May 25, 2021
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is condemning Auckland Council’s vote today to increase rates by 43% over the next decade. Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson Jo Holmes says:
“Once again, the Council has taken the easier option of digging deeper into ratepayers’ pockets instead of finding meaningful savings elsewhere.”
“Phil Goff claims this is a ‘recovery budget’ - but most of the extra money is going to the Council’s inflated operating expenses. The only ‘recovery’ will be of those who faint when they open their rates bill.”
“We commend the five Councillors who voted against the 5% increase to rates this year. It is a shame to see that, of the three C&R Councillors who are meant to stand for lower rates and better value for money, Cr Christine Fletcher was the only one to uphold her promise to voters.”
March 29, 2021
The Ratepayers’ Alliance is labelling the decision to spend $38,000 on a ratepayer-funded junket a slap in the face to Aucklanders whose rates are set to rise 5%.
Spokesperson Monique Poirier says “Auckland Council’s decision to send 16 representatives to the LGNZ conference, instead of four, and at a cost of $2,410 per head, epitomises the culture of waste at the Council.”
“Sending a delegation four times the required size is a shining example of the Mayor’s total inability to cut wasteful spending. The fact that he thinks sending less people would be seen as an ‘arrogant statement of disregard’ shows his blatant disrespect for ratepayers. Since when did the opinion of conference attendees matter more than that of the ratepayers he is accountable to?”
“Councillor Desley Simpson is bang on when she says that the Council has ‘absolutely gone over the line’ in the context of its $1 billion hole.”
“The Council should be focused on slashing wasteful spending, not splashing out on a social event in Blenheim disguised as a conference.”
February 25, 2021
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is labelling a planned 11 percent rise in Auckland Museum staff costs, courtesy of the ratepayer, as an out of touch assault on ratepayers’ pockets. Alliance spokesperson, Monique Poirier, says:
“Given the current economic climate, it’s disgraceful that the museum is even considering increasing salaries. It should be looking at ways to reduce costs for ratepayers, not increase them by $2 million.”
“And the salaries are just the start. Overall costs for the museum are set to rise dramatically. The museum needs to better connect to the community and get with the program. There are easy savings in its budget, starting with the 47 staff who are paid more than $100,000.”“47 staff on the big bucks is totally unjustifiable. It’s a museum, not a hospital.”
“Auckland Council’s priority right now needs to be on infrastructure, core services, and slashing wasteful spending. Examples like this show why the Mayor’s proposed 5% rates hike is unjustified.”
February 22, 2021
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is questioning the lack of community consultation by Auckland Transport in relation to the 13 traffic cameras set to be installed on Onewa Road. Alliance spokesperson, Monique Poirier, says:
“It is unacceptable that the Kaipātiki Local Board were not aware of the installation of these traffic cameras. They weren’t even privy to a presentation or workshop on the project.”
“What is the point of local representation if they are just as oblivious to planned activity in the area as the community? Ratepayers are paying millions of dollars every year to fund local boards and it is bureaucratic arrogance for Auckland Transport to turn around and say that there is no legal requirement for them to do any consultation.”
“There is an obligation for Auckland Transport to consult with local boards on transport matters that will directly affect the community. There are clearly a number of concerns that have been raised by locals, such as the possibility of being pinged for driving in and out of their driveways. These concerns could have been addressed and alleviated earlier if the local board had not been kept in the dark.”
“It is not acceptable for residents to just simply receive a letter in their letterbox with the local board being none the wiser."
“It is unacceptable that the Kaipātiki Local Board were not aware of the installation of these traffic cameras. They weren’t even privy to a presentation or workshop on the project.”
“What is the point of local representation if they are just as oblivious to planned activity in the area as the community? Ratepayers are paying millions of dollars every year to fund local boards and it is bureaucratic arrogance for Auckland Transport to turn around and say that there is no legal requirement for them to do any consultation.”
“There is an obligation for Auckland Transport to consult with local boards on transport matters that will directly affect the community. There are clearly a number of concerns that have been raised by locals, such as the possibility of being pinged for driving in and out of their driveways. These concerns could have been addressed and alleviated earlier if the local board had not been kept in the dark.”
