Brian Rudman: Politicians' decision-making faculties succumb to V8 petrol fumes

Cartoon / Peter Bromhead

What is it about the roar of a V8 engine and the sniff of petrol that makes some male politicians lose touch with reality. One-time mayor of Hamilton Michael Redman is the latest victim of the V8 Supercar circuit, forced to resign from his job as Auckland Council's events and economic development supremo after a damning report from his Hamilton City past.

It was Mr Redman who in 2006 grabbed the V8 poisoned chalice that had been dropped by Auckland and Wellington city councils, and rushed back to Waikato claiming it was a goose that was about to lay seven years of golden eggs.

As mayor, and then in 2007 as council chief executive, he championed the cause, persuading councillors to sign up to seven annual street races. The first race took place in 2008, but there was to be no golden egg for Hamilton. Indeed, ever since, council and promoters alike have lost increasing amounts. This month, the council bit the bullet and decided next year's event would be the last.

Audit New Zealand's probe into the background of this disaster left Mr Redman no option but to resign his new job. Particularly when reports are emerging that Auckland Council bureaucrats are now sniffing around the entrails of the race, muttering about giving it a new home at the Whenuapai air force base.

Mr Redman's party planning department recently put up a $222 million wishlist of special events to Mayor Len Brown for inclusion in his 10-year Long Term Plan. The just-released draft plan includes a $123 million selection of these.

The severity of Audit New Zealand's criticism makes Mr Redman's continuing presence at the head of this team untenable.

The report highlights the unfortunate effect of petrol fumes on the decision-making faculties.

It says "we have not located any properly-constructed business case assessment for the V8 event opportunity", and concludes that making a commitment to a major event without such a document "was a serious oversight".

The report also questions how Mr Redman, as chief executive, could have acted objectively in recommending to councillors in 2007 a project he had advocated strongly in his previous life as mayor.

Before the fateful decision was made, a submission drew attention to a 2002 report prepared by the Australian Capital Territory's auditor-general into Canberra's similarly ill-fated flirtation with V8 street racing. It proved so much more expensive than expected that the city pulled out of its contract early. Audit New Zealand says the Canberra report should have raised the "red flags" for Hamilton councillors or bureaucrats.

That it failed comes as no surprise. I published details of the same report in 2004, when Auckland Mayor John Banks and his petrol-head councillor allies were pushing for a street circuit around Victoria Park. The warning from across the Tasman was ignored. Council supporters were so fixated by the throb of V8 engines they refused to accept their folly would create gridlock in downtown Auckland. It took the Environment Court to bring them back to earth with a thud.

But for every politician side-swiped by a V8, there's a queue of armchair Greg Murphys waiting to take their place. Prime Minister John Key seems to be the latest, backing a plan to move the V8 circuit to Whenuapai air base as a "wonderful thing".

He says his officials and the Australian V8 circuit organisers have discussed it and he no doubt thinks that its being in his Helensville electorate is no bad thing. Craftily, he was quick to bounce it back to Auckland Council and the air force for any final decision.

Which is where it stalled in 2005, when this idea was last floated. Then Defence Minister Mark Burton, canned the idea, saying past motoring events had caused considerable damage to the runway and that closing the airport would create a risk to "unscheduled emergency/humanitarian responses".

More to the point is the cost to ratepayers. Former Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey says the numbers didn't stack up in 2005 and we should steer clear of it now. History would suggest this is excellent advice.