from $295m. Councillors attended a closed-door workshop yesterday morning to receive a budget update, ahead of approving the annual budget next month. Mayor Wayne Brown has warned councillors that without savings, that would equate to a rate rise of more than 20 percent, which some have labelled scaremongering. Kathryn puts that to the mayor, and asked him why he feels selling the Council's shares in Auckland Airport is the only way forward to plug the gap.

Auckland Council's soaring budget hole, storm costs and higher water bills could cost the average household another $560 a year during a painful cost-of-living crisis. But a ratepayer group is calling for the council to sell assets and make large-scale cuts to its costs “rather than reaching into ratepayers' wallets”. Watercare has locked in a $116 rise in the average water bill from July and yesterday's bad news that the council's budget hole and storm-related costs have soared to a combined $375 million could lead to a rates rise of $446 for the average household. The annual water bill is rising by 9.5 per cent from $1224 to $1340 and rates could rise from $3306 to a maximum of about $3750 for the average home. The extra burden on household budgets begins on July 1 - the day after the 25-cents-a-litre fuel tax subsidy ends. It also comes as the looming recession is tipped to be deeper than previously thought, Kiwi families face the prospect of a hard-hitting interest rate crunch as mortgages come up for renewal, and the Reserve Bank forecasts rising unemployment. Auckland households face even bigger rises in council costs than was first thought. Photo / Alex Burton The council's budget hole rose from the $90m-$150m range estimated last year to $295m earlier this year and now to $325m. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown blamed a combination of council debt, higher interest rates and his predecessor Phil Goff using a one-off Three Waters payment of $127m to prop up last year's budget. “Enough is enough. We must get serious about the council's financial position. I did not create this hole, but I am determined that the council fix it, so it doesn't just keep growing,” Brown said. “Unless we can set Auckland Council on a path of financial sustainability and reduce our debt, then this gaping hole will only get bigger in the years to come.” As well as the budget hole, group chief financial officer Peter Gudsell said storm-related costs in the budget had risen from $20m, for things such as higher insurance premiums, to $50m for repairs and maintenance to council assets and setting up a recovery co-ordination office. In theory, rates could rise by 22 per cent to plug the budget hole and pay for storm-related costs, but a rise is limited to 13.5 per cent because that was the highest level set during the budget consultation process. It is now up to councillors to decide on a mix of options to produce a balanced budget by the end of June. The Auckland Council is having to trim costs at its headquarters and other businesses. Photo / Doug Sherring This year's draft budget was already one of the most challenging in the 13 years of the Super City before yesterday's bad news - containing many difficult and unpopular choices to plug a $295m shortfall. In his earlier draft budget, Brown proposed a mix of measures to produce a balanced budget, including cutting unnecessary and inefficient spending, demanding better performance from council organisations, reducing debt servicing costs by selling airport shares, increasing rates and potentially borrowing up to $75m. The council's shares in Auckland Airport are currently valued at $2.2 billion. Among the most contentious proposals are plans to cut regional, community and social services by $20m and regional contestable grants by $3m in the areas of arts, culture and events. It was proposed to cut funding for things such as Music in Parks, CultureFest and Botanic Gardens events, while $2m would go from the Citizens Advice Bureau, and funding for homelessness initiatives would stop. Local boards are also in line for a $16m cut in funding activities. A mayoral spokesman said it was too early to consider what further cuts could be on the table. Brown still planned to keep rate rises as low as possible, “but we can't say at this stage how low we can keep them”. Events such as Sculpture in The Gardens at Auckland Botanic Gardens could have funding cut under budget proposals. Photo / Doug Sherring Until now, the proposal has been for a 7 per cent rates rise but, with rating changes, it equated to a 4.6 per cent rates rise for households. The earlier $20m “storm respond fund” was expected to add 1 per cent to general and household rates. Gudsell said that, like other sectors of the economy, the council's finances had been battered by economic factors over the past six months. “We've seen cost increases reflect inflation levels in a number of areas. These increases are particularly affecting the price of utilities such as electricity, and impacting the cost of asset renewals, meaning a rise in the amount of money we need to set aside for depreciation.” He said the final budget would require trade-offs, including ownership options for the council's airport shares, higher rates and prudent use of debt. “Different trade-offs have different consequences, and this now needs to be considered as part of the process to set the budget.” Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance spokesman Jordan Williams said nothing should be off the table. ”It is no longer enough to go through the budget with a fine tooth comb to pick and choose what pet projects are worth keeping - large-scale cuts are needed for anything that is not a core council function,” Williams said. ”The rising cost of living, mortgage rates rapidly increasing and households under significant pressure from recent weather events means it is time for Auckland Council to show some courage and front up with significant cost cuts and asset sales rather than reaching into ratepayers' wallets.” - Bernard Orsman, NZHSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, Minister Kieran McAnulty and Professor Nadine Strossen.

