Tamaki Makaurau MP Supports call for ARC surplus to go towards Eden Park Upgrade

Dr Pita Sharples, Co-leader of the Maori Party

Wednesday 9 January 2008

Tamaki Makaurau local Member of Parliament, Dr Pita Sharples, has come out in support of the call for Auckland Regional Council to allocate part of its $34 million surplus to the upgrade of Eden Park.

“Tamaki Makaurau constituents have suffered the consequences of the dramatic rates hikes that this region has been experiencing” said Dr Sharples.

“We know how hard it is for our whanau to manage to run their households on low incomes, let alone having to make budgets stretch to cope with a 4.9% increase in the rates bill” said Dr Sharples

“Common sense tells us that rate payers should be able to benefit from the ARC surplus by not having out to fork out more money down the track, for the World Cup upgrade of Eden Park” said Dr Sharples.

“The decision for the 2011 Rugby World Cup to be held at Eden Park always brought with it the challenge of meeting the funding shortfall” said Dr Sharples.

“Councils make big decisions which impact on the lives of Maori as citizens, as communities of interest and as tangata whenua” said Dr Sharples.

“We encourage the ARC to now make a big decision about their $34 million surplus which will ease the rates burden that we would have otherwise expected Auckland citizens to suffer in preparing the path to 2011”.

Background

- The Auckland Regional Council announced the $34m surplus arose from lifting household rates by an average of 4.9% in 2007.

- The mean family income of families living with at least one person of Maori descent in the Tamaki Makaurau electorate is $48,287, compared to the mean family income across New Zealand of $54,224.

ENDS

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