Big Day Out Backs Save The Trees Campaign

18 January 2005

Big Day Out Backs Save The Trees Campaign

Big Day Out promoters Campbell Smith and Ken West waded into the controversy surrounding Auckland's developing tree crisis this morning.

"I built the Local Produce with my own hands but I didn't chop down a single Auckland tree to do so," said Smith, clearly deranged from sleep deprivation just two days out from the Big event.

Sydney resident West has built the Big Day Out into Australasia's greatest annual musical event over the past fifteen years. He said, "Most of the trees in my home town are about as good-looking as my 97 year-old aunt and they are full of squawking birds who sound just like her."

"When I fly into Auckland I see a lot of nice trees and when I land here, the songbirds remind of what a truly musical country this is. You want trees and you want songbirds. You don't want the council to cut anything down except rates. The Big Day Out loudly and explicitly supports the campaign to save Queen St's trees by screaming 'save those f**king trees'."

After an extraordinary Auckland City Council meeting last night, the Council bowed to pressure from Save The Trees, agreeing to save three of the liquidambers, replace 17 diseased liquidambers with other mature exotic varieties, plant a bunch of native nikaus, pohutakawa and rata further down the street and none of those messy cabbage trees.

STT group leader Lesley Max and Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard both released statements expressing satisfaction with the outcome. Big Day Out promoter Campbell Smith was less than convinced.

"Never accept wooden coins. Buy your tickets from a reputable outlet before Friday. And YES the White Stripes ARE playing," he concluded.

BIG DAY OUT 2006
FRIDAY JANUARY 20TH
ERICSSON STADIUM

ENDS

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