Podcasts about Auckland Region

A long-time hospitality business owner says Aucklanders need to get out and support local businesses if they don't want them to go under. Tricky Hartley, owner of Wynyard Quarter eatery The Conservatory spoke to John Campbell.

Auckland Councillors have been deep in discussion about exactly where high rise housing should be built to allow for close to another million and a half homes in the next decade. The government back-tracked on asking council to allow for two million more homes over the next decade, dropping the number to 1.4 earlier this year. Reporter Amy Williams was at today's Police and Planning Committee meeting and spoke to Lisa Owen.

Rob Eliott from Auckland Travel Show spoke to John Campbell about this weekend's event at the new convention centre.

Torika reports on the latest with the City Rail Link opening dates and warnings for Auckland bike riders taking part in group rides.

Kennedy discussed the walkway that connects 10 kilometres of coastal forest reserves on the northern shoreline of Auckland's Manukau Harbour. These linked reserves are said to be the largest coastal native forest remnant on the Auckland isthmus - around 50 hectares.

Residents whose homes may be impacted by the construction of the Auckland to Botany rapid transit project want more detail about the plans. Erin Johnson reports.

Mainfreight has approached AT asking to open bus lanes to couriers and trucks. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown responds.

An Auckland charity that furnishes Auckland houses for people escaping family violence has just completed its one thousandth home.

The online cenotaph database holds 270,000 records, while its website holds digitised versions of 1 million items.

A city deal between Auckland and the Government has been confirmed, but business leaders aren't convinced it will result in the rapid action needed.

It's a civil union of a different kind, Auckland Council and the government have signed a ten year co-operation deal. The agreement sets out how the two will work together over the next ten years, to boost economic growth in Aotearoa's largest city. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown spoke to Lisa Owen.

Auckland is hosting a packed schedule of major events this weekend. New Zealand Events Association's Elaine Linnell spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

An Auckland business association says the government's move on orders are "inhumane and a bad idea". Planned law changes will mean police can move on rough sleepers or people displaying disorderly behaviour; including those as young as 14. Karangahape Road is one of Auckland's most famous and colourful shopping and entertainment strips and it is host to some people who are effectively living on the street. But the K-Road Business Association does not support move on orders. General manager Jamey Holloway spoke to Lisa Owen.

A heated dispute between dog owners and Auckland Council is playing out at the High Court in Auckland. Last year, the Puketapapa Local Board voted four to two to ban dogs from running free in part of Hillsborough's Monte Cecilia Park. Locals set up a formal group, the Monte Cecilia Dog Lovers Incorporated Society, which is roughly 600 members strong, to challenge the decision with a judicial review, which began today. Jessica Hopkins reports.

Fire crews have been battling a large blaze that's left an Auckland school's historic sports pavilion in ashes. The fire at Northcote College sent smoke billowing into the sky above the city's North Shore, while onlookers watched the devastation. Reporter Finn Blackwell was there and spoke with Lisa Owen

The government is working on stopping busloads of people stripping rockpools of sea life in north Auckland. Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones spoke to Lauren Crimp.

The Government is considering lowering its housing intensification targets in Auckland after pushback from critics. Scott Caldwell, a spokesperson for advocacy group Coalition for More Homes spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Need some ideas if you're staying put in Auckland this holiday season? The City of Sails is packed with lots of low-cost adventures and special events, if you know where to look. Here to point us in the right direction is Annie Dundas from Tataki Auckland Unlimited.

Another fatal stabbing on an Auckland bus has left commuters shaken and raised fresh questions about safety on public transport. Local Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Ward Councillor Josephine Bartley spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A developer in Auckland is backing the Government taking control of what new housing pays for local infrastructure.  

The Auckland Tramping Club has a new book out celebrating its centenary. It's packed with tales from the huts, trails and picnic spots discovered by the club since 1925.

Auckland commuters spotted digital motorway signs with warnings to beware traffic delays with IKEA opening in Auckland this morning. The Swedish homeware store takes up a whole block in Mount Wellington. Traffic forecasts showed worst case scenarios of 40-minute delays just to get off the motorways and a special traffic team was in place monitoring the situation. Auckland Transport Operation Centre manager Claire Howard spoke to Lisa Owen.

