Hamilton councillors 'rushed' into V8 decision

Hamilton councillors are claiming they had no idea about V8 Supercars negotiations. Photo / Getty Images

Hamilton City Councillors are questioning why they had no notice that V8 Supercars Australia wanted to remove the event from the city, and are criticising a "rushed" decision-making process.

Next year will be the final year Hamilton will host the V8 supercar event, after councillors voted 6-4 on Friday to accept the company leaving a seven year contract two years early.

Hamilton council has invested more than $40 million into the event since the contract was signed in 2006.

Council chief executive Barry Harris has reportedly confirmed the deal was negotiated over the last few months, but councillors are claiming they had no idea about negotiations.

Councillor Angela O'Leary said she was told about the issue on the same day councillors were expected to make a decision based on limited information.

"The only heads up I had was a line on the agenda we got three days before the presentation, there was no other information about what that presentation was going to be."

She said councillors were normally given reports three days before council meetings, and if staff reports weren't ready then they weren't taken at the meeting. On Friday, councillors were given a staff report after the Australian company's presentation, she said.

Audit New Zealand had been commissioned to review the city's organisation of the event earlier this year and should provide some much-needed insight, she said.

"The decision that was made last week and the processes and how that decision was forced on us, and rushed on us with no heads up, is exactly why we commissioned the Audit New Zealand report in the first place."

She said council had formally requested a written confirmation of when it could expect the report.

Councillor Martin Gallagher said many councillors were questioning why the decision was so rushed and why there was so little information around the decision.

"We were asked to sell an asset worth $9m for $1.25m without any apparent independent analysis in terms of the current market value. And we were expected to come in and first time we heard it, about 11am, see some item on the agenda and it was supposed to be done and dusted by 5pm that night."

V8 Supercars Australia acting chief executive Shane Howard told the NZ Herald the organisation had not talked to other potential venues, but was open to all options.