Editorial: City council's last gasp of excess must be stopped

What on Earth is the dying Auckland City Council up to with ratepayers' money? The council, soon to be dissolved through the formation of the Super City, will spend $15 million buying, demolishing and rebuilding elsewhere an entirely adequate primary school in Mt Roskill. The reason? So that a little-known park which has become a council pet project might have a better frontage to Hillsborough Rd.

Worse, the plan at Monte Cecilia Park has a second phase in which up to $10 million more will go on buying and demolishing a village for the elderly. At a time when the council rightly rejected paying for the Government's $98 million grand plan for Queens Wharf, and performed with histrionics when asked to underwrite a further $40 million for Eden Park, the spend-up at Mt Roskill is a serious misuse of public funds.

Roskill MP and Opposition leader Phil Goff is adamant the spending need not happen. He suggests minor relocation of school property at a fraction of the cost could improve access to the park. As for Monte Cecilia School, its trustees and parents want to stay where they are but the landowner, the Catholic Church, is happy to take the ratepayers' cash and receive a subsidised school near its Hillsborough church.

The Deputy Mayor, David Hay, who represents the area and is about to retire from local government, says the diocese prefers its schools to be sited with parish churches. But that should be no concern of the city. If the church wants that, it should pay for it. The Auckland Transition Agency, which is charged with approving the spend-ups by councils about to expire, should use whatever powers it might still have to overturn this pointless, last gasp of excess.