MEDIA RELEASE

MĀORI STATUTORY BOARD’S $270K LEGAL BILL AN ABUSE OF PROCESS

4 MAY 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance says that the $273,431 legal bill for the Independent Māori Statutory Board’s failed legal challenge of the Unitary Plan is an abuse of process and the rights of ratepayers.

Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Jo Holmes, says, “The Independent Māori Statutory Board’s role is to ensure that the view of Māori in the Auckland region is taken into account when Auckland Council makes its decisions. Here, a very clear democratic decision was made by the Council but the IMSB wasted nearly $300,000 to try and overrule it.”

"What’s worse is that we understand it cost the Council more than half a million dollars to defend the appeal – a ridiculous situation where ratepayers are funding both sides of a totally unjustified exercise.”

“The IMSB needs to be reined in. It needs to understand that it is a consultation body to assist the Council, not a co-governing body that trumps ratepayers’ right to democracy.”

ENDS

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