Responding to news that Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop has rejected Wellington City Council’s calls to remove ten buildings from the Heritage List, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said:

“Wellington ratepayers are drowning in the cost of propping up buildings like the Town Hall, which on its own is costing every household up to $4,000. When by some miracle Wellington Council agreed to de-list something, we shouldn’t be looking a gift horse in the mouth.

“It’s clear to anyone with access to Google images that some rust-bucket gas tank has no heritage value whatsoever. No-one but a tiny handful of fringe activists wants these buildings to be listed.

"Tying the city up in red tape does nothing except stunt growth and drive up house prices. It’s residents who end up on the hook for the cost of preserving them, so councils need the ability to de-list them without having to wade through endless central government bureaucracy.”

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