KEY POINTS:
Auckland councillors are outraged over a planned $150,000 party celebrating the end of Queen St's upgrade.
City Vision-Labour councillors say the money would be better spent upgrading other town centres.
The Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee has approved the budget which includes using $100,000 from the CBD residents' targeted rate and $50,000 from outside rates.
Councillor Cathy Casey said the City Vision-Labour councillors who attended the meeting argued against using rates to subsidise the party but Citizens and Ratepayers councillors Gregory Moyle, Ken Baguley and Toni Millar voted in favour of the celebratory spend-up as did independent councillor Bill Christian.
She said while money was being given for the party, upgrades to Tamaki and Glen Innes were being cut. "If the CBD Board wants to spend $100,000 of its targeted rate ... that's for them to decide, but how dare the council fritter away another $50,000 of rates money on such a wasteful exercise."
Work began on the Queen St upgrade in early 2006 on the $43 million upgrade and is expected to be finished in April.
The celebration is set down for April 5 to 6 and although details are yet to be discussed it may include a concert on a stage set up on one of the side streets off Queen St. "When word gets out that their rates are funding a Queen Street Party, while their town centres miss out, there will be a few councillors' phones running hot," Dr Casey said.
However councillor Ken Baguley said Dr Casey was sending out the wrong message.
"The upgrade has been an awful inconvenience and it's still going on. We're saying 'Right, it's all done, Queen St is now open'. We want to celebrate with the people who have been hit by this."
Business lobby group, Heart of the City chairman Alex Sweny said CBD residents contributed to 25 per cent of all rates in Auckland so $50,000 was a "modest" contribution for outside regions to contribute.
