PRESS-RELEASE The City is Ours looking back.......
A statement to the press from the City is Ours Inc. celebrating its first birthday has revealed some of its achievements
and losses in 2010. The purpose of the Society being formed was wholly to promote healthy living standards and quality
of life for all Wellingtonians but particularly those in the Central City with limited living environments. In its
objectives the society also ensures duly elected councilor's tasked to provide for and protect the needs of the
citizenship according to their oath with consideration to all human rights under the United Nations and all other
conventions New Zealand is signatory to.
In its efforts to protect the "open space with sunlight protection" known as Manners Mall, the City is Ours Inc. came up
against several forces says president Maria van der Meel. While the society was making headway in gaining public support
with a petition asking for a reprieve for the peoples mall, NZBus/Infratil/Snapper and the Chamber of Commerce as
shareholders came out against it to break down its success. A popular newspaper monopolized by WCC with ratepayers money
dealt the final blow with a controversial article on its front-page often used to terrorize the minds of the readership
(police raids 15th of October).
In report 2 and page 7 dated 10th of December 2009 from WCC officers to the councilor's it was acknowledged the City is
Ours gained 1919 signatures on the petition "Manners Mall will be protected, saying no to revocation". The Chamber of
Commerce in turn received 329 postcard replies and NZBus/Infratil/Snapper 510 txt responses saying yes to revocation.
While these were advised as notable the officers recommended they were to be excluded from the final decision making
process by our duly elected councilor's.
The City is Ours Inc. looking back proposes to make a toast to the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce and
NZBus/Infratil/Snapper for their achievements in 2010. Not only did they show an interest but they actually came out of
their cage to fight the people on the last frontier in a bid to protect shareholders interests including their own. The
battle drew a winner and with it we lost our voice, Manners Mall..........a gift from the City to compensate us for the
destruction of 50 hectares of heritage land and buildings in Thorndon and the ultimate bi-secting of the beloved Bolton
Street Cemetery.
ends