Last Saturday took Celia Wade-Brown (Wellington's previous mayor) to catch the 7:30 am ferry to Auckland. But it didn't arrive. Not till 8:00am. Even caught Fullers staff by surprise - not forgetting the World Masters athletes. We went over later. To visit Body Laid Bare. Enjoyed a bun in Takutai Square and clocked Tiffany's. Got me thinking. Came back on the noon ferry. Left half full even though there was a big queue waiting. Apparently there weren't enough staff. Talk about shambles. Anyway, enough of that....

• Auckland: Just Another Little Global City?

• Water Meters and Empty House Statistics

• Auckland's Dispossessed Generation

Two essays in this lot - the first and the last go together. These are serious reflections on where Auckland is headed and what the plan is. The water meter idea came out of NZPI's conference. The Aussies are doing it - reading electricity and water meters to identify homes that are being held empty by land-bank investors. The theory being that if you don't measure it - you can't manage it.

Joel is a Consultant specialising in public policy, urban planning, governance and stakeholder management. He was a city and regional councillor and continues to take an active interest in planning issues. After completing a Masters Degree in Planning at University of Auckland, he has embarked on further research into waterfront planning and urban governance. He is retained as the New Zealand Planning Institute's senior policy analyst.

© Scoop Media