Latest news with #RhysHurley
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Business
- Scoop
Revealed: Invercargill Consultant Bill Tops $7.3 Million
The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union can reveal under Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request that Invercargill City Council spent $7,334,394 on consultants and legal services in just three years. The spending includes fees for everything from strategy consultants and cultural engagement advisers to legal firms and planning experts. Taxpayers' Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, says: 'Ratepayers are forking out over $7 million to consultants while basic council services remain under pressure. When you need a consultant to tell you how to build a playground or put up signage, something has gone very wrong.' 'This is exactly the sort of out-of-control spending that's driving up rates and leaving residents worse off. Too often, councils hide this under the vague label of 'expert advice' but the rates bill ends up in the letterbox of every ratepayer.' 'Consultants don't come cheap but Invercargill ratepayers shouldn't be treated like an ATM every time council wants to outsource its thinking. The Council needs to be forced to focus on core services through rates capping now."
Scoop
23-04-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Public Toilet? More Like Public Rip-Off
The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union can reveal, through a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request to the Far North District Council the total cost of the construction of a single public toilet at Rangitāne Reserve in Kerikeri. The final location had to be signed off by both local hapū and Heritage New Zealand, with excavation carried out under the watchful eye of both a cultural monitor and Heritage NZ representatives. The project ended up costing ratepayers $157,821.43—with more than $30,000 eaten up by compliance and red tape alone. This includes: $5,000 paid to local Hapū for a Cultural Impact Assessment, $5,198.90 to Northern Archaeological Research for survey and assessment work, and $19,732.21 for consents, charges, project management, and monitoring. Taxpayers' Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said: 'We've now got to the point where even a single toilet needs a army of consultants, cultural monitors, and bureaucratic sign-offs.' 'This is a textbook case of red tape strangling local infrastructure. It's not just motorways and housing being held up anymore—it's reached the public loos. ' 'Councils are sinking more money into ticking boxes than delivering outcomes. Cultural impact assessments, archaeological surveys, live monitoring—none of it comes cheap, and most of it is wildly disproportionate to the size of the job. This toilet block ended up costing more than a house deposit. That's not just absurd—it's indefensible.' 'Slashing the project cost a bit lower isn't good enough when Far North ratepayers are staring down the barrel of a 11.43 percentage rate hike. If councils are going to keep hiking rates year after year, the least they can do is deliver infrastructure without blowing the budget on red tape.'
