For Immediate Release
January 30, 2007

Billboard Bylaw Threatens Charity Funding

Auckland City Council’s proposed billboard ban bylaw will cost charity organisations more than three-quarters of a million dollars in donated advertising this year.

Auckland members of the Outdoor Advertising Association of New Zealand (OAANZ) donated more than $750,000 in advertising and promotional space to charity and community organisations in 2006 year to assist those groups with awareness and fund-raining efforts.

The ban is also placing Auckland City’s own AK07 Arts festival at risk just as the festival organising committee is about to begin a planned $200,000 plus billboard marketing and ticket sales campaign. That space has been donated by the billboard industry.

“I don’t think the Auckland City Council realises just how much harm they will be doing to organisations such as Starship Hospital, World Vision, the Variety Club, the RSPCA, the Cancer Society and the Auckland City Mission,” says Outdoor Advertising Association chairman, Duncan Harris.

“As a group we donated almost $150,000 in billboard space to World Vision and the Preventing Violence in the Homes campaigns alone last year while groups as diverse as the Silo Theatre, SAFE, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the Hepatitis Resource Centre also received help from members of our organisation.

“Many of those who received our assistance are groups who can’t afford extensive high profile TV commercials or radio campaigns.

“Given the current proposal by Council many of my members are now reluctant to go ahead with this year’s support for AK07 and at least 75% of the space we’re donating this year would be gone next year should the Council go ahead with this ill thought out proposal.”

Mr Harris said the restrictions do not just apply to the 200 billboards in the CBD as claimed in the initial Council proposal and all 575 billboard sites across Auckland City were potentially under threat.

“There are three separate clauses in the new proposals that can apply restrictions to any billboard in Auckland City.”

Mr Harris said that colleagues in the signage industry were also under threat from a separate bylaw proposal for street and building signage.
“Under the new proposal 63% of the signs in Queen St - including major banks, businesses, department stores, small business and shops with a presence on the street - will become illegal and can be torn down.

“Who knows what impact that will have in shopping and business precincts like Newmarket, Panmure, Greenwoods Corner, Dominion Rd, Sylvia Park, Mt Eden and St Lukes.

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