6 November 2011

Miramar Cutting Panel member calls for Airport transparency

Miramar Cutting Panel member and anti-Wellywood protester Andy Boreham is calling on Wellington Airport to announce the details of public submissions for alternative installations that were withheld from the Panel.

"The Airport have withheld around one third of entries from the Panel and, despite numerous requests for more information on the submissions, I have been ignored," he says. "I am guessing that the entries called for 'no sign' or similar, which would make it the most popular entry by far, but the vetted entries could also include other ideas that should have been considered by the Panel, but which were deemed unsuitable by the Airport, for whatever reason."

Andy says he feels that the Airport is jeopardising the agreement that the process would remain transparent and open.

"Our agreement with the Airport included the process remaining 'as transparent as practicable in order to enhance community confidence in the process', and I feel the removal of so many public submissions to be a serious breach of this agreement."

"The reason I accepted the Airport's request to be a part of this Panel was because I was promised transparency and honesty. I don't feel the Airport have upheld their end of the deal by vetting entries that they deemed unsuitable - that was never part of the deal and I would never have agreed to such a process."

Andy says that if the information is not made available then he will be forced to resign from the Panel.

"The current situation leaves me feeling nervous about the process and my continued involvement - if the Airport can't provide specific information on all of the entries that were withheld then I can no longer confidently remain a part of this process."

ENDS

© Scoop Media