Rotorua’s $90k Korean mud bill a ‘winner’
Spending $90,000 of taxpayer cash to import mud from Korea has seen the Rotorua Lakes Council scoop an award from the Taxpayers Union – and a visit from Porky the waste-hating pig.
Porky and Taxpayers’ Union executive director Jordan Williams arrived at the council offices yesterday to present Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick with a supreme certificate of achievement and imagination.
The council secured the award in the wake of an announcement it was to spend $90,000 to import five tonnes of mud powder for the inaugural Mudtopia festival scheduled for December.
‘‘Who knew there was a shortage of mud in Rotorua,’’ Williams said.
‘‘What really drew our attention was the comment that it didn’t matter because it was taxpayers’ cash,’’ Williams said.
‘‘Who on earth would think this is sensible? It’s the most creative waste we’ve seen.’’
Williams and Porky joined the queue at the council front desk but Chadwick was unable to accept the award in person as she was tied up in meetings.
The award was instead taken by a customer services staff member.
‘‘She was in there but she chose not to front,’’ said Williams.
Rotorua District Residents & Ratepayers secretary Reynold Macpherson was also critical of the mud money.
‘‘Our members are appalled at yet another example of extremely foolish spending.
‘‘The problem with mud is it sticks,’’ Williams said.
The council, however, defended the spending at a meeting last week.
‘‘The difference between their mud and ours is ours is geothermal and theirs is more cooling,’’ chief executive office manager Craig Tiriana told councillors.
At the same meeting Rotorua Museum arts and culture director Stewart Brown reassured a number of councillors that the bill for the mud move wasn’t being footed by Rotorua ratepayers, but rather taxpayers.
However, Tiriana clarified in the wake of the meeting that Brown’s comment about no ratepayer funding wasn’t quite correct.
Yes the Government had put in $1.3 million, but the council had also put in $1m. The $90k for the mud powder was coming from that combined pool of money.
However, Tiriana said he expected that the $1m in costs footed by the council should be made back through ticket sales.