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Local Democracy Reporting
Featured Local Democracy Reporting stories
Tauranga election: A guide for voters
Tauranga will choose who will be running their city for the first time in five years on Saturday.
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Gisborne bar owner at loggerheads over liquor licence
7:41 am todayBen McCann spent hundreds of thousands on his beer garden, but lost his liquor licence after an appeal by a nearby school.
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‘Not acceptable’: Freedom camping pressure felt in south
20 Jul 2024As tourist numbers increase, the lack of a freedom camping ambassador is being felt by locals in the Catlins, with an urgent call made to replace a vacant role.
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Two councillors, or not two councillors, that is the question for Golden Bay
20 Jul 2024Tasman's ward boundaries are more than just lines on a map - they determine how residents are represented in the district council, and soon they will be up for…
Local Democracy Reporting headlines with summaries.
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'Too scared to go outside': Facing the rising tide of online abuse
18 Jul 2024Recent polling shows abuse aimed at councils is on the rise. LDR looks into the behaviour that is increasingly becoming a threat to democracy.
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What is Local Democracy Reporting?
31 May 2021Find out more about the scheme and how to become a host newsroom or accredited media partner.
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Could this be New Zealand’s next dark sky reserve?
18 Jul 2024An spike in visitors hoping to catch the southern lights has spurred calls for a new reserve.
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Farmers back bill to exclude climate rules in resource consents
Federated Farmers is backing a members' bill aimed at stopping regional councils from factoring in the negative effects of climate change in consenting decisions.
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'Devil in the detail' of housing reforms – Waimakariri deputy mayor
15 Jul 2024Government housing reforms are ''well-intentioned, but the devil will be in the detail'', says Waimakariri deputy mayor Neville Atkinson.
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'Lives are at stake': Police, councils may lose access to NZTA cameras
13 Jul 2024One mayor is warning of "disastrous consequences" if police and councils lose access to the country's network of more than 1000 highway CCTV cameras.
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Lodge guests leave seafood surprise
17 Jul 2024A collection of freshwater gold clams were discovered after guests left a lodge in Ōwhango, in the central North Island.
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The Wellington region that will have the smallest rates rise
16 Jul 2024Although no increase is ever welcomed, these ratepayers have fared the best compared to other areas.
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Fertile land needs protection under housing plan
15 Jul 2024An Auckland councillor says the government's plan to boost housing is just more "Wellington officials determining what is right for our area".
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Marlborough Museum double-locked in 'ridiculous impasse'
11 Jul 2024The council has locked the main doors and kept the keys, while the historical society has padlocked the handles to stop council staff getting in.
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Cold Comfort: Ashburton’s air pollution on track for worst winter in six years
10 Jul 2024People in Ashburton are cranking up their wood burners in the face of the cold winter weather and the town has already breached the high-pollution threshold twice.
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Former councillor calls for early Māori ward polls
10 Jul 2024Councils that want to keep their Māori wards at the next local elections should have to poll their communities beforehand, former local government leader John Bain says.
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Dead eels found in West Coast river
12 Jul 2024The West Coast Regional Council is again investigating dead eels below the Arnold River power scheme.
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'Don't need bottle stores on every corner': New Auckland alcohol rules closer
12 Jul 2024It'll be easier to stop liquor stores being opened in some areas, but people needs to stay vigilant, a local leader warns.
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Wairoa incident raises liability questions for Coast councillors
12 Jul 2024The Wairoa incident - the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's role in not opening a river mouth - is under the spotlight and was front of mind during a recent meeting.
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Mayor calls for Civil Defence levy to help with ‘huge cost’ of disasters
12 Jul 2024Could a levy help fund local Civil Defence responses?
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Tauranga election: Mayoral hopefuls want to rewrite city plan
11 Jul 2024Candidates at a public meeting raised concerns about the plan's $4.9 billion proposed spend and its affordability.
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Call for councillor Martin Bosley to step down from community board
10 Jul 2024It follows a council committee meeting at which Bosley said the thought of giving community boards more power "terrifies" him.
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Whakaari owners want to grant scientists access
8 Jul 2024The family wants to allow monitoring of the volcano, but feels stymied by the court case over the explosion, lawyer says.
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Mapping Tai Rāwhiti's worst eroding land
7 Jul 2024Gisborne District Council plans to designate high-erosion areas where farming and forestry must cease.
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Carterton councillors fear code of conducts silencing their views
6 Jul 2024Alarm bells are ringing for democracy in New Zealand, says the head of NZ's Free Speech Union.
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Manurewa Marae alleged to have politicised vaccination events
5 Jul 2024The accusation follows allegations that the marae misused census data during last year's election.
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New kerbside recycling targets 17,000 homes across Whanganui
4 Jul 2024Recyclables will be collected weekly at the roadside, hand-sorted and disposed of by contractors.
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Old dump site discovered at whitebait restoration site
4 Jul 2024A community effort to create more space for whitebait to spawn in the Whanganui River came up against an unexpected snag.
