He’s Goff the power (if proof were needed)
After complaining for about a year to Auckland Council about an abandoned car on their street, residents had the last laugh when it was finally removed after photos of the mayor were stuck to it.
Residents on Arthur St, Freemans Bay, laid at least three complaints to local authorities about a vehicle that was taking up space on their street for about a year.
But nothing was done about it until the day after someone attached pictures of a smiling Auckland mayor, Phil Goff, to the windscreen and driver’s side window.
Jake Morrison said three of his neighbours had complained about the vehicle. “It is a really narrow street — parking is kind of at a premium [and] it just looks shabby.
“Nothing happened for ages. It’s a friendly street and everyone pretty much knows each other, so you’d stand out there and [ask]: ‘What’s happening with the car’?”
Speaking to the Herald, he acknowledged that the photos of Goff on the car appeared to spark the authorities into action. “I only took the photo yesterday and today it was taken away.
“I talked to the neighbours opposite and they were delighted.”
An Auckland Transport spokesman said the legal process to determine who owned the vehicle was already under way at the time.
“The vehicle was issued with infringements for parking breaches but it could not be classified as abandoned because there was a thirdparty financial interest on it.
“That third party removed the vehicle from the road, not Auckland Transport,” he said.
AT is looking into just over 500 cases of reported abandoned vehicles around the city. The spokesman said there is a legal process to determine if a vehicle has been abandoned and how to dispose of it.
“Cases can take around 90 days — if the vehicle does not have a current registration or warrant, we cannot contact the last registered owner.
“If the vehicle is in fair condition and not posing a safety issues, AT will leave the vehicle at the kerb.”
The mayor’s office has been approached for comment.