The gigantic home retail store IKEA throws open its door next week in Mount Wellington, just off the city's southern motorway and a stone's throw from the Sylvia Park Mall. It's anticipated there will be a stampede of eager shoppers. So much so, Auckland Transport and NZTA are warning there could be 40-minute queues just to exit the motorway at Mount Wellington. Auckland Transport Operation Centre Manager Claire Howard spoke to Lisa Owen.

Auckland Transport wants to extend parking charges in the popular Ponsonby dinning district to end the current "free for all". It is looking to extend paid street parking out to 9pm on Thursdays to Saturdays in busy streets around Ponsonby. Auckland Transport network planning group manager Andrew McGill spoke to Lisa Owen.

A school north of Auckland says it is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on counsellors for students to help repair damage done by social media. Whangaparaoa College is funded for one and a half counsellors but is now paying for the equivilant of almost five. Whangaparaoa College principal Steve McCracken spoke to Lisa Owen.

"This is not over". That is the message from Auckland police as they encourage anyone who knows anything about the killing of American university student Kyle Whorral to come forward. The 33-year-old was attacked at a bus stop over Easter with a large bladed weapon and died in hospital. Auckland police have revealed they have found a machete but say the hunt for everyone who was involved in the killing goes on. Kim Baker Wilson reports.

Auckland's transport agency will be stripped of most of its authority with the government today announcing a major shakeup to how the city's transport network is managed. Under the new legislation, expected to pass into law next year, Auckland Council and local boards will take on almost all responsibility for the city's roads. AT will focus on public transport while Auckland's mayor, Wayne Brown, and the 20 councillors will make decisions about major roads and the city centre. The city's 21 local boards, meanwhile, will oversee speed limits, parking, event closures and cycleways on smaller roads. Jessica Hopkins reports.

There is a major gear change in Auckland around transport. Local council boards will have new powers and will make decisions on local and so called collector roads; the ones that feed into bigger arterial routes. The 21 boards will be able to set speed limits, road closures for events, parking and creating cycleways. Director of the Greater Auckland transport advocacy website, Matt Lowrie spoke to Lisa Owen.

The mother of a woman who disappeared over a fortnight ago from central Auckland has made an urgent plea for information about her whereabouts. 25-year-old Te Anihana Pomana left Sky City just after five-o'clock in the morning on August the 21st. Police have said that despite exhaustive efforts to find her they haven't yet solved the mystery. Finn Blackwell reports.

Jobs are one thing Auckland Museum is struggling to preserve. The museum has said significant financial pressure could mean 30 positions have to be cut. It is facing a huge bill for an unexpected asbestos clean up after the potentially toxic material was discovered in some of the most popular galleries, with some areas still off limits. Auckland Museum Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive David Reeves spoke to Lisa Owen.

Is the heart of Auckland city still beating? For the best part of a decade, construction of the City Rail Link has seen the CBD strewn with road cones and roads clogged with building sites. Businesss owners have said it is causing a huge drop off in foot traffic and sales. So how can Auckland be jolted back to life? Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck spoke to Lisa Owen.

A patient at an Auckland mental health programme that will close its doors next month says she's feeling anxious about the future. Rauaroha Segar House, a publicly funded intensive service for people who have long-standing or chronic problems, stops its services on September the 19th. Heloise Cantin-Gilmore told Checkpoint her time there's been life-changing and there are no other realistic treatment options available to her. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

Port of Auckland has been given provisional fast track approval to extend two of its wharves, meaning it can take in bigger ships, and will have a new home for cruise ships. The port's boss Roger Gray spoke to Corin Dann.

Auckland's Deputy Mayor is one of two candidates in the city's local election pool standing uncontested this year. There were a total of 476 nominations for the 2025 Auckland elections, with two seats in Orakei and Rodney wards to go unchallenged in September. Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson spoke to Corin Dann.

Restaurant Month has kicked off in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland and this year marks the 15th anniversary. 

Landslides are among this country's costliest natural hazards. Auckland Council has completed a detailed region wide study to map landslide susceptibility, the first since 1997. Kathryn is joined by Ross Roberts, the chief engineer at Auckland Council.

