Press Releases

Councillor Resigns Over leaky Buildings

11th September 2007

Councillor Douglas Armstrong former Chair of Auckland Council's Finance Committee has resigned from Council's Weathertightness Working Party citing a fundamental disagreement with the Mayor and Council leadership over its policy and lack of action on Auckland's leaky home crisis.

"I believe that a much stronger stance should have been taken by the leadership of the city with government over this matter, given the magnitude of the financial impact on the city and in respect to its duty to ratepayers and citizens" he said

He went on to say

"I believe that the importance of this matter and its likely financial impact on the city has been greatly underestimated by the leadership of the city and this has meant that the issue has not been addressed with the urgency it deserves. Auckland City will be affected far more than any other local authority in NZ with total expenditure quite likely to be many times that outlaid on any Council project ever. The research, strategising and Council attention to the problem I feel has not reflected this.

• I believe the magnitude and range of the city's possible potential financial liability has not been clearly and frankly disclosed to our different stakeholders. These obviously include ratepayers but also current and potential leaky homeowners and probably government, who I feel have a right to know for a variety of differing, but equally important, reasons. I deplore the confidentiality that has been given to the matter justified (very wrongly in my view) by the argument that if claimants know what Council has budgeted they may claim more.
• I believe the adversarial stance taken by Council against claimants in individual cases is unfortunate in that in many cases these people are innocent parties whose lives have been adversely affected by their situation, sometimes horrendously. This approach may be in the best financial interests of the city but it runs counter to our other role, which is to assist our citizens with what amounts to a "class" problem.
• I believe that we must disclose, indeed even publicise, to potential leaky home owners the effect of the strict application of the 10 year limitation clause on their ability to claim - even if it affects Council financially
• I believe the joint and several liability of Council (where Council is "last man standing" when other defendants disappear) has far reaching implications for Council's building inspection and certification regime that will see a huge increase in compliance and insurance costs to new home builders that has not yet been fully understood or canvassed by Council or government

Finally and most importantly, I believe that the Government should assume a significant proportion of the costs associated with the leaky building claims through the action and or inaction of its then agent the BIA. I have always considered that there are huge moral, financial and significant legal arguments for Council to have adopted a very much stronger stance with government to get them to contribute substantially beyond their current level. The Council leadership have chosen not to do this - quite wrongly in my view. Government have adopted an aggressive legal stance on defending their liability - we should have reciprocated, because with the facts in the public domain the "court of public opinion" would have been on our side"

Mr Armstrong said that he felt strongly that the public need to be fully informed about all facets of the leaky building problem the city and its citizens face. He requested that the Mayor and Council leadership open the books on the whole leaky homes crisis which had the potential to dramatically affect rates in the future.

If Citizens and Ratepayers have a majority in the next Council all information would be made public he said.

For any further information contact:

Councillor Scott Milne, Team Leader, Citizens & Ratepayers on 0274-946-321 or 09-366-6614

Or Councillor Douglas Armstrong, 0274-744-245 or 09-575-9804

C&R Announces Council & Community Board Teams

4th July 2007

Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Association is pleased to announce outstanding candidates for the Hobson, Western Bays, Tamaki-Mangakiekie and Eastern Bays Wards.

Ken Baguley, Aaron Bhatnagar and Paul Goldsmith have been selected as City Council candidates for the Ward of Hobson. C&R President John Slater says “These three candidates will be able to draw on their combined professional, political and business acumen to make a major contribution to the governance and running of Auckland City Council”.
“Action Hobson has been discredited as ‘City Vision in drag’ and C&R have put up the strongest team in decades. We are confident the voters in Hobson will support our team,” he said.

In the Western Bays Ward C&R has selected Sally Wenley and Greg Moyle. Sally a former Radio NZ journalist resides in Ponsonby, and Greg, a personal financial advisor and the former Chair of the Western Bays Community Board, resides in Herne Bay. C&R are confident of defeating the two City Vision candidates in Western Bays.

C&R is also pleased to announce that Kit Parkinson and Sam Lotu-Iiga are to stand for council in the ward of Tamaki-Maungakiekie for the City Council. Kit, a local business man, and Sam, an Onehunga resident, are outstanding candidates and will represent the ward well on the Auckland City Council.

The community board for Eastern Bays has also been confirmed. They will work with the two C&R city councillors Doug Armstrong and Toni Millar. The team is Colin Davis, Helen Wallace, David Roberton, Adriana Gunder (all sitting members) and our new candidate Kate Cooke.

More candidates will be announced in the coming weeks, along with key policy points.

“There is a great feeling within the organisation as we begin to move into the campaign,” Mr Slater said. “There is a definitely a strong mood to change the council, and only C&R can do this.”

