Auckland mayor Len Brown remains adamant he can achieve some of his key goals and biggest challenges as he marks the end of his first six months in office.
Mr Brown has led the settling in of the country's largest local authority, presiding over a council made up of representatives from the eight merged local bodies.
He told Morning Report he is confident there will be wider support for a $2 billion rail tunnel through the CBD despite continuing muted messages from central Government.
Mr Brown is also pointing to major projects like a national convention centre, and marine and technology developments.
He says this is not a wish list, but a way to deliver strong economic growth, with Auckland eventually contributing 50% of the country's GDP.
