OPINION: Today, the story should've been about Auckland. Instead, it is - in part - about a mayor, his media team and an attempt to control the message.
The country's leading television networks and its largest news site were locked out, as Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown presented his final budget proposal to public and private stakeholders.
The explanation given to Stuff was: "We invited a select few journalists from media outlets who we feel were best able to convey the mayor's message".
Then the story changed - "limited capacity" was to blame, Newshub was told.
Whatever the reason, had it not been for our arguments with mayoral staff over the e-gates blocking access, you wouldn't have seen Mayor Brown's budget proposal on the television news tonight.
In Auckland, that's hundreds of thousands of ratepayers who rely on our programmes, apps and websites to stay informed.
Yes, there would've been other outlets - but apparently, only those the mayor's team felt were "best able to convey" his message.
Auckland Council and the Office of the Mayor have long maintained constructive, sometimes prickly, but ultimately positive working relationships with all media - deemed friend or foe.
Under Mayor Wayne Brown, this is no longer the case - access is scarce and restricted.
In the absence of a single interview being granted to me, my personal technique has been to approach the mayor at public functions.
Mayor Brown's press secretary Josh van Veen today told me this amounts to an "ambush".
I see it as attending open-access, ratepayer-funded events to ask Mayor Brown fundamental questions about council business.
Such questions could easily be covered off in a sit-down interview, I told van Veen. Interviews I have previously been denied.
Time will tell if he sees it the same way.
Aucklanders will pay Mayor Brown an annual salary of $296,000 this term.
With that comes accountability, but don't take it from me:
"Ultimately, the mayor is democratically accountable to the public for his or her conduct," Auckland Council's Governance Manual reads.
His task right now is formulating a balanced budget and there's no doubt the budget will see Aucklanders pay more in rates.
The Mayor announced this morning that would be a minimum of 6.7 percent - higher than council consulted on.
The Mayor is convinced selling Auckland Airport shares is the way to go, but many of his colleagues are either opposed or on the fence.
Mayor Brown needs the numbers to carry out his plan, and in local body politics, this requires a tactful approach - think charm offensive, rather than offensive.
Today, he called some of his colleagues "not financially literate".
These are important matters that are playing out in our biggest city. Matters that will hit the hip pocket of Aucklanders. Matters that need to be scrutinised to uphold the fundamentals of democracy.
Instead, it's the Mayor and his relationship with us "media drongos" that is deflecting attention.
Nick Truebridge is a reporter for Newshub.
