On an AT Joyride bus at last! Noel Leeming version on the 25B. No pics yet. #BusLife #LoveAKL

Ok I have left the office for 2025! Auto reply is almost always on but now updated for the summer break. I have a list of jobs for when I’m back in the office, put my plants by the office plants for watering, blocked out my calendar times for Jan & Feb so I don’t get mtgs in slots I can’t do. Phew.

Almost forgot this weird claim from Monday’s council debate about residential parking permit - Cr Lee reckons everyone has a right to park on the road outside their house. Um wot?

Some last minute info and advice about doing a submission for Plan Change 120 from moi, thanks to @cityvision.bsky.social for hosting on their website cityvision.org.nz/news/your-al...

I was riding my bike along Upper Queen St from probably 4.50pm to 4.55pm, all peaceful and no police 🤷🏻‍♀️ www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland/... Man arrested with samurai sword after armed police swarm central Auckland

My giftee has thoughtfully posted last night that they can’t open until after 7pm so I don’t have to stress and refresh all day, phew. Huge thanks to the very magical elves @secretsanta.nz who make this joy happen.

Oh Santa what glorious gifts! Thank you so much! I need a new pot plant for my office and the felt pout is perfect for it, the Matariki lamp is gorgeous (and we are about to do up our bedroom so this is just what I needed) and the tea towel is bright & fun. Love it all ❤️💚 #SecretSantaAoNZ

Anyone can become disabled. Anyone can become chronically ill. It’s not a choice. It’s not a moral failing. It’s not something you can “try harder” your way out of. You can be the healthiest person in the world & completely disabled in an instant. It’s a minority group you can join anytime.

Fun thing about the Herald’s coverage of PC120. Since Thursday 4th Dec they have had an op Ed from me, deputy chair of the relevant council committee, explaining some of the stuff previous op Ed’s got wrong, and encouraging folks to submit. It remains unpublished & no reply to me when I ask why. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Show me a billionaire CEO that works harder than a line cook.

Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are human rights.

I have a medium junior associate who is about to have a fair amount of time off school and is looking for interesting places to visit in AKL - they will do Ikea tomorrow. Interested in day trips to spots on the fringes to explore (have HOP card will travel). Done Hamilton already. Ideas pls!

I really don’t get the city centre hate. It’s become a beautiful place to be. Yet Facebook commenters insist on telling me it’s a wasteland with “roving bands of thugs”. I’m literally here multiple days a week and that’s just nonsense.

I really need a sleep in. It’s been weeks since I’ve been able to have one and lots of extra early starts. Today’s attempt to sleep until 8.30am foiled by stressing about a thing, noisy trucks and being angry at the Herald, sigh. Next opportunity: Sunday. Wish me luck.

DECK THE HALLS WITH PROPER STAFFING #nzpol #healthcare #northshorehospital

Can anyone point me to the clip of Tze Ming schooling Bishop on whst neoliberalism is when he tried to be all “what are words anyway”? Tia fellow nerd(s)

Saw a v cute dog run ahead of their person, to hide in the long grass, unaware they had on a neon pink top, bless.

Anyone else got local Nat MPs getting all up in local govt issues while assidously avoiding local concerns about central govt ones like health, education, stalled Kāinga Ora builds, policing? Got an MP having a public meeting about speed bumps on a street that’s had them for about 20 years 🤦🏻‍♀️

Proof of Present! Thank you Secret Santa, it has arrived!

A rates cap ensures two things: 1. Future councils may not have the resources to do necessary things. 2. Due to 1 above, the rates will always increase to the maximum value.

The government does not believe in local democracy. #nzpol

I'll be very interested to see the analysis Mnr Watts has that shows a rates cap range of 2-4% is viable. And any evidence that rates are currently in the unaffordable range. I ask council staff every time if the rates proposed are within the affordable range (as % of income); so far always yes.

AKL's situation on withdrawing MDRS has been v different from Chch's, despite reports today suggesting otherwise. Mythbuster coming soon from Council, I understand Minister had already told Herald it was different before they published. Sigh. PC120 process doesn't need more misinfo tyvm.

It's been A Week. Between PC120 and Eden Park I've had hardly a moment to think or reply to emails and it's eating away at me. Two councillor clinics to do tomorrow, and one on Sunday morning, and then an arvo with the most junior associate and some rocks.

We look so good compared to [checks list] Hong Kong which [checks notes] launched a citywide uprising in the face of the world's largest authoritarian government riding a nothing-left-to-lose mentality captured by the line "7k for a house like a cell/you really think we out here scared of jail?"

