MAYOR’S OFFICE
AUCKLAND CITY
MEDIA RELEASE
13 June 2005
Mayor says city must practise what it preaches
The Mayor of Auckland city, Dick Hubbard, has welcomed a proposed funding boost for the city’s urban design, saying the
city must finally put its money where its mouth is.
The request to add an additional $523,000 to the existing $1.4 million for heritage and urban design came from the Urban
Strategy and Governance Committee today.
The funding would enable the council to take action on the initiatives contained in the Mayoral Taskforce on Urban
Design report released a fortnight ago.
Mr Hubbard said public support had been overwhelming for the taskforce’s recommendations to improve the look and feel of
the city through better design, but warned that the council must practise what it preaches.
“It involves a culture change within Auckland City,” said Mr Hubbard. “Everything we do must demonstrate the new way of
thinking. We have learned some lessons the hard way but the challenge now is for the council to lead by example and be a
role model for the public and private sector,” he said.
Mr Hubbard said this included taking a lead in creating sustainable buildings – those that are energy and water
efficient – as well as elegant and well positioned- buildings that leave a lighter footprint on the earth.
Ends