Lisa Prager Throws Hat Into Mayoralty Ring

Lisa Prager was a founding member and spokesperson for Wake Up Auckland (WUA), 2001. WUA was a grass roots organisation that grew in opposition to the election of ex-Mayor John Banks and the suggestions proposed in the Birch Report.

At this time Prager fought against the sale of pensioner housing and argued strongly that the Airport Shares were a blue chip investment that should not be sold off.

The Birch Report advocated the privatisation of public assets and amenities such as libraries, swimming pools, public housing, transport and essential public services like water and ports.

Ms Prager was directly involved in defeating the Mayoral coup in 2006, where the Mayors of Auckland secretly called upon the Government to suspend elections while they divided up the regional assets. (See Metro Magazine Article November 2006)

A supporter of the Water Pressure Group, who call for the abolition of the profit-making model Metrowater, Prager recently helped expose the fact that Metrowater had made a $63 million dollar profit, hidden under Council confidentiality at the business and finance committee level.

“We need to lift the cloak of secrecy at all council meetings and ensure that all financial issues are done in an open, transparent and accountable way”

As an event producer Prager has produced large complex, corporate events where financial management and public safety are her personal responsibility.

Lisa Prager represents the person on the street, the ordinary citizen.

She is not a millionaire, but proud to be a small business co-owner running a new espresso bar, Garnet Station at 85 Garnet Rd, Westmere.

For the last six years in her role as public watch dog Prager has focused her attention on issues like the sale of Westhaven Marina, the Tank Farm development and (the fact that the public is expected to pay for the pollution left behind by the petrochemical companies.)

Prager was an active member in the rates revolt, which saw thousands of Aucklander’s refusing to pay their ARC rates. This resulted in a change of policy and a change of the chair at the ARC.

“I oppose Auckland City being run like a business, for business by business. The public is the shareholder in this city. It is their interests that I want to see protected” says Ms Prager

Prager believes public transport in Auckland is a blatant example of corporate welfare.

“I support publicly owned public transport. Why should the public subsidise private bus companies to the tune of millions of dollars when we could own and operate our own system with the amount of cash they get paid each year?

Prager believes the Metrowater fiasco, currently before a parliamentary select committee, is an example of how big business uses the council structure to set up and run its business at arms length. “The public ends up becoming the cash cow milked dry by greedy global companies.”

Prager sees yet another example of corporate welfare in the Auckland Growth Strategy, which does not take into account the concerns of the public. Clearly, Prager asserts, the changes in zoning and building activities are resulting in ugly, unsustainable housing developments where the developer profits but the public will be “paying” for a long time to come.

“This idea of growth at all costs must be seriously questioned if we are to develop into a better, more liveable city. In short it is our council, our money and we the people have a statutory right to know how every cent is being spent.”

ENDS