“It is not acceptable for residents to just simply receive a letter in their letterbox with the local board being none the wiser."
January 20, 2021
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is calling out Mayor Phil Goff for his undignified comment that the claim made by Councillor Greg Sayers asking why Auckland Council is funding yoga classes is “bullshit.”
Yesterday, Councillor Greg Sayers penned an opinion piece questioning why ratepayers were paying for yoga classes, among other services. Responding to Heather du Plessis-Allan, who asked if ratepayers were indeed funding yoga classes, Mr Goff declared “no no, look it’s all bullshit. It’s patently false.”
Mr Goff went on to say that yoga classes are only provided in some pool and leisure centres where membership fees are required, and that Sayers “couldn’t be more wrong.”
Contrary to Mr Goff’s denials, it took the Ratepayers’ Alliance just thirty seconds to uncover a Waitematā Local Board grant towards the cost of yoga instructor wages, venue hire, promotional materials, and catering for LGBTQI yoga workshops.
Spokesperson Jo Holmes says, “it’s actually Mr Goff’s claim that is, in fact, bullshit – funding yoga classes is precisely what the Council has done.”
“Instead of resorting to petty attacks, the Mayor should be focusing on ways to cut spending ahead of the Council’s 10-year budget.”
“It’s very clear Mr Goff is in breach of the Council’s code of conduct which requires respect, honesty, and courtesy. We’re calling on Phil Goff to apologise to Mr Sayers and get back to work cutting Council waste – yoga classes included.”
January 15, 2021
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is slamming the lack of progress on the Tamaki Drive cycleway project, with the road still operating at just a single lane in both directions. This is despite reassurances from Ōrākei councillor, Desley Simpson, in September last year that Tamaki Drive would only be down to one lane each way for “two weeks” to help speed up construction. Ratepayers' Alliance Ōrākei spokeswomen, Carmel Claridge, says:
“This is beyond a joke now. A year ago, Ms. Simpson said that there would be “hell to pay” if Auckland Transport continued to disrupt traffic on Tamaki Drive. But that warning was obviously just bravado. It’s motorists who continue to suffer the consequences, with local elected representatives being arrogantly ignored by Auckland Transport.”
“The project is plagued with problems, not least narrow lanes that a standard bus is too wide for. It’s a $14 million luxury spend that seems to have no end in sight, and it’s choking Tamaki Drive and adding up to 15 minutes onto a CBD commute from Mission Bay.”
“Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, and our local officials need to front up. How does a cycleway take more than a year to build?”
December 09, 2020
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance has today lodged a complaint with the Financial Markets Authority alleging a breach of the Financial Markets Conduct Act for a deceptive media statements on the size of a proposed rate increase made by Mayor Phil Goff and referred to in an announcement to the NZ Debt Market (NZDX) on the draft 10-year budget.
The Mayor misled the NZX Debt Market when he said that Aucklanders would only be hit with a rate bump of $36. The $36 is just the 1.5% difference between a 3.5% and a 5% hike. He was being cute with his words, and the media took it hook, line and sinker.
Unfortunately for Mr Goff, being misleading or dishonest is illegal when it comes to our financial markets. What he may get away with in statements made to the media does not cut it for financial markets.
Much of the reporting has perpetuated the Mayor’s falsehood of a ‘one off rates bump of $36’. It is evidence of the Mayor’s misleading behaviour.
Notes:
- Auckland Council’s debt trades on the NZDX.
- Under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 participants are prohibited from conduct that is misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive (a similar test to the Fair Trading Act).
- Earlier this year Auckland Council was required to correct an untrue statement in relation to claimed ‘majority support’ for an earlier proposed rates increase, following a complaint by the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance to the Research Association New Zealand (RANZ) pointing out that the opinion poll commissioned by the Council only provided participants with rate hike options.
- Last year, Auckland Council officials presented sworn affidavit evidence that Mr Goff’s public claims that he had ‘banned’ two controversial Canadian speakers from Council venues in 2018 were untrue, in a judicial review related to that decision.
