New load of bras will test council's firm stand

The owner of Cardrona's famous fence says the bras will stay. Picture / Otago Daily Times

A nationwide breast cancer fundraiser could add new items to the Cardrona bra fence in the face of determined opposition from the local council.

The fence, on which hundreds of bras have been hung, is on the Central Otago tourist trail, but critics say it is demeaning to women and a distraction to motorists.

Cardrona Valley resident Natasha Anderson made her feelings known when she cut about half of the bras off the fence in April and police were called. No charges were laid.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has ordered the bras to be removed from the fence owned by John Lee, whose Waiorau Snow Farm is on the boundary with a council road reserve where the fence is situated.

But supporters of the bra-laden fence are standing firm. Now Auckland bra maker Abracadabra is collecting second-hand bras to raise money for breast cancer and plans to send them to Cardrona.

"I won't have anything to do with them, but I will give them to someone else [to hang on the fence]," Mr Lee said.

He said most of the community wanted the bra fence to stay and tourists loved it.

"I know it is a bit outdated and things like that, but we have got to learn to be a bit more tolerant as a society. Probably 90 per cent of people laugh at it and we don't laugh enough these days.

"It's given the Cardrona Valley something. It's helped establish its identity. I've seen tourists stop here and take their bras off and put them on the fence."

Council chief executive Duncan Field said a new load of bras from Abracadabra would not get on to the fence because Mr Lee had already been told to remove the attraction.

"The council's view is that it is old and tawdry and had its day and should be removed."

If Mr Lee wanted to set up another bra attraction on his land, he could apply for resource consent to do so, Mr Field said.

Mr Lee said he would fight to keep the attraction. "We'll see what the next stage of the whole saga is."