Bright confirmed on Friday afternoon that she had filed the documents required as part of her application for a judicial review. Photo / File
Bright confirmed on Friday afternoon that she had filed the documents required as part of her application for a judicial review. Photo / File
Activist Penny Bright has attracted an unlikely public supporter as she attempts to stop the forced sale of her house.
Screenshots supplied to the Herald show former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark posted messages of support on a Facebook thread about Bright's fight to keep her Kingsland home.
Clark wrote in one comment it was "ridiculous that Penny Bright faces losing her home", followed by a house emoji.
It would be "appalling to see Penny lose her home", according to another post.
Bright said she wanted to congratulate Clark for her public support.
Clark has come out in support of activist Penny Bright. Photo / File
"What happened was, Helen Clark came out publicly on Cathy Casey's (Albert-Eden-Roskill Ward Auckland Councillor) Facebook page and I thought it was extremely significant and I mean, don't forget that I'm in Helen Clark's former constituent - Mt Albert," Bright said.
"I replied to her on Facebook and said 'thank you Helen'."
Bright became infamous after she refused to keep paying her rates back in 2007.
It was announced in March of this year that Bright's home would be sold from under her to recover unpaid rates and penalties.
It was announced the property would be sold by tender on April 24.
But the High Court at Auckland gave Bright a temporary reprieve earlier this week.
She was given until Friday to file an affidavit as part of an application for a judicial review to stop Auckland Council selling her home.
She confirmed on Friday afternoon that she had filed all of the documents that the judge had asked her to provide.
"I have filed today the statement of claim and the notice of proceedings for the judicial review, we had a judicial telephone conference today at 2.15pm and what's happening is I have until next Wednesday to make further submissions," she said.
"Auckland Council have until the following Monday to respond to my submissions, then a date will be set for a hearing at the nearest possible time."
"So in the meantime it's still basically on hold in terms of the sale of my house," Bright said.
Bright said she was currently very unwell and was waiting any day to find out whether or not she had ovarian cancer.
"If I end up in hospital, that is going to throw another spanner into the works. But the main thing is this whole ordeal is a huge stress on my health and Auckland Council knows that," Bright said.
