The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is slamming ATEED as completely out of touch with the economic reality of Aucklanders after the agency posted a job advertisement for a newly created role: a “Digital Content Specialist”.

“ATEED should be freezing staff hiring and laying people off, not creating brand new roles,” says Ratepayers’ Alliance spokeswoman Jo Holmes. "While Mr Goff has publicly stated that the Council had implemented a freeze on recruitment — it appears ATEED never got the memo.

“ATEED’s key job is events and tourism promotion. Both of those roles are practically redundant right now. Any private company would be laying people off, not hiring even more.”

“With Auckland Council’s own economic agency so out of touch with the economic reality of Auckland ratepayers, it’s time the Mayor and Councillors showed some leadership and froze hiring across the whole Council group. They could easily do that at their Council meeting on Thursday. The era of ATEED wasting money and paying for ‘nice to haves’ must come to an end.”

The Ratepayers Alliance is backing a campaign by its sister-group, the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union, calling for councils across the country to freeze rates. New Zealanders can add their name to the petition in support of rates freezes at www.ratesfreeze.nz

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