The government's big push to get a new harbour crossing project underway, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown commissions another review of options for the future of the council-owned Ports of Auckland and the issue of the wealthy and their helicopters and the flights they generate, especially in sensitive environments like Waiheke Island.

Hamilton's Mayor says Auckland's withdrawal has left a big gap in Local Government New Zealand. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has cast the deciding vote to pull the council out of the national lobby group. Timaru District recently left the organisation, Manawatu District Council has reduced the membership fees it's paying, and Christchurch City Council has also reconsidered its membership in recent years. Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that there's strength in numbers. She says with Auckland electing to leave, their voice around the table will be missed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local Government New Zealand says Auckland Council got its money's worth from belonging to the national lobby group for councils. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has cast the deciding vote to remove the council from the organisation. He says the council doesn't get much from belonging to the organisation, which he says costs the council $640,000 dollars a year. But Local Government New Zealand President Stuart Crosby told Mike Hosking the membership fee is much lower, and the benefits are much greater than Brown claims. He says the council pays about $350,00 dollars in membership fee and $50,000 dollars in additional fees, for what Auckland Council has estimated to be a million dollars in benefits. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lines company Vector is supporting Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's call to reduce road cones across the city and streamline traffic management work. Vector's chief executive Simon Mackenzie says traffic management can often make up 30 percent of the cost of a project.

For your edification this morning, a little history lesson. In 1940, while working as a street painter for the city of Los Angeles, Charles D. Scanlon designed a hollow conical marker to keep cars from driving over wet paint. And he was the one who painted the rubber traffic cone in 1943.   In his patent filing, Scanlon explained his three main objectives for his invention were to provide a marker that is readily visible, yet which causes no damage to an automobile if the automobile strikes it; that it may be stacked so as to require a minimum of storage space and to be easily transported; and that it will return to its upright position after a glancing blow and which may be dropped from a moving truck and assume an upright position. Before the cones there were wooden barriers and wooden tripods, and they weren't easily seen. They were often broken. They had to be assembled for each project and they were bulky to store. So the cone has stayed pretty much as Charles D. Scanlon invented it in 1940.   It's estimated, according to this website, that there are 140 million traffic cones in use worldwide, and I would say that there are 139 million, 990,000 of them in New Zealand, the rest dispersed around the world. An all-out war has now been declared on the humble road cone by no less an adversary than Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. He has, in his own words, had a few hissy fits at Auckland Transport and demanded that they reduce an unjustifiable $145 million spend on road cones and traffic management. Contractors, he says, are taking up more space than is necessary for their own parking, material storage and lunch rooms, increasing the cost of disruption to road users at minimal cost to themselves. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown spoke to the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning and said what used to be safety at a reasonable cost is no longer the mantra.  I think it is absolutely worth having a look at seeing whether you need to keep those road cones there. Sometimes they seem to stay there long after the job has been done. No problem at all at looking at traffic management plans, full stop. $145 million in Auckland alone and this is being replicated right around the country and you will attest to that. Wherever you are you'll know the trucks, you'll know the cones and you will be scratching your head going, why are they there? How can this be justified? I think as long as we leave the actual personnel alone, these are questions well worth asking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Auckland Mayor is reminding people not to put bins or rubbish out tonight and tomorrow. Cyclone Gabrielle is described as a "significant weather event". It's likely to impact the northern half of the North Island over the next week. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says they're mobilising everyone they can to dispose of already flood-damaged items. The mayor says tie down any loose things already out on the curb to ensure they don't become dangerous. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Emergency Management are warning Aucklanders to prepare for Cyclone Gabrielle.  The tropical storm is expected to hit Northland from Sunday and bring strong gales, heavy rain and big waves to the upper North Island on Monday and Tuesday.   Hundreds of residents across the region are displaced and the clean up is ongoing following the floods two weeks ago.  Auckland Emergency Management Deputy Controller Rachel Kelleher spoke to Māni Dunlop.  

