Council not worried by junk mail bylaw

An Auckland council has rejected a suggestion that it would be a victim of its own proposed bylaw banning unwanted junk mail.

The North Shore City Council, along with its Waitakere and Rodney counterparts, has produced a draft bylaw that could include fines of up to $20,000.

If the bylaw is passed, it would make the three councils the first to ban the distribution of flyers in letter boxes with signs such as "no junk mail" or "no circulars" on them.

The move is being fought by marketing companies, and the Sales and Marketing Institute has described council planners as "naive".

Institute president Richard Gee said the bylaw would prevent the councils from having their own newsletters distributed to all households.

He added that sensible advertisers did not upset their customers and that councils should be working with businesses to encourage sensible marketing rather than passing another law.

"Why should local councils want to add another administrative regulation for no benefit to employment or the community, and to harm the very business ratepayers that are the employers in their regions?"

North Shore Council waste minimisation team leader Bradley Nolan said the planned bylaw focused on unaddressed advertising material.

It did not cover items such as council newsletters, which were mailed out as part of the rates demand, or suburban newspapers.

Submissions closed last week and the council would hold a hearing next month.

North Shore Mayor George Wood said the proposal was part of the council's overall philosophy of reducing the amount of the waste produced.

- NZPA