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.

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