C&R hijacks website to stir the enemy

Aaron Bhatnagar

The conservative Citizens & Ratepayers Now ticket on the Auckland City Council has pinched the website of one of its opponents to "scrutinise the lack of performance, the failures and broken promises of the Action Hobson ticket".

C&R Now Hobson member Aaron Bhatnagar said Action Hobson had allowed its website to lapse about the middle of last year and he had registered it on behalf on C&R Now.

Mr Bhatnagar, who lost a seat on the Hobson Bay Community Board in 2004 when Action Hobson swept to power in the conservative ward, said the website would be used to scrutinise the performance of Action Hobson, its voting record and alliance with the left-wing City Vision and Labour bloc.

C&R Now has also sent a letter to households in Hobson criticising Action Hobson councillors Christine Caughey and Richard Simpson for supporting large rates increases for a second year running and adding that the city has stalled with indecision, flip-flopping and bureaucratic excess.

The letter said C&R Now would continue to oppose huge rates hikes, promote sensible spending, search for efficiencies and promote Auckland as a vibrant and exciting city.

C&R Now has proposed higher uniform annual general charges to reduce large dollar increases for high-value properties but result in high percentage increases for middle and low-value properties.

The ticket sent out a similar letter last year to 10,000 households.

Christine Caughey said if C&R Now wanted to play political pranks with the website, "so be it", but Action Hobson had a sophisticated campaign for next year's local body elections and "when it comes out they won't know what has hit them".

She said Action Hobson worked across the board on the council and the left-right message by C&R Now was meaningless and showed the level of its thinking.