RDRR Demands an Apology From Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick And Council And PR Reforms

Press Release: Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers, Monday 7 August 2017

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After a week of trying to blame the Rotorua Daily Post, the Rotorua Review, the New Zealand Taxpayers Union and the RDRR for undermining the Mudtopia Festival, public pushback against the ridiculous decision to buy mud from South Korea has finally forced Mayor Steve Chadwick and her followers to back down. The RDRR demands an apology for the vilification and an assurance that the cynical use of Council PR campaigns will end.

“RDRR members were horrified by the proposed waste of $90,000 to buy mud, the potential bio-security and health risks, and the very poor judgement involved,” said Glenys Searancke, RDRR Chair. “The Mayor and her Cultural Ambassador Cr Trevor Maxwell made a unilateral decision to buy mud that made Rotorua the laughing stock of the world. But worse, they got the majority on Council to back a PR campaign led by Craig Tiriana that blamed others, to distract attention from their stupidity.”

“The PR campaign was an attempted cover up of a dumb decision that back fired badly,” added RDRR-endorsed Cr Raj Kumar. “Cr Sturt was right when he called it a ‘PR nightmare’ but it was of their own making. He and others of the Mayor’s supporters now need to explain why they agreed to the cover up, how they propose to restore Rotorua’s reputation internationally and ensure the success of the Mudtopia Festival, and how they will prevent any future abuse by the Council’s spin doctors of the media and legitimate stakeholders who have every right to be critical.”

“A genuine apology and a clean out of Council’s PR would provide an honourable end to this sordid affair,” advised Reynold Macpherson, RDRR Secretary. “While we support Mudtopia, we are deeply sceptical of Council’s repeated attempts to get into business ventures that always seem to end up wasting scarce public resources. They have no business getting into business and need leadership that focuses on improving core service delivery.”

The RDRR said that it is determined to end the waste on risky ventures and PR campaigns, prevent bio-security and health risks, and improve Council’s judgement. It warmly thanks the NZTU for bringing Porky the Waste-hating Pig to Rotorua. It congratulates the media for their effective role as critics and conscience of society. It acknowledges all those who contributed advice and support via RDRR’s Facebook and the joint NZTU-RDRR online petition at www.stopthemud.nz

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