Ex-mayor's big credit card bill

Barry Curtis. Photo / Amos Chapple

Sir Barry Curtis put $100,000 of spending on his council credit card in his final term as Manukau City Mayor.

Expenses for the former mayor, who is standing for a seat on the Auckland Council, included $31,938 on entertainment and hospitality, $44,004 on travel and accommodation and $10,683 on the mayoral vehicle.

He also spent $13,230 on other expenses, such as death and other newspaper notices, flowers, suit hire and dry cleaning.

Sir Barry, 71, who retired in 2007 after 24 years as mayor of the most socially challenged council in New Zealand, yesterday defended the spending, details of which were obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act.

The total of $100,139 compares with $16,977 run up by his successor Len Brown in his first 30 months as Manukau mayor.

Sir Barry said he was a particularly busy mayor, attending about 950 engagements a year.

A relief driver was required because one driver could not keep up with the pace, he said.

Asked about his entertainment and hospitality bill, Sir Barry said he had a council budget for functions, but from time to time some expenditure was put on his credit card because the budget was exhausted.

"It was a very, very lively office and we did a lot of that sort of entertaining within the building and sometimes outside the building," Sir Barry said.

He said his $44,004 bill for travel and accommodation covered costs, including costs for other council staff, on economic development missions to Samoa, the Cook Islands and Tahiti.

Rule changes meant Mr Brown did not incur some of the expenses, such as various motor vehicle costs, Sir Barry said.

Unlike Mr Brown, who admitted this year to making three personal purchases on his council credit card totalling $579.27 in the year to May, Sir Barry said he had put no personal expenditure on his council credit card.

Council chief executive Leigh Auton would not say yesterday if he was aware of any personal spending by Sir Barry or whether costs for other council staff on overseas trips were included on the mayor's council credit card.

After repeated questions to Mr Auton, including a written request under the emergency provisions of the Official Information Act, Mr Auton said a response would be provided in due course.

"Sir Barry's credit card was subject to the finance and audit procedures put in place to ensure spending was reasonable and appropriate," Mr Auton said.

Sir Barry is seeking one of two seats in the Manurewa-Papakura ward for the Auckland Council.

Meanwhile, Manukau city councillor Dick Quax has repaid $1552 for a two-day resource management course he was signed up for in 2008 at Auckland University, but did not attend.

Mr Quax, who is standing for one of two seats in the Howick ward as a Citizens & Ratepayers candidate, was one of the biggest critics of Mr Brown's personal spending on his council credit card.

Auckland City Mayor John Banks does not have a council credit card, but has admitted claiming $438.80 in entertainment costs this term after saying he had "never charged a sandwich, lunch or coffee to the ratepayers of Auckland".

He has also spent $11,523 this term on flowers for the mayoral office. The bill was charged to a credit card used by his personal assistant.