In The News
New Plymouth District Council joins opposition to seabed mine
New Plymouth’s council has joined the opposition to seabed mining in South Taranaki, saying the would-be miner lacks credibility and evidence of environmental safety.
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Bulk of New Plymouth District Councillors oppose seabed mining
The bulk of district councillors in New Plymouth have voted to draw a line in the sand and oppose seabed mining in the South Taranaki Bight. Amanda Clinton-Gohdes is the councillor who tabled the motion, and she spoke to Corin Dann.
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NPDC to decide its stance
A motion to oppose seabed mining in the South Taranaki Bight will go before the New Plymouth District Council on Tuesday.
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Last-gasp U-turn keeps Military Settler’s name off Taranaki park
Manutahi Park is a green space planned for the middle of Lepperton, a 20-minute drive from the city.
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Far from a ‘bog standard’ seabed
Amanda criticises Minister Shane Jones' "bog standard" description of the South Taranaki Bight seabed, arguing that recent scientific evidence shows the area supports rare ecosystems and that mining risks outweigh potential $70m royalties.
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Councillor ‘appalled’ by changes to school speed limits
New Plymouth ratepayers face the prospect of having to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to comply with a Government order to change permanent school speed limits to variable limits over the next few months.
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Speed limit changes outside schools branded 'ideologically-driven nonsense' by New Plymouth Mayor
The government is requiring streets outside schools with permanent 30kmh speed limits revert to variable speed limits by July 2026.
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Councils to collaborate on public transport network
New Plymouth councillors look set to get a formal say in how their district’s public transport is run.
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Public transport lament, a hate filled campaign and culture wars
Amanda urges Taranaki Regional Council to reject staff recommendations for a "business as usual" public transport plan, calling for a more transformative system despite the proposal being designed without proper peer review.
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Councillors: Huge increase in housing needed
There are plenty of other opportunities we as a wider community can explore to address the huge increase in housing need across Taranaki.
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Council commits millions for new affordable housing
After decades of not adding to its affordable housing stocks, the New Plymouth District Council has committed $12 million over the next three years to build dozens of units on land it owns.
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A narrow disappointment, co-governance, and small ways to make big differences
Amanda criticises local media's narrow focus on sports facilities while ignoring other key Long Term Plan issues like housing, transport, and climate action.
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Council not ‘fawning’ for central Government funding
George Richardson’s opinion piece is a frustrating oversimplification of the recent pedestrian and cycleway project.
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Time to do something about better public transport
New Plymouth District councillors have recently spent almost four days listening to impassioned, angry, learned, humorous and sometimes inspiring submissions from the New Plymouth community about cycleways.
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It is time for responsible action on climate change
Local government officials need to act urgently to make sure that our region’s infrastructure is fit for purpose for the increasingly severe weather events that are undoubtedly around the corner.
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Councillor calls for stronger vaping laws
Amanda Clinton-Gohdes' push for greater regulations comes after five New Plymouth retailers were caught selling vaping products to minors.
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Taranaki councillors call for more young parents to stand as candidates
Two of Taranaki’s first term councillors are encouraging other mothers as well as fathers to stand at the upcoming local body elections to create more diversity among elected members.
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Debate heats up over future of earthquake prone city car park
After a heated debate, a New Plymouth District Council committee has voted to spend $4.79 million on strengthening the city's earthquake-prone multi-storey Downtown car park.
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Council committee recommends pressing on with $570k headland walkway
New Plymouth district councillors have recommended pushing ahead with a $570,000 pathway around a hillock which includes a historic pā.
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The crisis of rental, public, and emergency housing facing Taranaki
Over the years, we have heard much about the housing crisis. In reading the news, you would be forgiven for thinking that the problem in Taranaki is confined to the increases in house prices and the difficulty first home buyers face getting into the market.
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Māori wards: Moving the law towards justice
In my time studying and practising law, if there is one thing I have learnt, it is that the law often has little to do with justice.
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Baby Clinton-Gohdes could be on council attendee list in 2021
There are 15 elected members, numerous staff, occasionally Chalky the dog and soon Baby Clinton-Gohdes could be the latest attendee in the New Plymouth District Council chamber.
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NPDC climate report inadequate for big decisions ahead, says councillor
A New Plymouth District councillor has criticised a climate change impact report that she says does not give adequate information ahead of big decisions facing the council.
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Green school decision is a symptom of a wider issue
When a bad decision is made, we should always look at the process for how we got there. Because if a decision is bad, most often the process behind it is, too.
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EVs put New Plymouth on road to cleaner future
The first of two EVs in a New Plymouth District Council trial is on the road to help plug the council into a greener, cleaner future.
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Parking a hot topic on New Plymouth councillors' CBD walks
If you didn't know there’s now an hour’s free metered parking in New Plymouth’s CBD, you’re not the only one. Confusion over parking was raised with New Plymouth district councillors as they walked through the CBD this week.
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We could have a recovery or we could reimagine our future
In the last few weeks, the world that we know has changed more than any of us thought it could. We stroll empty streets, past closed shops. We socialise through screens alone. We have experienced the unprecedented use of the word unprecedented.
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New Plymouth mayor reveals committee structure for new term
New Plymouth's mayor has shaken up the district council's committees for the forthcoming term, while two newcomers have launched straight into chair positions.
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Meet the next generation of elected leaders in Taranaki, Manawatū and Hawkes Bay
For the 2019 local council elections, we are profiling and promoting young (under 40 years old) independent candidates who agree with the vision and values outlined in our community’s crowdsourced vision Te Ira Tāngata and have demonstrated a commitment to climate solutions and Te Tiriti o Waitangi
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Lawyer resigns to stand for Council
In June this year, Amanda Clinton-Gohdes resigned from her role as a Commercial and Property lawyer with Legal Solutions to stand for New Plymouth District Council. “Being a Councillor is a serious role, and it deserves a serious response” says Clinton-Gohdes. If elected, Clinton-Gohdes will dedicate herself to the role full-time.
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Fed up with 'the election name game'? Let's change it
This morning the Taranaki Daily News published an article about the strategy of selling yourself in a local election, ‘the election name game’ they called it. Local politics has, in the past, been just that – a game where the players do all they can to get their name recognised.
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