Wellington shells out $12,000 to welcome new boss with half-day event

Wellington’s new chief executive, Matt Prosser, has received a warm welcome in the form of a special morning tea and welcome lunch, costing more than $12,000, courtesy of ratepayers.

“Atrocious first day for the new boss given rates are expected to increase by as much as 15.9 percent this year alone.” said Sam Warren, the Local Government Campaigns Manager for the Taxpayers’ Union.

“Seriously, whoever thought this was a good idea is the perfect depiction of what’s gone wrong with Wellington City Council. A half-day event costing this much is an insult.”

“Prosser, who is on a salary of more than half a million, says he ‘looks forward to understanding how best to serve Wellington’. I can tell him now, the best way to serve Wellington is leading by example and say ‘no’ to even more extravagant spending."

“Wellington needs a leader that can cut through the waste and focus on getting rates to an affordable level. He’s off to a poor start, we’ll be watching him closely.”