18 September marked the 180th anniversary of the formal founding of the settlement of Auckland, when the gifting/exchange of 3,000 acres of land was signed between Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s paramount chief, Apihai Te Kawau, & Governor Hobson, on Te Rerenga-Ora-iti/Point Britomart between where Emily Place currently sits, out to Te...
Greenpeace has launched a petition calling on the prime minister to urgently reinstate general tree protection across Aotearoa. Sign the petition here. Up to one third of Auckland’s urban trees have been destroyed since the last National Government removed general tree protection in 2012. As our towns and cities become...
To honour Jeanette and what she stood for, Our Climate Declaration has created an opportunity for young people (under 30) and their organisations to apply for a Jeanette Fitzsimons Climate Action Grant. In 2020 it is offering two grants of up to $5,000 each to a young person/s or organisation...
Evidence of a historic seawall in Auckland’s Quay Street has been uncovered as part of the Downtown Programme, during strengthening work in the area The seawall supports land reclamation which took place sometime between 1875 and the early 1900s. Auckland Council’s Downtown seawall strengthening team recently discovered remnants of the...
NZTA has signed up its alliance partners to deliver the Westhaven to Akoranga pathway across Auckland Harbour. They are Fulton Hogan, HEB Construction, Aurecon, McConnell Dowell and Freyssinet. NZTA says it means they can finalise the detailed design and prepare for construction to start in 2021, with this section of...
Civic Trust Auckland’s winter lecture on the theme of Castles scheduled for Sunday 30 August has been postponed until a future date, yet to be announced. This is due to Auckland Level 3 COVID-19 restrictions being extended until midnight, 30 August.
There is encouraging news for the Leys Institute, a Category 1 and Category A building in St Mary’s Bay which was closed on 20 December. In outlining the board’s work programme for 2020/21, Waitematā Local Board Chair Richard Northey said: “We’ve requested that the Governing Body contribute proceeds from the...
There is serious concern in conservation circles that the Department of Conservation is losing its way and allowing conservation values – even in national parks – to be subsidiary to catering for tourists and other visitors, to allowing for commercial activities such as mining on conservation land, and for safety...
Civic Trust Auckland’s winter lecture on the theme of Castles will be held on Sunday 30 August from 3pm at Kinder House, 2 Ayr St, Parnell. Edward Bennett, architectural designer and historian, will present an illustrated talk on castle architecture in Auckland, including such buildings as Firth’s Castle, Fort Takapuna,...
On August 10, the High Court ruled that Greenpeace is entitled to register as a charity and that the Charities Registration Board was in error for declining the environmental campaigning organisation’s application. In a summary of the judgement posted online today the High Court says “Environmental protection is a charitable...