John Slater
President, Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Association
0275 923959

Auckland City Council Contacts

Hobson
Ken Baguley: 027 246 0615
Aaron Bhatnagar: 021 872 871
Paul Goldsmith: 021 293 3370

Western Bays
Greg Moyle: 021 444 339
Sally Wenley: 027 258 8850

Tamaki-Maungakiekie
Sam Lotu-Iiga: 021 492 994
Kit Parkinson: 027 274 9688

Eastern Bays
Cr Doug Armstrong: 0274 744 245
Cr Toni Millar: 0274 801 050

Massive Rates increases to continue if Left of Centre Council re-elected

25th June 2007

Mayor Hubbard and the left of centre City Vision council supported by Action Hobson are supporting a plan for massive residential rates increases that could total up to 40 percent over the next three years.

Their financial predictions are contained in Councils LTCCP plan for citywide rate increases are as below:

2008/9	2009/10	2010/11	Total
10.2%	10.1%	13.2%	33.5%

Rates increases for residential ratepayers could be much higher and could reach 40 percent or more. This is on top of residential rate increases that they have presided over in the current term of council totalling just under 30 percent coupled with increases in the price of water/wastewater of around 9% per annum.

The above projections are on top of launching the city down a borrowing path that will see debt totalsome $1.25 billion over the next 10 years.

The current Hubbard led left of centre council supported by Action Hobson have adopted a “Tax and Spend” policy unlike anything Aucklander’s have ever seen.

Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Finance spokesman, Douglas Armstrong said, “This is a crisis for all ratepayers, particularly homeowners. Frankly the party that obtains the majority on council in the next term will have been given a hospital pass that will require hard decisions to be taken if the burden on ratepayers is not to become intolerable.”

“The Mayor and the Labour City Vision Council have also been soft on their government colleagues. Central government needs to contribute much more to the costs of operating and enhancing NZ’s only international city because they have imposed huge costs without compensation. Significant amongst these is the massive and hidden burden Auckland faces in connection with leaky homes when a government agency was a major player in creating the problem.

Council officers are currently working on papers that will incorporate the effects of the city’s new debt policy which could soften this blow but Councillors are under no illusions that there is widespread and growing discontent at the ongoing rates hike.

“C & R see this trend as arrogant, uncaring and politically unsustainable. We have to do better than this”, concluded Mr Armstrong

Further details:
Douglas Armstrong 0274 744 245 or Scott Milne 0274 494 6321

First ACC Candidates selected for Eastern Bays

27 April 2007

Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Association Inc., have announced the selection of their first candidates for the 2007 Local Body Elections.

Councillor Douglas Armstrong and Councillor Toni Millar have been selected as C & R candidates for Auckland City Council in the Eastern Bays Ward.

Councillors Armstrong and Millar have been outstanding representatives for Eastern Bays on the Auckland City Council and we are delighted they have accepted nomination as our Council representatives for Eastern Bays said John Slater, President of Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Association Inc.

"They are both well known, highly respected local residents who have represented their constituents and ward supremely and we are confident they will be re-elected in October" said Mr Slater.

Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Association Inc., are receiving nominations for other wards as well as for ARC and ADHB and will announce further nominations as they are decided.

"We are delighted at the number and exceptional quality of candidates offering themselves to C & R, which will enable us to provide a team of qualified and professional people to lead Auckland in a responsible, progressive and caring manner, to ensure growth and prosperity for our citizens; our city and region" said Mr Slater.

John Slater
President
Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Association Inc.

Contact: 0275 923 959

C&R Announce Team of Candidates for AECT Election

Wednesday, 20 September 2006, 1:11 pm
Press Release: Auckland Citizens and Ratepayers
For immediate release

CITIZENS & RATEPAYERS Announce Team of Candidates for AECT Election

Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Association President John Slater is pleased to announce the Citizens and Ratepayers Team for the upcoming Auckland Energy Consumer Trust Election.

"Our team represent experience, continuity, teamwork and results" says John Slater, "and our team of candidates has a varied combination of political, legal, business, financial and engineering skills. Most importantly, our team has experience in the field of the Energy and Utility Industry. Each member will contribute to a superb team of trustees for the AECT", said Mr Slater.

The C&R team is as follows:

Michael Buczkowski, a sitting Trust member has 15 years of electrical engineering experience;

William Cairns, is a company director of Cairns Lockie Ltd and a former Auckland City Councillor for C&R;

James Carmichael, is a Director of Ranhill Power Berhad, a major Malaysian Power Company and a professional engineer;

Warren Kyd, currently the AECT Trust Chairman, Lawyer and a former Member of Parliament

Karen Sherry, a sitting Trust member since 1994, a current Director of Vector and a lawyer.

Further candidate profiles are available at www.crn.org.nz or www.candr.org.nz