The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union can reveal through a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request that Wellington City Council has wasted $93,819 of ratepayer funds on the 100-metre-long 'realms to the world of light' mural at Ākau Tangi Sports Centre.The expenditure breakdown is as follows:

• $4,000: Design and commission fees
• $5,762: Contract and legal fees
• $25,711: Wall preparation
• $52,945: Mural panels
• $5,401: Installation

Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said:

“Wellingtonians are facing their rates bill nearly tripling over ten years. 87 percent of residents want the Council to get back to focussing on the basics. So why has Council wasted $94k on making the side of a sports centre a bit jazzier?”

“The Council is once again proving how tone deaf it is - spending almost a hundred grand painting whirlpools on buildings whilst real whirlpools aren't far off forming in the CBD thanks to all the leaking pipes.”

“It’s not just artwork up there, the writing’s on the wall too. Wellington’s broke, Wellingtonians are squeezed dry, and we can’t afford these vanity projects whilst core infrastructure like pipes and roads keep crumbling.”

NOTES:

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is an independent and membership-driven activist group, dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power. Its mission, lower taxes, less waste, more accountability, is supported by 200,000 subscribed members and supporters.

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