Mike Lee – the manifesto
As your elected Councillor, I will work to: Make sure the people of Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Freemans Bay, St Marys Bay, Herne Bay, Westmere, Arch Hill, Newton, Central City, Waiheke, Great Barrier, Rakino, Ponui,...
Auckland’s local government elections: ‘Whose city is it anyway?’
I was round at Gerry Hill’s and Sally James’ place on Ponsonby Terrace the other day. As everyone knows, over the last two years Gerry has been courageously battling motor neuron disease (MND). He’d...
“I will stay and fight.” Mike Lee Independent for Waitemata & Gulf
No peaceful retirement as veteran Councillor Mike Lee vows to ‘stay and fight’. After months of soul-searching on whether to retire as planned this year or even run for mayor, island resident Mike Lee...
Auckland’s past and future – well worth fighting for
Auckland Council is currently processing a change to the Unitary Plan, ‘Plan Change 26’. This is especially relevant for the historic townscapes (‘heritage zones’) of Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Herne Bay and Parnell. The plan...
Civic Administration Building fire sale: lose-lose for ratepayers
I guess nothing sums up the incompetence and waste of the Super City than the sorry tale of the Civic Administration Building. Auckland Council’s fire sale of the Civic Administration Building (CAB), 22 levels,...
City Rail Link billion dollar blow-out: Twyford & Goff asleep at the switch
The announcement of a billion dollar cost blow-out for the City Rail Link (CRL), 3 years after start of construction, is deeply troubling. At $3.4b, that is $1b per km, the CRL was already...
‘Navigators & Naturalists’ – the verdict from leading historians
This month, in the calm before the storm that will be Auckland’s local body elections, I thought I might put politics aside and return to the subject of my recent book ‘Navigators & Naturalists...
ANZAC DAY 2019 – Speech at the Dawn Service, Waiheke Island
On this day the people of New Zealand and Australia gather as they have since the first Anzac Day, to commemorate the fallen and to honour those men and women who have served in...
What Auckland Transport isn’t telling you about road safety
I just watched a video of an appalling accident on Auckland’s southern motorway.https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12212109 Some idiot in a fast car drove up a bus lane, veered behind the bus then ran into the back of...
High-handed Council alienating too many people
What a gorgeous summer it’s been – the ‘Auckland Dream’, the pursuit of which brought me from Wellington when I was 21. Unfortunately it’s not been the happiest summer for everyone in Waitematā. From...