Wednesday 23 Jan 2002

The sudden death today of Auckland Regional Council chairman Phil Warren is a tragedy, says ACT leader Richard Prebble, a long-time friend of Mr Warren.

"Phil has been `Mr Auckland' for a number of years," Mr Prebble said.

"He was a great networker who had an enormous range of friends from all political parties and all backgrounds, and I include myself in that list.

"When I was Labour MP for Auckland Central, Phil Warren used to provide me free-of-charge his Ace of Clubs night club, for meetings, although he wasn't a constituent of Auckland Central and I doubt he was even a Labour voter. He was equally generous to a wide range of other organisations.

"In a city grappling with several serious problems, such as transport, Phil's leadership will be missed. Perhaps the biggest loss of all will be his ability, through his genuine affability, to get people from a wide range of backgrounds to sit around together to consider what is best for the city," Mr Prebble said.

ENDS

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