Podcasts about local councils

Auckland's biggest and most expensive sewer pipe is officially online, with the council promising fewer overflows and healthier waterways. Watercare says it'll be the backbone of Auckland's sewer system, but some of the ribs won't be built until well beyond 2030. Felix Walton has more.

Central Hawke's Bay's only animal rescue is facing closure because the local council is evicting the charity from its premises. Hawke's Bay Tairawhiti reporter Alexa Cook paid them a visit.

Councils around the country now have less than three weeks to submit their proposals to the government about how they might want to amalgamate. One of the councils weighing up its future is Lower Hutt. It's mayor, Fauono Ken Laban spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Auckland councillors are voting today on a compromise version of the controversial Plan Change 120, which dictates how much housing intensification the city should have and where. Auckland Council Chair of the Policy, Planning and Development Committee, Richard Hills spoke to John Campbell.

Auckland councillors are voting today on a compromise version of the controversial Plan Change 120, which dictates how much housing intensification the city should have and where. Luka Forman reports.

Weekly interview with opposition leader; Richard Hills discusses Plan Change 120; Calls grow for mandatory e-scooter helmets; Fiona MacMillan on bird flu response; Not all 'local' online stores are what they seem

Weekly interview with Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon; Advocate supports explicit consent law reform; Michael Campbell on Ryan Fox's Open triumph; Bird flu reports surge after H5N1 detection; Auckland explores new way to get people voting

Councils are reportedly signing on to new iwi partnership agreements before the Resource Management Act is replaced. In the Government's currently drafted RMA reform, councils won't be able to enter into new Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements which outline how councils and iwi work together on resource management matters. Taxpayers Union Executive Director Jordan Williams joined Kerre Woodham to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland charity says New Zealand needs a 24/7 desexing clinic to tackle the country's roaming dog problem. Auckland Council's Community Director, Rachel Kelleher spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Jo Moir breaks down the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll; Chris Hipkins responds to latest RNZ-Reid Research poll; Sir Grahame Sydney remembers screen legend Sam Neill; Repeat recycling offenders face losing bins; Researcher tests life without a smartphone

A Wairoa Mayor is campaigning for councils to have more legal powers to deal with the proliferation of vape stores. Craig Little is concerned vaping is being normalised and it is hard to protect vulnerable communities, and is appealing for other council's to join forces. Wairoa Mayor Craig Little spoke to Lisa Owen.

Sue Taite says she's abused by cyclists and street parking was removed without considering disabled, sick or elderly people. Wellington Council says they carried out extensive consultation, including with residents' and disabled groups. Sam Hood, transport engineer at MRcagney spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

It's time for Mayoral minutes .. where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing ... how they're working to solve them... and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to sunny Nelson from where Mayor Nick Smith joins us.

An Auckland councillor is growing frustrated over a lack of involvement in the planning of a second harbour crossing. Transport advocacy group Greater Auckland has pitched their idea to the council, for a second bridge. North Shore Ward councillor Richard Hills spoke to John Campbell.

I'm going to make a prediction that I'm fairly certain is going to bear out: no one is going to be shocked by reading in the Herald that Wayne Brown might be a bully. This has kicked off again this week with a complaint from a new Auckland councillor, Bo Burns, that Auckland Council is so dysfunctional she has packed up and walked out of meetings twice because of behaviour she considered unacceptable. Then, the Herald dropped a much bigger piece expanding on all of this, featuring the accounts of multiple councillors who also complain and who then hone in on the mayor in particular. Mike Lee says the mayor revels in put-downs and insults and pulled him off the Auckland Transport board as punishment because he voted against him on something. John Watson says the mayor is a narcissist. Lotu Fuli says the mayor drops the f-bomb all the time. And on and on the complaining goes. Now, look, I'm not completely hard-hearted. I have some sympathy for these people because I don't think I'd like to work in a place where I got punished for taking an opposing view. The mayor is not an easy bloke to work with and I thank the Lord every single day that I don't have to work with him. But I also don't have sympathy for them because this is not a normal workplace—it's a council. It's supposed to be robust. And Bo Burns should probably reconsider whether she thinks ratepayers will feel they're getting bang for their buck if they've elected someone who isn't robust enough to hack it at the big boys' table. As for Wayne Brown, claiming he's a bully is not going to hurt him, is it? Because it's not a shock to anyone. This is the guy who called the media “drongos” and barely apologised for it. This is the guy who emailed the Ratepayers' Alliance with two words: “f*** off.” Have you ever met him? The fact that he swears is not a surprise. What probably hurts him more, I would say, is that he hiked rates in the city by 7.9% this year. But finding out he's a bit mean to people and swears a lot? Not news. What would be news is if everyone around the Auckland Council table grew a pair and stopped complaining about him. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeremy Zakis discusses the confirmed El Niño cycle bringing unusually warm, humid winter weather across Australia. He notes that local councils are performing early back-burning to mitigate bushfire risks during this dry period. Despite drought concerns, many residents are enjoying extended beach weather in coastal Sydney.1930 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Around the motu: Torika Tokalau Stuff Local Democracy reporter in Auckland.

