Council's costly globetrotting

Jet-setting Auckland City councillors have spent nearly $150,000 of ratepayer money on trips to far-flung exotic locations such as Bologna and Bilbao.

Details of the flights and accommodation were released to the Herald on Sunday under the Official Information Act and come hard on the heels of criticism last week about a $55,000 city council round-the-world junket to art galleries, sports stadiums and museums.

The council is defending the spending, saying the 50 funded overseas trips - some of which included business-class flights - were invaluable and would benefit ratepayers long-term.

But former Auckland mayor Christine Fletcher is not impressed. "I don't approve of it. It's unacceptable and I think the council will find it hard to justify this spending with huge rates increases to come."

Auckland City ratepayers are facing their second year of hefty rate rises. Last year, rates rose 9.7 per cent and this year, they are tipped to rise by at least 11 per cent.

Travel costs for Auckland City councillors also far exceed that of many other councils.

In the past 18 months, the Auckland Regional Council spent $16,200 on airfares, North Shore City Council $25,000, and Waitakere City Council $39,412.

Council figures supplied to the Herald on Sunday show Auckland spent $148,000 on flights and accommodation for 50 overseas trips in the past 12 months - $50,000 more than the John Banks-led council spent in an entire term.

That included the heavily-criticised $55,000 round-the-world junket by four councillors and officials to the United States and Europe.

The latest trip, which starts today, is said to investigate potential ways of modernising Auckland city.

Mayor Dick Hubbard has asked council staff for a "please explain" breakdown of the travel expenses but is defending the spending. Halfway through his first term as mayor, Mr Hubbard is the most frequent flyer on Auckland's jet-setting council.

In the past year, he has visited Japan, China and South Africa at a cost of nearly $23,000. All trips were flown business class.

Mr Hubbard flew to Auckland's sister cities Fukuoka and Guangzhou before speaking at conferences in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Globetrotting to sister cities, conferences and "study trips" were value for money for a city with assets of $8 billion andan annual turnover of $650 million, he said.

"It's investing in one of the largest organisations in the country. That's all I can say until I have a good look at the figures."

During John Banks' term as mayor, the Auckland City Council spent $92,300 on travel. The previous council, under Mrs Fletcher, spent $58,200.

City councillors began flying business class only in 2003.

Mrs Fletcher said she could understand Mr Hubbard's spending on overseas trips but could not rationalise why "middle-ranked councillors" were travelling the globe.

"There is a mana associated with the mayor, and people would say 'yes, we have to be out there beating the drums for Auckland'," she said.

"But I really struggle with middle-ranking councillors having privileges which are far greater than those afforded in much more senior positions."

After Mr Hubbard, the councillors responsible for the biggest overseas travel bills are Glenda Fryer and Faye Storer, who racked up nearly $20,000 on a two-week trip to the US, Canada, Italy and the Netherlands.

The pair also made whistlestop tours through Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, Bologna and Amsterdam, for conferences on public transport and sustainable planning.

Ms Fryer said that learning from the mistakes and successes of large international cities was crucial for the council before Auckland embarked on an ambitious building programme.

"I think it's unfair to call them junkets," she said.

"Auckland is an international city and we can't learn much from Wellington or Christchurch."