Stories by Matthew Rosenberg

The homeowner has been arguing the increase is "drastically unfair and unjust".

A plan to install a raised safety platform at a busy Invercargill intersection has come to a crashing halt following objections from councillors.

The owner pointed out there had been zero increase to the value of their section in that time, and lacks access to key council services.

A suitcase purchased at an "exorbitant" price by Invercargill City Council for the sole purpose of bringing gifts home from Japan has not been used since.

The $750 suitcase was bought with ratepayer funds for the sole purpose of bringing gifts home from Japan.

An image of a possible mouse caught on Stewart Island/Rakiura pest monitoring cameras has sparked concern.

Missing macrons in an Invercargill City Council report has led to a request from mana whenua to do better.

RealNZ-operated Fiordland Navigator ran aground with 67 crew and passengers who were forced to evacuate last month.

An Invercargill city councillor publicly derided the use of te reo Māori in names after a misunderstanding.

A lack of data held by the Department of Corrections on accommodation for former prisoners has raised concern among law and criminology experts.

The closure of a Gisborne garden due to asbestos contamination has upset a volunteer, who dedicated more than 20 years of his life to working the soil there.

A swathe of challenges face the Tai Rāwhiti freshwater supply including climate change, scarcity and wastage.

An investigation into the death of a Gisborne dog at the hands of council staff has detailed the sorry state the animal was returned to its owners in.

The stress of "consultation fatigue" is being felt by tangata whenua, according to two Māori ward councillors who have spoken out at recent meetings.

A Gisborne district councillor has apologised to the mayor after criticising the council's approach to risk.

Public consultation will soon begin on a strategy to address the need for 5000 additional homes in Tai Rāwhiti by 2050.

Minutes for Gisborne District Council workshops, which are effectively held in secret, are not as readily available as indicated by the mayor.

A theatre group is "fed up" after a last-minute change in direction by Gisborne councillors left them with an uncertain future.

Around 10,000km will be clocked up by a small aluminium boat criss-crossing the waters of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa this month.

About 90 percent of community feedback was in favour of accepting the all-or-nothing government support package for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery in Tai Rāwhiti, Gisborne District Council says.

Meng Foon's unconsented Gisborne seawall has raised concerns about its potential environmental impact.

The public could soon be informed about workshops at Gisborne District Council, after the Ombudsman called for more council transparency nationwide.

Unconsented work on a Gisborne foreshore undertaken by former mayor Meng Foon has been halted by the district council he once represented.

A report presented to the council lays bare a stark warning that plant and animal control gains could be lost.

Urgent repairs to Gisborne's wastewater outfall pipe will close a section of Midway Beach for at least five days.