Media Release
City-Vision Labour Councillors - Auckland City Council
For Immediate release
Thursday 7 February 2008

Right-wing Councillors block bipartisan representation on SH20 group

City Vision-Labour councillors are shocked and disappointed by David Hay's Citizens and Ratepayers (C&R) team who today blocked bipartisan representation on the Transit-led State Highway 20 (SH20) Waterview Reference Group.

The first meeting of the Council's Transport Committee held today was to decide on at least two representatives to participate in the Transit-led SH20 Waterview Reference Group. If more than two representatives were identified then the Transport Committee could write to Transit NZ to outline why more than two representatives were requested.

Deputy Mayor David Hay proposed that Council's representatives be Avondale-Roskill Councillor Noelene Raffills and Avondale Community Board Chair Duncan McDonald, neither of whom are members of Council's Transport Committee. City Vision-Labour councillors supported the inclusion of a community board chair to represent the affected communities of Avondale, Eden-Albert, Roskill and Western Bays but as City Vision-Labour's leader, Councillor Richard Northey says "It is extremely important for a representative from the Transport Committee to be included on this group.

"Western Bays City Vision Councillor Graeme Easte is the sole Transport Committee member who is an elected representative from the four communities affected and is the natural choice for inclusion on the reference group. To add Councillor Raffills from Avondale-Roskill and Board Chair McDonald from Avondale would ensure a well-rounded representative group from Council".

However, David Hay and his C&R colleagues were not prepared to adopt a bipartisan approach and voted against the inclusion of Councillor Easte on the reference group.

Councillor Richard Northey says "City Vision-Labour councillors are dismayed by the C&R blocking of representation from an able member of our group. This flies in the face of their claims to bipartisanship and excludes the communities of Western Bays and Eden-Albert from the Transit-led SH20 Waterview Reference Group."

ENDS

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