Kids maybe don’t read Marilyn Waring’s book chronicling her time in the National caucus before bed; I dreamt that my mum was an MP and she and another MP were having this ongoing argument w Muldoon who was deputy PM and Holyoake was there too as PM and I was trying to facilitate…

When someone says Auckland's housing isn't so unaffordable by reading out other cities that are worse, and it's basically this list. These are the MOST unaffordable housing markets in the world. There are only 11 housing markets worse than Auckland, on this measure (which has it's issues). 😠

FTR for those who were watching Auckland Council's Governing Body earlier and there was a big blow up by Cr Lee about the new Standing Orders - he didn't attend the (open) workshop on it last week where we had some very robust discussions, which staff then captured in the changes put to us today.

If you live in AKL please check out this amazing opportunity - I supported the Advisory Panels last term and they are amazing folks who get a chance to have real influence on Auckland Council's organisation and politically. ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2025/11...

Thanks to Jessica Hopkins for covering the elected member survey highlighting abuse towards politicians in local govt, & asking me about it. It's way worse for others too. I hope by talking about this we can change this culture. (Limiting replies on this for obv reasons!)

Hot tip for #SecretSantaAoNZ sleuthers: check out the media feed on their profile, as the photos they share can spark some good ideas. Better Living Everyone.

#SecretSantaAoNZ I am a little fussy about some things but mostly welcome anything creative, second hand, and/or handmade (by someone else is grand too!) Fussiness: dark choc only and nothing alcoholic or w coffee thx, I tend to react to lpts of skin stuff so best avoid. Faves: feminism..

So in a few month's time when the govt is telling you the social media under 16 age ban is to protect children, remember that they don't actually care about children's safety. They don't care about trans kids. They don't care about tamariki Māori. They don't care about feeding kids. #nzpol

In case you needed reminding that gender affirming care is reproductive healthcare, comments sections about the puberty blocker ban are full of anti-abortion eggs crowing about it today

Damn i missed sign ups for Secret Santa 😢

If they can ban access to healthcare like puberty blockers for one group of people, they can do this with any healthcare for their next target. They will ban abortion again given the chance and they will come after contraception after that. The anti-choice movement is our govt right now. #nzpol

Fellow passenger on the 30 was moving a solid wooden chair. #Quaxing #BusLife

Auckland’s traffic is bad because we built all our houses in Massey and Papakura to avoid upsetting the inhospitable residents of our inner city suburbs thespinoff.co.nz/society/19-1...

The cruelty is a feature. It’s not ok. We must must must protect trans kids #TransRightsAreHumanRights

Pretty cool seeing the mix of folks in Tāmaki Makaurau’s city centre for Metallica and the World Indigenous People’s Conference on Education. Delightful juxtapositions in clothing 🥰

I’m doing extra councillor clinics this month to help answer queries about Plan Change 120. I’m at the Albert Eden Gardens Fest at Western Springs Halls until 1pm today, at Epsom Library 3.30pm-5.30pm Monday, Wesley Markets 9-11 Tuesday, more tbc. Come have a chat (about anything) :)

Btw over on the other site I got a response that I know about bad apples cos I married one, because apparently the correct response to my rage over a cover up of sexual abuse by our highest level cops is to tribally reply “I know you are but what am I” 🤦🏻‍♀️ sure dude.

First AKL Council discussion of the new term about the Annual Budget for 26/26 (a briefing from staff and chance to ask questions) and 15 minutes in we still have Cr Fletcher, Watson, Lee, Turner and Filipaina missing. First four are often very critical of council finances and spending... 🤔

This is not just some "bad apples" in the Police that happen to be all gone now. No. This is yet another example of systemic gendered violence and the weaponisation of the law against victims of gendered violence. Police protect power. #nzpol

Why do we keep missing the second half of the saying? A few bad apples *spoil the bunch*. These aren't the 'few', they are the spoiled bunch - and the answer surely involves going thru the apples one-by-one until no 'few' are left to do the spoiling?

Why (some) men great til they gotta be great, again. We went through Louise Nicholas; bad apples, never again. We went through Roastbusters; bad apples, never again. We go through this every couple of years, and that’s just what gets made public. It’s not good enough. We all deserve better.

If the barrel keeps having rotten apples put in, or apples are turning rotten once inside, at what point do you accept there’s a system problem? Why are rotten apples put in? Why are they going rotten once in? And why aren’t (more) politicians asking this about police?

It’s a hard life being a bus seat. Respect. #BusLife

In my late teens and early 20s I was involved in a lot of protests that sometimes included peaceful occupations of offices such as MOE, university admin and once a uni library (including overnight stays). Even the steps of Parliament for a day in 1996. I was only trespassed once, for a feminist…