Taxpayers group rips World Masters Games $30,000 ‘junket’ to Rio

Jo Holmes is critical of Ri "junket."

Jo Holmes slams “junket.”

Auckland is hosting the 2017 World Masters Games, but that doesn’t mean New Zealand government-watchers are letting the LOC do anything it wants. Especially not wasteful spending. On Friday, Radio New Zealand reported how a press release slammed two managers from an Auckland Council agency for being on a weeklong trip to the Olympic Games – at a cost of $30,000. “The trip has been criticised by the Ratepayers Alliance lobby group, with its spokesperson Jo Holmes calling it a ‘junket,'” said the radio website. ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development agency) defended the trip, saying the general manager of visitor and external relations was in Rio to promote the World Masters’ Games. It said the second manager in Rio was also responsible for international sporting relationships.

Here’s what the taxpayers group said, however:

While Aucklanders struggle to pay their rates, Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development (ATEED) is spending tens of thousands of dollars of ratepayer money sending two staff on the ultimate junket to the Rio Olympics.

The Ratepayers’ Alliance can reveal that Steve Armitage, the GM of External Relations, and Susan Sawbridge, ATEED’s Stakeholder Relations Manager, are at the Olympics this week despite both having no responsibility for major events or even working in the department responsible for attracting commercial investment to Auckland.

A spokesperson for the Ratepayers’ Alliance, Jo Holmes, says, “While you could understand a member of the Auckland World Masters Games organising team attending Rio, the two staff ATEED have sent have nothing to do with organising events. It’s just a junket on our dime, plain and simple.â€

“If ATEED was at the Olympics to attract events or competitions to Auckland, they would have sent someone from their events department. Likewise, if they were there to promote Auckland investment, they would have sent someone who works in that area.â€

“This is just the sort of rort Auckland ratepayers are sick of, and why the Ratepayers’ Alliance was established. The next Council needs to stamp out this culture of waste and entitlement.â€

Earlier this week the Ratepayers’ Alliance revealed that total spending on travel by the Council and CCOs totalled $7.6 million for the two years to July 2016.

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August 18, 2016

One Response

  1. Dexter McCloud - August 19, 2016

    So, let me get this straight….two members from the World Masters Games LOC went to the Olympics to “promote the World Masters” Games.

    I would estimate that 99 percent of the participants at the Olympics are under the age of 30.

    Don’t compound this lack of judgement by insulting everyone’s intelligence as well.

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