Goff’s statue promotion a slap in the face for ratepayers

16 JULY 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mayor Phil Goff’s decision to fund a 50 metre statue is an insult to Aucklanders currently facing rate hikes and fuel taxes, says the Auckland Ratepayers Alliance.

Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson Jo Holmes says, “Phil Goff justifies his fuel tax by saying Auckland Council is desperate for money to fund infrastructure. Now, in a slap to the face for ratepayers, we see the funds being frittered away on a 50-metre vanity project.

"This is exactly the kind of ‘nice-to-have’ spending that the Mayor should be eliminating while he tries to get council finances under control.”

“We’re not against public art, but this is on a different scale entirely. A Statue of Liberty-scale monument, at the entrance to the harbour, reeks of legacy-building.”

“The Council should have asked Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to fund their project independently – they can certainly afford it. Instead, ratepayers are being asked to fork out for a religious statue that lacks relevance to the average Aucklander.”

ENDS

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