A group of Taranaki mayors want urgent changes to a proposed disability support law they believe will put a disproportionate and unfair burden on their district. Taranaki has a higher than average numbers of people living with disability and unpaid informal caregivers. Taranaki Mayoral forum chairman Craig Williamson spoke to Lisa Owen.

In part two, apricot or biscotti? Those are two of the options Timaru councillors chose from for a paint job at the Theatre Royal. Then, you've heard of board game cafes, but how about a remote control cafe? A spot in Auckland's Mt Eden lets people send diggers around a sandpit as they sip their coffee.

Residents in Island Bay say they were confronted with nightmare scenes when faecal matter and sanitary products overflowed from the wastewater system during heavy rain. Wellington Water says a blockage near the southern end of the suburb overnight caused sewage to burst from manhole covers and gully traps over nearly a kilometre. Reporter Bill Hickman has more.

Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper joined Andrew Dickens to chat about the political week that was. They discussed the MPs banned from China following a Taiwan visit last year, the Government moving to ban unelected members from voting in local councils, and the rise of the fringe parties. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this latest Papal Snapshot (our first of two episodes this week), we cover a letter from St. Jerome in which he describes papal authority over local church councils both east and west. More than 1,600 years later, this continues to match the same Catholic Church!VISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://eternalchristendom.com/BECOME A PATRON OF THE GREAT TRADITIONAs a non-profit, you can support our mission with a tax-deductible gift. Help us continue to dig into the Great Tradition; produce beautiful, substantive content; and gift these treasures to cultural orphans around the world for free: https://eternalchristendom.com/become-a-patron/CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIAX: https://twitter.com/JoshuaTCharlesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshuatcharles/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuatcharles/DIVE DEEPERCheck out our “Becoming Catholic” resources, where you'll find 1 million+ words of free content (bigger than the Bible!) in the form of Articles, Quote Archives, and Study Banks to help you become, remain, and deepen your life as a Catholic: https://eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/SUBSTACKSubscribe to our Substack to get regular updates on our content, and other premium content: https://eternalchristendom.substack.com/EXCLUSIVE BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTShttps://eternalchristendom.com/bookstore/CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro01:59 - Historical Context03:08 - St. Jerome, Letter 12304:29 - ConclusionThis podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

