Auckland Council Misleading Public to Downplay Taniwha Tax

The Taxpayers’ Union is inviting Auckland Council officials to read the Union’s briefing paper on the Council’s Cultural Impact Assessment ‘Taniwha Tax’ before continuing to mislead the public. Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says:

“Departing Chief Planner, Roger Blakeley, is being very sneaky by claiming that only 30 resource consents have required full Cultural Impact Assessments. He knows very well that the real issue is the thousands of applicants who the Council has forced to consult with sometimes 16 iwi groups just to confirm a Cultural Impact Assessment is not required.”

“Dr Blakeley has confirmed that it is up to the iwi, and not the Council, whether a full assessment is required, including for spiritual matters. What confidence can the public have in this process when the Council can’t tell us how it will deal with complaints on iwi charging, conflicts of interest, long delays and conflicting reports?”

“The Council’s spin concerning the tiny minority who have used its facilitation service is a red herring being promoted by the Council’s spin doctors. Of the dozens of people who have contacted us since the briefing paper launched, only a tiny fraction used the service. Even Watercare avoid the Council's iwi mediation service and is spending hundreds of thousands on its own process.”

ENDS

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