December 08, 2020
The 2020 edition of Ratepayers’ Report confirms that Auckland Council is charging the second highest rates in the country, with an average bill of $3,469 per rating unit. The Report was co-published by the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance and the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.
Alliance spokesperson Monique Poirier says, “Auckland ratepayers have been fed a lie: annual rate hikes are not an inevitability. In fact, the latest Ratepayers’ Report suggests Auckland Council could even cut rates if it took cues from councils that run tighter ships.”
“Hamilton City Council’s rate bills are more than $1000 cheaper than Auckland’s. In fact, Grey District Council and Central Otago District Council get by charging half what our Council does.”
“There is no good justification for Auckland’s disproportionately high rates. Rates are a payment for services. Rubbish collection costs the same regardless of how valuable the local properties may be. If anything, a larger population base should see efficiencies in service delivery – that was the great promise behind the Super City.”
“Other findings from the Ratepayers’ Report make for concerning reading and go some way toward explaining why we pay so much in rates. 2831 Council staff are paid more than $100,000 – that’s 26 percent of all staff, compared to an average of 14 percent across all local councils. And the Council has been spending $830 per household just paying down the interest on its debt.”
“Despite all this, Auckland Council fails to include an accountant or lawyer on its Audit and Risk Committee which is meant to provide oversight of spending.”
Auckland Council also has the second highest level of liabilities per household – $25,372, behind only Christchurch. The figures in the 2020 Ratepayers’ Report are based on the 2018/19 financial year, and therefore do not reflect changes that all local councils have made to their budgets in light of COVID-19.
The full league tables are available now at www.ratepayersreport.nz.
September 16, 2020
A new briefing paper co-published by the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance and Democracy Action reveals that in just six years, Auckland Council spent at least $129 million on iwi consultation and targeted Māori spending. In 2018/19 alone, the total spend was $30 million – more than double the $13 million spent in 2013/14.
This spending includes that of the Independent Māori Statutory Board, ‘Ngā Mātārae’, formerly ‘Te Waka Anga Mua ki Uta’, payments made by Auckland Council for consultation, payments made by Auckland Council Controlled Organisations, Long-term Plan allocations, and direct grants to iwi.
Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson Jo Holmes says, “Every dollar allocated to cultural advice, a marae development, or an unelected Māori authority is a dollar that cannot be used for the core council services that benefit all ratepayers."
"The function of Māori representation at Auckland Council is duplicated by at least six different Council mechanisms. Not one of these can be held to account by the general ratepayer who funds their operations.”
“Many Aucklanders will be supportive of some degree of race-based spending, but what this report uncovers is the extent of duplication and an alarming increase in costs. The Independent Māori Statutory Board was set up to promote issues of significance to Māori to Auckland Council, but we’re now paying eight times its budget because the Council undertakes the same function through other branches.”
“As the Council annually increases rates far beyond increases to living costs, including during an economic crisis, we’re calling for an urgent review into this non-essential spending.”
Democracy Action spokesman Lee Short says, “A 2015 report by the NZ Institute of Economic Research showed that the Māori economy in Auckland is substantial – at around $4 billion of GDP with $23 billion of assets. This being so, the wisdom of Council contributing towards Māori economic development at ratepayers’ expense is questionable at best.”
“This paper is evidence that the interests of those who identify as Māori are being elevated above those of all other Aucklanders, thereby undermining the concept of equal rights upon which our democracy is based.”
July 24, 2020
Auckland’s water crisis has been in the media over recent weeks, and the 2020 drought reminds us a lot of the water restrictions in 1994. Auckland’s population is now 50% larger than 1994, has water infrastructure kept up? Just how vulnerable are we to dry years? Is the Waikato river the solution?
Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, and Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance Founder, Jordan Williams sat down with the CEO of Water Care Raveen Jaduram for a deep dive into Water Care - its business model, how it’s funded, and how it trades the risk of drought with affordability.
*** If you are struggling to pay your Water Care bill and need some assistance, including details on the Water Utility Consumer Assistance Trust is available at https://www.watercare.co.nz/Help-and-advice/Help-with-your-account/Need-help-paying-a-bill and http://www.waterassistance.org.nz ***
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