ACT leader David Seymour slams Auckland Council over $500k slogan

ACT Leader David Seymour says Auckland Council needs to focus on issues that matter to locals - not slogans. Photo/ Jason Oxenham

ACT Leader David Seymour has slammed Auckland Council bureaucrats for spending $500,000 coming up with Auckland's new slogan "The place desired by many".

He suggested a raft of other slogans instead, which he said reflected issues raised by locals in the Epsom electorate.

"I'm out door knocking in the Epsom electorate today and what I generally hear constituents want from Council is not a new slogan but some other things," Seymour said.

"I have people caught in battles with the council to trim or remove dangerous trees, people furious about rates increases, and people concerned about housing affordability, congestion, and public safety. Those are the things Council must focus on."

Some better slogans reflecting what Aucklanders want from council suggested by Seymour:

"The place where my kids will afford a home before I die."

"The place where I'm not stuck in traffic all the time."

"The place where my consents get processed within the 20 day statutory requirement."

"The place where my rates bear some resemblance to services rendered."

Seymour said if the newly elected council "cannot refocus the bureaucracy on things that matter to Aucklanders, Parliament will have to clip their wings by amending the Local Government Act to do it for them".

The city's proposed new global brand - The Place Desired by Many - was worked on by three project staff over two year, while115 council staff attended workshops.

Council-controlled organisation Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed) says the catchphrase was never meant to be a slogan, but was part of an "Auckland story" that could be marketed to a global audience.