Taxpayers Union spokesperson Jordan Williams and Hamilton City Councillor, Dave Macpherson.
Photo: RNZ
Hamilton City Councillor Dave Macpherson said an Official Information Act request to his own council showed it had 58 requests from the lobby group since the start of 2018, costing an estimated $61,364 in staff time.
The sheer number and complexity of requests had meant extra staff had to be employed, he said. When you realise there are nearly 70 councils getting these requests on what are usually inane or irrelevant subjects, I d say they are costing us all over a million dollars a year, Councillor Macpherson said.
It was hypocritical of the Taxpayers Union, which frequently criticised councils for wasting public money, to be costing ratepayers so much, he said.
Taxpayers Union OIAs to Hamilton council cost $60k in staff time newstalkzb.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newstalkzb.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Rotorua mayor demands apology from councillor over social media post
4 Mar, 2021 06:00 AM
8 minutes to read
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / File
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick has demanded an apology from a councillor over a social media post.
But the councillor at the centre of the controversy, Reynold Macpherson, says he s just expressing his opinion, and others are expressing theirs.
About four minutes into the Rotorua Lakes Council s operations and monitoring committee meeting on Thursday, deputy mayor Dave Donaldson indicated he had an urgent item of business for the committee to attend to. Yesterday all councillors received an email from Rotorua Lakes Council regarding a break in our wastewater main that had been addressed in the Ngongotahā area.