Press Release

ISSUED BY AFFORDABLE AUCKLAND

Baubles of Office by Courier

“Elections have barely passed the stroke of midnight and already the Council machine has begun sending the baubles of office, by courier, out to new members of Auckland’s local boards,” reveals Affordable Auckland leader and former Mayoral candidate Stephen Berry.

“Last Sunday, local board members received their first lot of council-related paperwork not in an efficient manner like email; rather by opulent largess, via the Council’s courier company contained in genuine leather satchels, embossed with the Auckland Council logo. While the media focuses on Len Brown’s private life, bureaucracy surreptitiously wastes thousands of ratepayer dollars every chance it gets.”

Mr. Berry has done a bit of research on genuine leather satchels but as they are not his usual area of interest has found it difficult to pin an exact value on each piece. “I will be sending an official information request to Auckland council to ascertain how many of these were made and distributed, but based on my research I’d say a price of at least $100 each would not be out of the question. Multiply that amount by the number of successful new local board members and you’ve got enough money to waste on hiring another batch of skateboard ambassadors for the next school holidays.”

Stephen says the distribution of ratepayer funded leather embossed satchels is an egotistical frivolity and should not be indulged in considering the current financial status of the Auckland Council. “I accept that in the big scheme of Council activity these genuine leather embossed satchels delivered by courier may be considered small fry, but when we are dealing with annual borrowing in excess of a billion dollars a year, every saving that can be made should be made.”

“When the Council tries to save money on berm mowing, expecting struggling property owners to maintain council property, this sort of waste is simply obscene.”

Stephen Berry was Affordable Auckland’s Mayoral candidate in the 2013 election. He finished in third place with 13,500 votes. The ‘Ratepayer’s Champion’ vows he will spend the next three years holding Auckland Council to account for all its activities and standing up for the interests of the region’s long suffering ratepayers.

Ends

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