Should Waitakere’s local rates budget be used for protesting the government in Onehunga or  should Waitakere rates fund  improvements to  local services, assets and infrastructure for  Westies?

Waitakere  Ranges Local Board allocated $10,100 of local budget for  raising awareness of Maui  Dolphins  for development of materials such as flags .

The flags were  “to be used to raise awareness of the critically endandgered status of Maui dolphins at events held in the board area particularly on the West Coast. “, but their biggest outing has been in Onehunga.

The Waitakere Quarterly Performance report says we bought 15 teardrop flags.

Rodney resident and unelected Waitakere Council Candidate, Christine Rose, Chair of the Maui & Hectors Dolphin Defenders Trust, thanked the board via social media  for the use of the  flags at her protest rally in Onehunga.   Onehunga’s – Maungakiekie Board were not asked to contribute to the flags.

Christine Rose also thanked the board via social media for the use of the flags at her stand at the Grey Lynn Festival.

Requests for a full breakdown of the expenditure were not repsonded to.

Are the flags in the picture the 15 flags we bought ?

Is the  rates funding  allocated to Waitakere being used to benefit our own area?

It’s not clear how much of the $10k budget has been spent –  15 flags  sell at flagaholic.co.nz for $189 x 15 flags = $2,835.

Author, Opinion: Penny Sparks