Donations pour in for charter boat victim, Singing Cowboy offered new teeth, and motorbike riders tear up park

It seemed appropriate for Easter to have been chosen for the revelation of the likely future of Auckland’s so-far ill-fated [light rail project](. In the Christian world, Easter is a time to celebrate resurrection, and in the world of contemporary Auckland infrastructure, [if anything needed resurrecting it was light rail](. The plan to run light rail from the CBD to Mt Roskill and on to the airport was unveiled in late 2014 by the council agency Auckland Transport (AT). [Auckland Mayor Phil Goff]( was elected in late 2016 with light rail as an election pledge. A year later, both Labour and the Greens were elected with a similar policy. At that point it all went pear-shaped. To Goff’s delight, the government pledged to fully fund light rail and it was taken off AT and [given to its state counterpart Waka Kotahi](. Then, dazzled by a [something-for-nothing deal from a fusion of the Super Fund]( and a Canadian pension fund, the nonsense really began and the [Ministry of Transport was given the job]( of weighing up two competing and quite different proposals in secret. [Light rail went on ice in mid-2020]( when coalition partner New Zealand First vetoed pushing ahead with the private sector proposal. Goff’s readiness to surrender sovereignty over light rail can be contrasted to the handling of the [City Rail Link]( by his predecessor Len Brown. Brown was elected mayor of the amalgamated Auckland in 2010, pledging to build the country’s most transformative public transport project: Underground rail tunnels creating a rail loop through the CBD. Brown persevered in the face of initial hostility from the John Key-led government, and even committed the council to initial works before the government fully came on board. [CRL is well underway]( largely on time, while [light rail faces a new beginning]( more than six years after first seeing the light of day. Goff and his deputy get seats on a joint establishment unit during six months of public consultation, and hopefully a new business case by Christmas. This is a time to put government bungling and Auckland acquiescence in the past and [deliver the light rail project that Auckland needs](. Read more from Todd Niall here [Read more]( A [Givealittle page]( set up in memory of the 25-year-old woman who died [after falling from a charter boat in the Waitematā Harbour]( has [raised more than $15,000]( in 48 hours. Danielle Tamarua died of critical injuries after she fell overboard a Zefiro Charters boat on Thursday evening. She had been on board the vessel with fellow staff from LittleWolf Catering, which she had [recently joined as a part-time chef](. The Givealittle page was created on Saturday to raise funds for Tamarua’s partner and her two young children. [One of Auckland's busiest intersections explained]( [Offer to pay for Singing Cowboy's new teeth]( [Residents avoid park 'overrun with motorbike hoons']( [Iwi finds silver lining in lockdowns]( You've received this email because you have opted in to receive Your Auckland from Stuff Did a friend forward this to you? [Sign up to get Your Auckland]( to your inbox [Unsubscribe]( [Newsletter Settings]( [Privacy Policy]( [Advertise]( [Feedback](