MPs clear Apec bill to close Domain

A bill allowing the closure of Auckland Domain for Apec should be passed with minor amendments, a parliamentary select committee has recommended.

The internal affairs and local government committee said there was concern among the homeless and those who worked with them about police being heavy-handed in the lead-up to Apec, including the possibility of trespass notices to move them off the Domain.

But police had given an assurance they would treat homeless people who lived in the Domain "with dignity."

The MPs expressed surprise at the lack of a formal agreement on who should bear the costs of the forum and urged that the matter be settled soon.

While the Government promised to bear the cost of hosting Apec when it bid for the forum, it is now unclear how much it will pay for improvements to the city.

An Auckland City Council submission on the bill sought reimbursement for costs of $5.2 million. Apec officials have since expressed surprise at some of the costs claimed, including money for taking foreign media to the zoo.

The council last night approved using unemployed people as smiling ambassadors during Apec and the America's Cup and millennium events.

The council will employ 10 ambassadors and two supervisors for six months at a cost of $49,808. Work and Income New Zealand will pay $59,390 towards the scheme.

After training, the ambassadors will hit downtown streets in a "funky" uniform to greet passersby with a smile, maps and suggestions for places to park, visit and eat, and will keep an eye on rubbish and graffiti.
- STAFF REPORTER, NZPA