AECT secrecy continues claims ‘Your Power Team’

Media Release, Friday, 19 October 2010

AECT secrecy continues claims ‘Your Power Team’

The continuing secrecy surrounding Auckland Energy Consumer Trust (AECT) expenditures is eroding public confidence in the Trust. “Once again the current C&R trustees have failed to meet public expectations of transparency and proper use of Trust moneys” ‘Your Power Team’ candidate Richard Leckinger said today.

‘Your Power Team’ is contesting the postal election for the five positions on the Trust, for which voting closes on Friday 26th.

“Media commentators have recently drawn attention several times to the current trustees’ use of public money to promote themselves through an advertising campaign launched with the mailing of the annual dividend” continued Mr Leckinger. “We believe that this expenditure, which includes a full-colour brochure of the current trustees, totalled around $220,000. However despite several requests from ‘Your Power Team’ candidates about details of this expenditure no information has been forthcoming.”

Requests for information on consultancy expenditures and the cost of the Trustees’ expensive 20ll annual dinner have still not produced this information. The public is very interested in how much the Trust is skimming off the $100 million dollars a year it receives from Vector for distribution to the Trust beneficiaries - and it has a right to know. The Trust has not even adhered to its own guidelines which provide for a response to requests for information within 15 days of receipt.

Mr Leckinger said that, when elected, YOUR POWER TEAM would open the books by providing details of the Trust’s operating expenditures on the AECT website and would open Trustee meetings to the public.

“We need a group of community-minded leaders to restore the credibility of the Trust” Mr Leckinger concluded.

Your Power Team is a progressive coalition of experienced candidates with better policies for your AECT. The Your Power Team members are Glenda Fryer, Richard Leckinger, Tim McMains, Chris Olson and David Shand. See www.yourpowerteam.org.nz

ENDS

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