Credit to Simon Watts. Some time ago he told me he was going to do something to stop councils like the Far North District Council. They put ten iwi representatives, not elected by ratepayers, on a committee with six councillors who were elected, with full voting rights, thereby outnumbering the elected folk. I sent him a text two weeks ago asking him when I should check back in with him to see what he was going to do. He responded. Asked me to give him two weeks. Two weeks ran out yesterday. Yesterday is when he announced that he would be changing the law to take those voting rights away from unelected representatives on councils. This has become something of a race relations issue because the greatest number of unelected members that get attention are Māori, iwi reps, and mana whenua reps. But it's actually more than that. It also involves youth representatives, under 18's who haven't even learned to live in their own houses and pay their own power bills, who are given permission by councils to vote on council issues without being elected. And yes, it is about race relations and trying to stop the spread of this strangely fashionable idea that one ethnicity gets special treatment. But it is also about a fundamental of democracy – you choose who governs you. Ratepayers are being bled for money at rates none of us would've thought were possible ten years ago. For our entire lives that has come with the right to then also vote for the people who we best trust to spend that money, even if that is a low bar. Somehow in the last few years that has started to change, and councils have told us how much to pay and then also who will govern. That needed to stop. Yesterday's decision is welcome. But I'd like it to go further. I'd like all unelected representatives now removed from councils because, in many cases, they are a cost. They are paid, sometimes, the same as elected representatives and they are unnecessary in an age where advice and input is easier to find than ever. But given the likely kickback this will get from the handwringers, good on Simon Watts for making the right call. And on deadline too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Local Government Minister says most councils will be affected by the Government's overhaul of committee voting rights. A Bill amendment will strip voting rights from unelected members —including iwi and youth representatives— on council committees. Simon Watts told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's open to further changes down the track, but acknowledges some unelected members still bring value to local decision-making. He says there are emergency management committees that have specific expertise, for example. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TV grandee and former Chairman of Ofcom, Michael Grade, joins Katie Razzall to discuss his outlook on the broadcasting sector. The Society of Editors is warning that local journalists are struggling to get access to elected councillors. Its CEO Dawn Alford shares her concerns, and we get the views of Oliver Rouane-Williams, founder and editor of Ipswich.co.uk, and Michael Hadwen, Reform leader of Suffolk County Council. Over 600 figures in French cinema have signed an open letter voicing concerns about the influence of French billionaire Vincent Bolloré. The BBC's James Waterhouse introduces us to the media tycoon often dubbed the ‘French Rupert Murdoch'. Plus, what are the editorial challenges of reporting on the heatwave? Laura Tobin, ITV's weather presenter, joins us to discuss.

Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Anna Rāwhiti-Connell and Phil O'Reilly. First up, the big 7.9% rates increase has been passed in Auckland. Mayor Wayne Brown explains why it's necessary. Then, a community support centre in Whangarei is being forced to close, arguably in a time when people need it most. Manager Angela McGregor tells the story.

An Auckland woman who has been attacked more than once by dogs on her street is now too afraid to walk her dog outside her gate. A resident in a neighbouring suburb said the problem of roaming dogs is making her consider moving. Auckland council agrees uncontrolled dogs are a problem and is hoping for changes to 30-year-old Dog Control legislation. Jessica Hopkins reports.

It's time for Mayoral minutes our regular weekly segment where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing, how they're working to solve them and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to the capital Wellington, from where Mayor Andrew Little joins Jesse.

The Citizens Advice Bureau is facing significant funding challenges. Wellington City Council decided yesterday to effectively halve its funding for the local bureau, leaving the free independent service reeling. Citizen Advice Bureau CEO, Kerry Dalton spoke to Lisa Owen. 

There are calls for a national bed register, to stop so called ghost communities caused by short term holiday rentals. A bed register could force operators, like AirBnB, to share data with local councils; including accommodation addresses. The concern is that some areas, particularly in visitor hotspots, are being taken over with temporary accommodation... hollowing out neighbourhoods and making it hard for residents to find accommodation. Christchurch councillor Nathanial Herz Jardine spoke to Lisa Owen.

In part two, a reference to the Duke of York will be removed from a commemorative plaque in Nelson, but not all councillors agree. Then, there's no time like a fuel crisis to consider ditching the car for the daily commute. Co-founder and co-director of the Wednesday Challenge, Heidi Hughes, makes the case for wheels and walking one day a week.

Let's try to solve some of the world's problems now, it might sound ambitious but every second Thursday for ten minutes or so we do our best to right some wrongs, or at least discuss how to approach doing so. Jesse is joined by Dave Armstrong from the Wellington production company Armstrong Creative. Dave wants to discuss Wellington Council's offices, artwork spend and the water meters.

As fuel costs rise, Katy Gosset talks to a transportation engineer about thrifty ways to get around instead of using the car.

It's time for Mayoral minutes, where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing, how they're working to solve them and what makes their community special. This week we're heading to the Tauranga, from where Mayor Mahe Drysdale joins Jesse.