Kevin Milne has drawn some comparisons between Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and former Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, saying they are both brash, and both come with a dislike of journalists. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does leadership look like in a disaster? David compares Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's leadership this week with how Bob Parker and Lianne Dalziel coped with the Christchurch earthquakes and terror attacks. He looks at how current Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger's council is faring and whether reality meets the rhetoric and what's happened to the city's Metro Sports facility, one of the anchor projects in the rebuild.

National Party leader Christopher Luxon has been getting stuck in helping with the clean up from the Auckland floods. In recent days he's visisted the emergency centres in Kelston and Sunnynook, a kura in Mangere East, and has been pictured helping to rip up carpet in a flooded home. Luxon was one of many calling for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown to declare a State of Emergency on Friday night. He spoke to Corin Dann.  

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is under increasing scrutiny for his communication during the Auckland flooding crisis.  Leaked texts reported by the NZ Herald yesterday revealed Brown was still planning a game of tennis as the flooding kicked off on Friday, and complained that he had to cancel  to "deal with media drongos". On Wednesday, in a surprise move, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced he was creating a new position - Minister for Auckland. Stuff Senior Auckland Affairs reporter Todd Niall spoke to Corin Dann. 

The new Minister of Auckland is hoping to have a constructive relationship with controversial Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. Michael Wood has been appointed to the new role in Chris Hipkins' Cabinet reshuffle. The senior minister and Mount Roskill MP was previously an Auckland Council local board member, and is the husband of an Auckland councillor. He told Kate Hawkesby he'll work alongside the mayor and the councillors, to get things done for the city. Wood says they need to work together respectfully and professionally. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steady rain has continued to fall on Auckland overnight, with another 50 to 60mm settling on an already soggy city. That's well short of the unprecedented 249mm of rain that paralysed Auckland on Friday night, leaving four people dead, homes inundated or teetering on the brink of collapsed cliffs and hundreds of cars left abandoned on flooded Auckland streets. As the crisis quickly unfolded, emergency services fielded thousands of calls for help from all corners of the city. But the weekend has brought much criticism of the response of those at the top - particularly Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. Joining Kathryn to talk about what Auckland's immediate and long-term needs will be, and how central government can help is Civil Defence Minister Kieran McAnulty and Transport Minister Michael Wood.

Many Aucklanders are feeling a great sense of anxiety this morning with more severe weather predicted to hit the region on Tuesday and Wednesday. An Emergency Management text alert was sent out last night in Auckland  warning of further heavy rainfall.  The alert, sent just before eight o'clock,  said MetService has placed Auckland under an orange rain warning.  An active line of thunderstorms was forecast, bringing the risk of very high intensity, localised downpours overnight. Metservice forecaster Jessie Owen earlier told Morning Report that Auckland experienced more persistent rain overnight  Four people have died and hundreds have been displaced after the record-breaking rains that flooded Auckland on Friday night and Saturday morning. The cleanup is only just beginning for some, and could be hampered if predicted heavy rain arrives in the next few days. The government has announced it is offering financial support to those in need, with thousands of people already taking up the support that's on offer. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was in Auckland on Saturday to assess the damage. He spoke to Kim Hill. Morning Report asked Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown for an interview this morning to get the latest on the council's response, and any advice for residents. We were told Brown isn't doing any interviews or press conferences today, as he's in back-to-back briefings.

Auckland's Mayor Wayne Brown has had to defend himself against criticism that a state of emergency was declared too late on Friday night when flooding hit the city. The state of emergency was declared after 9pm, hours after flooding had inundated several suburbs, leading to hundreds of Fire and Emergency callouts and the cancellation of the Elton John concert at Mt Smart minutes before the performance was due to begin. Auckland resident, leadership researcher and Massey University senior lecturer Dr Suze Wilson gave an analysis of Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's performance over the weekend.

Kim Hill talks to Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown about the devastating flooding that hit the city.

Kim Hill talks to Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, and RNZ reporter Rowan Quinn.

Today on The Panel Wallace and panellists Sally Wenley and Guy Williams discuss the comments made by Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown that caused a trading halt for Auckland Airport today, teachers suffering from maths anxiety, and loneliness.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has demonstrated today he is unfit for office thinking he can speculate and offer opinions on Auckland Airport that in turn causes the partly owned Auckland City company to have to halt share trading. Wayne Brown is well out of his depth and won't last the full term NZ bans smoking and even right wing echo chambers like Sky News Australia are looking to see if this is something that they should be doing across the ditch Pat's latest COVID update

