Prince Charles publicity tour cost $200,000 per day

MEDIA RELEASE 17 January 2013

"Figures released to the Republican Movement show the cost to our air force of transporting Prince Charles during his recent publicity tour was $425,000" said Lewis Holden, chair of the Republican Movement.

Add the $766,000 from the Department of Internal Affairs' budget and the total cost of the tour to date was $1,191,000. Charles' five day long 2005 tour cost taxpayers $50,000 a day. This recent tour was $200,000 a day.

"On top of unnecessary public relations bills to the New Zealand taxpayer, there's Charles' transport costs - all because Charles doesn't want to fly commercially. When the Queen last visited New Zealand in 2002, she came on a commercial Air New Zealand flight" said Mr Holden.

"In Feilding they brought in school children by the busload to greet the couple then coached them to cheer for Charles and Camilla when they stepped out of the car."

"Even after all the spending the publicity tour failed to shift public support for Charles. Polling we commissioned shows support for Charles as New Zealand's next head of State was unchanged after the tour and support for a New Zealand head of state had gone up. This tour was a waste of taxpayers money - used to promote someone only 1 in 5 New Zealanders want as our head of State" concluded Mr Holden.

NOTES

The Official Information Act request can be found here: http://www.republic.org.nz/files/OIA-1825-2012%20(Holden)%20Signed.pdf

ENDS

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