13 MAY 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

While Nelson’s Mayor declares a "climate change emergency", the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is declaring a "hypocrisy emergency" covering Nelson City.

The Taxpayers’ Union is releasing details of the Mayor’s 36,000km round climate junket to Copenhagen, which was primarily to view a yet-to-be-open climate change museum.

“It is incredible for Mayor Reese to declare a climate emergency, considering her own brazen contribution to carbon emissions. The Mayor should be sticking to her knitting – Nelson’s roads and rubbish – making hypocritical declarations about global issues.”

“Information obtained by the Union shows that Mayor Rachel Reese spent four nights at a luxury hotel in Copenhagen costing the ratepayer nearly $2,000, and all ratepayers were left with is the bill and emissions.”

“Incredibly, there wasn’t even a climate conference, or even a climate conference centre. The Mayor flew to Denmark to look at a ‘Climatorium’, which is still being built, and a road which absorbs water to heat a kindergarten.”

The Climatorium building is not set to be opened until 2020. According to reports, the Mayor hoped to pitch the idea to the European Union for Nelson to have its own southern hemisphere Climatorium. In previous public comments, the Mayor has suggested that taxpayers should foot the bill via the Provincial Growth Fund.

ENDS

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