The Tree Council is calling on the public to contact their local MP and ask them to vote against the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill when it goes for its third reading in a couple of weeks’ time. The protection of urban trees, other than notable trees with historic...

Throughout the year, Auckland Council and its community partners plant hundreds of thousands of native plants to protect and restore our waterways. A new trial on the North Shore in Wairau Valley is testing a Swiss-engineered technology to reduce sediment from stormwater ponds. It aims to lower carbon emissions and has the...

A detailed and well illustrated article about the former Carrington Hospital building, which continues to deteriorate, was published on 10 August by RNZ. That article is here. Protestors continue to gather in front of the building from 11am to midday on Saturdays, highlighting the lack of protection for the building....

More than 30% of what’s put in Auckland’s recycling bins ends up in landfill because it’s contaminated or can’t be recycled in the first place. That’s costing ratepayers $3.5 million a year and preventing valuable materials from being turned into new products. As part of Auckland Council’s Let’s sort it...

Parliament’s Environment Select Committee released its report on 20 July on the Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill. EDS Reform Director Dr Greg Severinsen says the committee’s recommendations will make the Bills even worse. “Councils will still have to give compensation to landowners when certain public interest protections are imposed,...

Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund (WMIF) is back, with $500,000 available to support projects that reduce waste and help build a circular economy in Tāmaki Makaurau. Applications open from 1 to 31 August, with grants ranging from $1,000 to $50,000. Previous WMIF projects: Ae Ka Taea e Koe...

This is a call for the Government to put a one-year pause on the development of new AI data centres so that we can decide which AI data centres are in the public interest, where they should go, what rules they should follow, and who should pay for the resource and infrastructure they need to function. The recently consented Datagrid hyperscale...

Aucklanders can find out how to make their homes more energy efficient here. You will find practical ways to save energy, cut costs and make your home healthier and more comfortable: Lower your bills and energy use Upgrade from gas to electricity Generate clean energy at home You can also...

Auckland Council is taking applications for the 2026 Regional Historic Heritage Grant Programme. Individuals, iwi or Māori groups, community groups and trusts can apply for up to $50,000 for the preservation of heritage places. Applications are open from 20 July until 14 September. The funding priorities include: Conservation of regionally...

Expert briefings aim to reshape New Zealand’s election conversation about the future As New Zealand heads towards a pivotal general election, organisers of the 26 June Reality of Everything Symposium are urging New Zealanders to engage with the defining challenge of our time: the planetary polycrisis. Organisers of the sold-out...