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Local Democracy Reporting
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Local Democracy Reporting - Latest News [Page 1]
Southland Mayor Wary Of Possible Divide Under Amalgamation
Monday, 20 July 2026, 6:08 pm | Matthew Rosenberg - Local Democracy Reporter
July 19, 2026 A southern mayor has warned of a possible divide between rural and urban areas if a single-council option is landed on in his region. On Friday, the Local Government Commission announced next steps for its investigation into Southland ... More >>
South Auckland Creative Proposes Māori And Pacific-Led Digital Arts Pathway
Monday, 20 July 2026, 6:06 pm | Mary Afemata - Local Democracy Reporter
Faimanifo said he was born and raised in Manurewa and had spent two decades working across animation, design, visual effects and tertiary education. More >>
Pledging Pay Rise To Masterton Night Shelter A 'No-Brainer', Councillors Say
Monday, 20 July 2026, 6:03 pm | Emily Ireland - Local Democracy Reporter
Stella Lennox and Andrea Jackson, both of whom are on the board of Kim’s Way Night Refuge, said the decision was a “no-brainer”. More >>
Community Split Over City Centre Revitalisation Proposal With Nearly 100 Online Submissions
Monday, 20 July 2026, 5:50 pm | Imogen Brophy - Local Democracy Reporter
Local Democracy Reporting found relatively split views, with 35 expressing support for one of the proposed options, while 26 rejected them outright. More >>
Lower Hutt's Proposed Road Low Government Priority But Still High On Council To-Do List
Monday, 20 July 2026, 5:32 pm | Justin Wong - Local Democracy Reporter
Lower Hutt’s long-proposed dual-lane Cross Valley Link (CVL) might be languishing low on the Government’s transport to-do list, but the local council is still throwing its weight behind the plan. The major transport project pipeline (MTPP) ... More >>
Country Wairarapa Pub Dry While Trapped In Licensing Limbo
Monday, 20 July 2026, 5:29 pm | Emily Ireland - Local Democracy Reporter
The battle to get beer flowing again at a historic coastal Wairarapa pub has been stalled by a wall of bureaucratic red tape. More >>
Timaru, Mackenzie Joint Water Entity Named
Monday, 20 July 2026, 1:52 pm | Claire Taylor - Local Democracy Reporter
The two councils officially formed the joint water entity in April, establishing a new operating model and water organisation for the two districts. More >>
South Auckland Creative Proposes Māori And Pacific-Led Digital Arts Pathway
Monday, 20 July 2026, 1:47 pm | Mary Afemata - Local Democracy Reporter
Kennedy Kioa Toi Faimanifo, whose creative career includes work on Bro'Town, Kung Fu Panda, Game of Thrones and the Avatar films, presented his proposal for the academy to the Manurewa Local Board during Thursday's public forum. More >>
Pride Project Seeks Longer Lease For Auckland Base
Monday, 20 July 2026, 8:32 am | Mary Afemata - Local Democracy Reporter
The Manurewa Local Board is considering advocating to Kāinga Ora for The Pride Project, which is based at Clendon Community House in Manurewa. More >>
Disabled Aucklanders Help Shape City's Emergency Plans
Saturday, 18 July 2026, 4:43 pm | Mary Afemata - Local Democracy Reporter
The pilot was developed following the 2023 Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, after disabled communities identified shortcomings in emergency planning. More >>
Mauao Summit Track Repairs Completed As Base Track Recovery Begins
Saturday, 18 July 2026, 4:36 pm | Ayla Yeoman - Local Democracy Reporter
Geologists and geotechnical engineers found 42 landslides on Mauao’s three main walking tracks, including 24 severe enough to require more than a simple clean-up to reinstate the track. More >>
Judge Throws Out Featherston Residents’ $2 Million Theft Claim Against Bank
Saturday, 18 July 2026, 4:32 pm | Emily Ireland - Local Democracy Reporter
The bank indicated it was writing in its capacity as mortgagee, and that there was a risk the council could require the bank to meet the arrears. More >>
Councillors Refuse To Attend Board Meetings After Ahluwalia's Return
Saturday, 18 July 2026, 4:28 pm | Mary Afemata - Local Democracy Reporter
Ahluwalia took a leave of absence in May after allegations about his conduct were referred to the SFO, but resumed his duties in late-June. More >>
Glass Pipes Sold Near Auckland Schools Spark Concerns
Saturday, 18 July 2026, 4:11 pm | Mary Afemata - Local Democracy Reporter
Concerns were recently sparked in South Auckland after a resident posted in a local community Facebook group of a local shop selling glass pipes. More >>
Weak Economy Wipes Out Blenheim's 900-Home Shortfall
Saturday, 18 July 2026, 2:52 pm | Kira Carrington - Local Democracy Reporter
The town was now projected to have 1350 more homes than it would need by 2055, a housing capacity assessment by the Marlborough District Council has found. More >>
Horizons Unitary Council: Low Marks For Maintaining Local Voice
Saturday, 18 July 2026, 2:47 pm | Rebecca Hogan - Local Democracy Reporter
From the advisory firm’s modelling, the Horizons unitary model scored weakly on the maintaining local voice criteria. More >>
Community Split Over City Centre Revitalisation Proposal With Nearly 100 Online Submissions
Saturday, 18 July 2026, 2:44 pm | Imogen Brophy - Local Democracy Reporter
New planting, upgraded street lighting and prioritisation of events and markets were proposed to improve the city centre. More >>
Marlborough Sounds Road Repairs Produce $40m Surplus
Saturday, 18 July 2026, 2:37 pm | Kira Carrington - Local Democracy Reporter
The programme was budgeted to cost $234m, with New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi paying $100m, and the Marlborough District Council paying $104m through additional rates charges. More >>
Forest & Bird Can't Say How Many West Coasters Back Anti-Mine Petition
Friday, 17 July 2026, 6:03 pm | Vihan Dalal - Local Democracy Reporter
Local Democracy Reporting asked Forest and Bird for a breakdown to show how many had signed from the West Coast. More >>
DIY Sale: Bunnings Sale Not All About Bang For Ratepayers’ Buck
Friday, 17 July 2026, 5:43 pm | Jordan Smith - Local Democracy Reporter
The land is owned by Parish of St John Te Awamutu Trust but the building’s been left empty since May 2025, with rough sleepers occupying the area. More >>
