20181011
By Mark Erskine of Favona Ratepayers
Hello to All.
Ratepayers rights and anti-corruption campaigner / watch-dog Penny Bright passed away from inoperable cancer on Thursday, 4th of October 2018. She was 64.
Regardless of whether you agreed or disagreed with her often brash and in-your-face methods, Penny was a person of conspicuous and meticulous honesty, integrity, ability and courage, who relied on exhaustively researched facts and statistics to prosecute (and defend) her campaigns.
It's true, the subjects of her various campaigns were often lost in the sensationalized depictions of her protests by the media, but the campaign subjects were always hugely important and in the very best interests of Residents and Ratepayers in Auckland and around New Zealand.
None of these campaigns were for her own personal gain and she not only willingly gave up her time and income to work 7 days a week in OUR best interests, but she also put her freehold home on the line with her Rates Strike attempt to have Auckland Council "Open the Books".
Most of you won't know what Penny was on about with her "Open the Books" campaign and could care less.
Briefly, "Open the Books" is about Legislation in New Zealand called "The Public Records Act" which all Local Authorities MUST comply with.
The Public Records Act is at the very core of being able to verify open, democratic, transparent and corruption free Local Government in New Zealand. Its "the Law".
Where the Public Records Act is not being implemented or enforced by AC, the wholesale wastage of Ratepayers funds, theft, embezzlement, bribery, corruption and other unlawful activities by AC, it's CCO's, consultants and contractors goes undiscovered.
Penny's "Open the Books" campaign is completely validated by the recent:
... for accepting bribes and other corrupt inducements involving millions of dollars of several years.
Auckland Council - OUR public servants - repeatedly refused Penny's requests over an 11 year period, to "Open the Books" and in doing so, they are clearly and deliberately disregarding (breaking) the Law.
Rightly or wrongly, Penny's way of objecting and protesting against Auckland Council's unlawful activities was to refuse to pay her property Rates, which almost resulted in Auckland Council selling her home this year, to recover the Rates arrears and penalties.
Additionally, many of you won't know that at her own expense, Penny also played an important role recently, by consulting widely with councils and Mayors in the Wellington region, which resulted in these councils NOT adopting the Auckland "Super City" model.
So her funeral will be a Celebration of Penny's eventful life and the venue details are:
Date: 14 October 2018 (Sunday)
Venue: Saint Mathews in the City, 187 Federal Street, Auckland City.
Time: Starts at 2pm sharp.
Regards, Mark.
P: (09) 2706001
M: 021 2541939