The RMA Minister says councils have already signalled they'd like to join forces with neighbours. The Government's announced a fast-track amalgamation process, asking councils to submit proposals for merging with neighbours to form unitary authorities. They have three months to submit a rough plan. Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking there's quite a lot of momentum behind it already. He says they've had quite a lot of councillors, mayors, and people on local government land express interest in getting on with it and amalgamating, so they're giving them the opportunity. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The RMA Reform Minister says simplifying our councils is a crucial part of changes to Resource Management. The Government's today announced a fast-track amalgamation process - asking councils to submit proposals for merging with neighbours to form unitary authorities. They have three months to submit a rough plan. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained what this could mean going forward. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Local Government Minister says a pathway's been made for councils to fast-track reform - because they're raring to go. The Government's announced councils have three months to submit rough merger plans, for becoming unitary authorities. In November it said it would abolish regional councillors, and reform local Government over a number of years, while encouraging district councils to merge. Simon Watts says councils have been so receptive, they've invited them to fast track it. "I don't want to set the pace of this reform by the slowest council - actually, the opposite, we want the ones that are ready to go to have a pathway to do that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Data from the latest annual ratepayer report shows rates are up an average of $451 nationwide to an average total of $3,386. The report additionally shows debt is climbing with councils owing around 220% of their annual rates revenue. Taxpayers Union Executive Director Jordan Williams joined Mike Hosking to discuss the report. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Anna Rawhiti-Connell and Mike Yardley. First up, so-called coalition cracks are back in focus after Winston Peters' office released internal emails in an OIA where Prime Minister Christopher Luxon suggested showing "explicit public support" for US strikes on Iran. Political analyst Grant Duncan unpacks the latest. Then, Northland locals are decrying a proposed $4.50 toll for the new expressway. Business group board member Julian Smith explains.

Supermarkets and cities are facing a problem with borrowed and abandoned shopping trolleys. A New World in Auckland's Point Chevalier has posted on social media that it's gutted at the sheer number of trollies that are AWOL just eight months after it opened. It effectively had an amnesty on Thursday, park it on the foot path and it was cruising the streets to collect them. Reporter Bella Craig went to talk to locals about trolley-gate. Meanwhile, hundreds of trolleys are being dumped around Hamilton. Vanessa Williams, General Manager of Love the Centre, the Hamilton Central Business Association spoke to Lisa Owen.

The goverment wants to cap rate increases at between two and four percent a year, saying double digit increases year after year are unsustainable for households. It plans to bring in a new law by January 2027, with a two year transition to caps. S & P said councils don't look ready to comply, only 5 out of 78 managed to deliver a rate increase below four percent for the 2025, 2026 year. LGNZ Board member and Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith spoke to Lisa Owen.

Mayors from areas affected by the ongoing closure of State Highway 3 in Taranaki are calling for an urgent meeting with NZTA. New Plymouth District Council mayor Max Brough spoke to John Campbell.

Several mayors are demanding a meeting with NZTA saying they are dealing with unacceptable disruptions on State Highway 3, from New Plymouth to Te Kuiti. NZTA Regional Relationships Director Linda Stewart spoke to John Campbell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's excitement around the Ruapehu District that someone new might soon have the keys to the historic Chateau Tongariro. Local mayor Weston Kirton spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

It's time for Mayoral minutes, where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing, how they're working to solve them and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to the Hurunui District in North Canterbury, from where Mayor Marie Black joins Jesse.

People have spent the night out of their homes as downpours continue to hit the lower North Island - with a red heavy rain warning in place. Hutt City Council teams were going door to door on some streets urging people to leave their homes as rain fell last night. A state of emergency has been declared for the Wellington Region. Lower Hutt mayor Fauono Ken Laban spoke to John Campbell

Some locals in Mount Maunganui are calling for clarity about when Mauao will reopen. Mayor of Tauranga, Mahé Drysdale spoke to John Campbell.

Time for this weeks expert feature. Today Jesse is joined in the studio by Mayor of Auckland Wayne Brown. Wayne has been Mayor of New Zealand's largest city since 2022 and in that time it's fair to say, you're not left wondering how he feels about issues. Honesty that seems to be working for Aucklanders as he romped home in the latest election.

Weekly interview with Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon; What US blockade could mean for international shipping; Road closures affecting farmers and growers; Concern over future storm resilience from top climate scientist; Wellington Zoo celebrates 120th birthday