Stop Skycity Gambling with Taxpayer Funds

New Zealand First Deputy Leader Tracey Martin says Parliament now has the chance to protect both taxpayers and Auckland ratepayers from potential financial disaster.

This follows the drawing of Ms Martin’s Member’s Bill, to repeal the New Zealand International Convention Centre Act 2013, from the Member’s ballot yesterday.

“Following SkyCity’s high profile request for taxpayer support for the multi-million-dollar centre, New Zealanders have made it clear they don’t want to financially prop up a listed company,” says Ms Martin.

“The time to stop this agreement and minimise Government liability is now.

“When SkyCity recently asked for public money to be invested it raised serious doubt over the efficacy of the Act as good public policy and it should therefore be repealed.

“It is our view that this request highlighted the real danger of breaching one of the main objectives of the New Zealand International Convention Centre Project and Licensing Agreement, which is to have a convention centre ‘designed and constructed in accordance with contemporary international design standards’.”

“This agreement cannot stand without the NZICC Act 2013, so the time to repeal the Act is before SkyCity starts to build and any compensation clauses to SkyCity can be fully enacted.

“Parliament can now debate the SkyCity Convention Centre again and I urge Members of Parliament to support the necessary changes to the Act through my New Zealand International Convention Centre Act 2013 Repeal Bill.

“We must stop taxpayers and ratepayers from the real danger of being financially liable,” says Ms Martin

ENDS

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