Significant pressure at Auckland's major hospitals this winter is being felt across almost all the different parts of the health system, including at general practice, private urgent care and in the community. The pressure is becoming so great GPs have said they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of people with winter sicknesses. One nurse said the system is so stretched she is seeing sick patients discharged into the community before they're ready. Today Health NZ said the city's public hospitals are at their "upper limit", with many turning up at emergency departments with repiratory illnesses, but said it is not turning patients away in Auckland and Northland. Lucy Xia reports.

Auckland's business leaders and key decision makers have been warned the city risks being cast into obscurity as "a global city" according to a report released today. The State of the City report makes for tough reading, saying the city is falling behind other global cities due to poor planning, lack of innovation and a weak economy. Victor Waters reports.

The team trying to tame Auckland's problem with roaming dogs is calling for an overhaul of national dog control laws. Auckland Council suggests tools like fencing requirements for dog owners and greater powers to detain dogs. In the last year there have been nearly 17,000 reports of roaming dogs in Auckland. There have been reports of 1,500 attacks on other dogs and 1,300 attacks on people - although that could be much higher according to ACC claim data. Auckland Council's General Manager of Licensing and Compliance Robert Irvine spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Simon Wilson is a senior writer with the New Zealand Herald.

Making sure children see themselves reflected in books is a driving force for author and publisher David Riley, who calls himself The Reading Warrior. 

Council valuations or CV's for Auckland's 630-thousand homes have decreased by an average of 9 percent. For many, the drop is unnerving and a tough pill to swallow, especially after the highs of 2021. But property experts have said the CV is just a taxation tool, and homeowners shouldn't let it influence their decisions. Felix Walton reports.

A co-housing development group has shelled out $9 million for two neighubouring sections in Auckland's Grey Lynn, where the plan is to build thirty or more homes with shared facilities, including a communal garden. The goal of Cohaus is to build affordable sustainable housing in consultation with potential home owners, while encouraging people to be less reliant on cars and share more resources. It will be Cohaus's second Auckland development. The first was finished in 2022. Architect and project manager of the new development Thom Gill spoke to Lisa Owen.

Casino operator Sky City Entertainment is suing Fletcher Building for losses incurred because of delays in completing the nearby International Convention Centre in Auckland. 

Auckland motorists who park without paying may want to think twice about chancing their arm now the city has full fleet of parking enforcement vehicles that can catch you out in a split second. The cars, which have advanced plate recognition cameras, digitally "chalk" the wheels of vehicles and assess whether they're parked illegally or not. Reporter Finn Blackwell went for a ride with an enforcement officer as they digitally marked cars on the most ticketed street in town.

Popular getaway destination Waiheke Island's has just welcomed a group of VIPs, but they're more than just weekend visitors. Ten Kiwi have been released on the eastern side of Waiheke, Te Motuaarairoa, the most isolated side of the island. It's still the first urban Auckland area to have the national icon reintroduced. Save the Kiwi CEO Michelle Impey spoke to Lisa Owen.

Nearly 50 years ago, Jack Hobbs began working on transforming some farmland in Manurewa into what is now Auckland Botanic Gardens. 

Dame Valerie Adams is on a mission to help thousands of tamariki in South Auckland as winter bites.

It's a tough time for business in one of Auckland's top shopping districts, with many empty shopfronts lining once-bustling streets. Newmarket businesses say high rent, a tight economy and changing shopping habits have all contributed to a difficult environment. They say the many empty buildings on Broadway and the surrounding streets aren't a good look for attracting customers, and the area sometimes feels like a ghost-town. Luka Forman went for a visit.

Newmarket's Broadway precinct has in the past been a go to for shoppers. About five years ago it even got a brand new upmarket Westfield mall, but still had a mix of one off boutiques and stores including Karen Walker and Kate Sylvester, on the main strip and surrounding streets. Now there are multiple ghost shops on Broadway, displaying signage of stores that no longer exist and with a heavy sprinkling of "for lease" signs. Mark Knoff Thomas from the Newmarket Business Association spoke to Lisa Owen.