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has recently announced Auckland Council's joined-up plan that focuses on shifting the Port of Auckland and building Light Rail. This plan was devised after Wayne Brown and Transport Minister Michael Wood made an agreement to put aside their differences and collaborate on their priorities. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says this was a pragmatic move on Michael Wood's end and having this quid pro quo arrangement will work out well for the Transport Minister. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Families of Erebus crash victims are appalled by the Auckland Mayor's comments about a planned national memorial in the city and believe more than four decades on their loved ones deserve better. 43 years ago today the Air NZ scenic flight over Antartica crashed into the side of Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people onboard - New Zealand's largest peace time loss of life. In an editorial published on Sunday, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown referred to the proposed memorial as a "a huge concrete thing" and said it should be near the airport, reminding us that there is a risk in flying. On Monday afternoon the Prime Minister stood by her commitment to delivering a national memorial for Erebus families. The project has been stalled, with a local board delaying its decision around use of the Parnell Rose Garden for the memorial. David Allan's parents and sister Jane died in the Erebus crash. He talks to Lisa Owen.  

It has been six weeks since Wayne Brown won the Auckland mayoralty, and he has dominated local government headlines since then. He has come in with promises and pledges to shake up the Super City, and has taken aim at the council-controlled organisations, while facing a difficult financial situation.  In the new monthly edition of On the Tiles: Local Edition, Georgina Campbell talks to NZ Herald Auckland reporter Bernard Orsman, who has had some rare conversations with Wayne Brown, to discuss the first few weeks of Brown's new role and the challenges he faces in the months ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has recently expressed his lack of confidence in the current Port of Auckland board- and plans on replacing them.  The Maritime Union has fired back by standing by the Port of Auckland and defending them against Wayne Brown's criticisms.  Maritime Union secretary Russell Mayn says that the current board is still relatively new, and have had to grapple with challenges posed by the last couple years. Russell Mayn also says that the team is already quite small, and reducing the team in charge of the ports in a major city is impractical. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police are struggling to buy new utes, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says he has lost confidence in the board of Ports of Auckland and is aiming to replace it, former Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel is writing her first column for newsroom See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland councillor is worried that changes announced by Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown could reduce scrutiny of city affairs. Wayne Brown stamped his authority on Auckland Council yesterday, axing some committees, and limiting the numbers on others. There are three fewer committees now, and less people on them. North Shore councillor Chris Darby says the restructure has created a mega committee that will be hard to manage, and to monitor. He spoke to Corin Dann.

Transport and Immigration Minister Michael Wood has responded to Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's claim that Auckland has a transport crisis.  

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau is standing strong in her support of Three Waters. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger have teamed up to propose an alternative to the Governments three waters proposal to ensure water ownership stays the hands of local councils rather than being centrally owned. Whanau says three waters needs some altering, but it will ultimately help Wellington move on from its water woes. Tory Whanau says the alternative proposals wouldn't work for our city. She joins Nick Mills in the studio. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Been an interesting week hasn't it? Wayne Brown is voted new mayor of Auckland, then he kind of goes to ground... refusing interviews, saying his salary isn't that big, and just putting out press releases rather than actually talk to anyone. So why not get Producer Jeremy to put it to music...?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has been holding a series of one-on-one talks with councillors both new and returned, to discuss how each can best contribute. Checkpoint caught up with two councillors who've had their scheduled korero to see if they're at one with the mayor's priorities. Councillors Richard Hills and Alf Filipaina talk to Lisa Owen.  

Auckland's new mayor wants more people to resign from their jobs and is now calling for the whole board of development arm Eke Panuku to go. Wayne Brown put the council controlled organisations on notice throughout his campaign. The chair of AT resigned hours after he won the mayoral chains on Saturday. On Monday Brown publicly told the Eke Panuku boss to reconsider his position, and today the rest of the board. Finn Blackwell caught up with the main man on his way to work.  

Auckland has a new mayor Businessman and former Far North Mayor Wayne Brown has steamed ahead of efeso collins for the chains, leading by around 54-thousand votes. Just over 24 hours after the results came in, and he's already making waves – the Chair of Auckland Transport has resigned, to give him a “clear runway”. Brown has previously said he would replace all the directors of Council-Controlled Organisations, including Auckland Transport. He's also outlined his pledge to Auckland in today's Herald on Sunday – to fix what he calls a “broken” Auckland, starting with those CCOs, dealing with the question about the port, and tomorrow getting a briefing on the super city's finances. NZ Herald Senior Writer SImon Wilson joined Tim Roxborogh and Roman Travers to dissect the issues facing Auckland's new mayor. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.