Opposition to V8 race 'churlish', says Mayor

By BERNARD ORSMAN

The legal process for the proposed V8 supercar race turned into a political dogfight yesterday when Auckland City Mayor John Banks called the national road agency Transit churlish for opposing the event.

Mr Banks said he was not going to be bullied by Transit, referring to claims by the agency that it had the power to block the race if it believed it would hinder the operation of the motorway system.

"No one threatens me. Least of all a Government agency called Transit by saying: 'We can stop the V8s. We don't care what the commissioners say, we don't care what the Environment Court says, we don't care what the High Court says, we can stop it'.

"Well I have got advice for them ... bring it on. Don't bully me."

Transit chief executive Ric van Barneveld said the agency had no intention to block the race and was certainly not being churlish.

"What we are doing is treating the matter in a responsible and serious way because we have a statutory requirement to operate the state highway system in an integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable way."

Mr van Barneveld said the Transit board set conditions required for the agency to support the race, including backing from all Auckland councils and appropriate steps to monitor and manage the event.

"We haven't yet been satisfied that these two conditions have been met," he said.

Mr Banks said he was within his rights to criticise Transit and North Shore Mayor George Wood in the middle of resource consent hearings for the event, being heard by three independent commissioners.

Mr Banks said he was not part of the council's joint application with promoter IMG to host the event for seven years from 2006 but was speaking in a "cheer-leading" capacity.

His comments drew criticism from city councillor Penny Sefuiva and Mr Wood, who will open his council's case at the hearings today.

"I am disappointed this issue has become a political beat-up," said Mr Wood, "because it is before three very experienced independent commissioners."

Mrs Sefuiva said it was irresponsible for Mr Banks at this point to be talking about a costly appeal.

Mr Banks said Transit was hellbent on stopping the council and IMG hosting the international car-racing carnival. He released a May 6 Transit memo stating that if local councils agreed and Auckland City could deliver a traffic management plan such as that used during the 1999 Apec leaders conference "it would seem churlish and perhaps against regional development for Transit to be implacably opposed to the event".

Mr Banks said Transit had congratulated the council for managing traffic during Apec and the council would leave no stone unturned to manage traffic during the car race.

The street race supporters club also weighed in by distributing leaflets headed "Auckland Can Do It" outside Transit's Auckland office.

A planning consultant for Transit, Chris Horne, told the commissioners yesterday that the applicants could not close the motorway on and off-ramps at Fanshawe St without the approval of Transit.

The agency also had legal rights to control activities under the Victoria Park Viaduct, on Victoria St and at the Beaumont St-Fanshawe St intersection, he said.

Mr Horne said the applicants' traffic modelling was "broad brush" and the commissioners should decline the application until more detailed information was provided.