The Manukau cover up?
Jonathan Marshall at the SST reports:
Council officials working for Manakau mayor Len Brown approached a restaurant asking its staff to “make up” a dinner receipt that excluded details of beer and wine purchased during a $810 dinner. …
On Friday, a bundle of receipts was sent by the council’s chief executive, Leigh Auton. The majority of receipts were eftpos ones rather than tax invoices showing exactly what was purchased.
Council regulations require a tax invoice to be submitted for every transaction, especially for spends of more than $50.
One of the tax invoices provided to the Star-Times was for an $810 dinner at Manurewa’s Volare Restaurant on a Sunday evening in September 2009. The only details of the visit on the invoice are “dinner for mayor Len Brown, includes food and beverage”.
The tax invoice is different from the usual invoices given to diners at the South Auckland eatery.
The Star-Times has learned that council officials contacted the restaurant last week – 36 weeks after the visit – and asked them to produce a new receipt and fax it to council headquarters. Volare owner Daniel Nakhle yesterday confirmed “a new receipt was requested” just a few days ago.
This verges on fraud (unless the original receipt had been lost), and may be a breach of the Official Information Act. If this is correct, it is disgraceful that Manukau City Council staff believe it is their job to request suppliers to manufacture new invoices that hide the details of the spending.
If you worked in the private sector, and it turned out you had been going back to restaurants and asking them for new receipts/invoices which are less embarrassing to you, you’d probably be sacked by your boss.
If Council staff were ringing up restaurants to ask for new invoices that would be less embarrassing to the Mayor, it would signify the naked politisation of the Council staff, presuambly authorised by the CEO. And one would have to ask at whose request was any request made?
If media request credit card details under the Official Information Act, the obligation is to hand over any information you have that is legally obtainable.
The last thing public sector staff should be doing is ringing up restaurants and asking them to manufacture new invoices, so they don’t have to hand over the receipts they do have. The Ombudsman should be very concerned about this, and may even want to investigate.
The revelation comes as official documents show it took Brown 437 days to repay his council for a family Christmas ham he bought from a butcher.
The Sunday Star-Times revealed last week that Brown spent $10,864.98 in the past 12 months on council plastic. It has since emerged he racked up $16,977.22 since winning the mayoralty in 2007. The Star-Times requested copies of each receipt for each transaction since Brown was elected mayor.
On Friday, a bundle of receipts was sent by the council’s chief executive, Leigh Auton. The majority of receipts were eftpos ones rather than tax invoices showing exactly what was purchased.
Three scenarios come to mind here, for what Manukau City Council have done:
- MCC has the full tax receipts showing details of how much alcohol was consumed, and asked restaurants to manufacture new receipts leaving off this detail, so they could hide the real receipts from disclosure under the OIA.
- MCC never received the full tax receipts from the Mayor, in breach of Council policy.
- MCC were given the full tax receipts by the Mayor, but despite being legally required to keep them for seven years have lost or destroyed them.
To some degree all three scenarios reflect very badly on those involved.
The questions I would be asking are:
- Does MCC have the full tax receipts still, and if not did they ever have them?
- Who made the decision to ring up restaurants to ask for new invoices/receipts?
- At whose request was the decision made?
June 13th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Shouldn’t Mr Auton be fired – oh sorry – he can’t be fired – for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice?
June 13th, 2010 at 11:12 am
This is disgusting , and a new low for Labour.
Not only is Len Brown bingeing up on the ratepayer’s tab, he is now allegedly a party to cover it up.
Keep up the good work DPF!
June 13th, 2010 at 11:14 am
Is that the sound of Len Brown’s mayoral campaign I hear sinking..?
I hope so.
Looks like the Mayor isn’t going to be in “tha’ house” for much longer. What a shame.
June 13th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Paulus – you are right. the CEO should be asked some tough questions of this.
I think Mr Auton is retiring, which means he is up for a swag bag of redundancy if he retires from the Manukau Council.
I’d hate to think he’d be getting a big payout after presiding over this!
June 13th, 2010 at 11:17 am
“Shouldn’t Mr Auton be fired – oh sorry – he can’t be fired ”
He already has been. His final day of work is 29th October
June 13th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Nice strategy from the Nat’s – how long has this been in play DPF? Before or after the election win?
June 13th, 2010 at 11:17 am
It is looking potentially more and more dodgy, incompetent at best.
What is the MCC policy on personal use on council credit cards?
Eddie, the credit card use has all been since the election. If it had been used properly this couldn’t play.
June 13th, 2010 at 11:23 am
Will Len Brown have the grace to withdraw from the Auckland Mayoral race now? Or limp to a pathetic finish?
June 13th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Classic!
These pinko bastards just cannot help themselves.
Give them access to public money and they treat it like it is their own.
June 13th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Is that Manakau down by Levin that the scribe is talking about?
June 13th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Eftpos receipts also do not meet the criteria for purchases over $50 as required by the GST Act. I assume the council therefore has not claimed GST on Len’s expenditure – yeah right!
The restaurant by giving in to the council’s demands has also breached the GST Act where only one GST receipt or tax invoice is able to be provided for each supply unless of course they issued a credit note against the original invoice.
June 13th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
A tax invoice:
* must be original. The GST registered supplier can only issue one original tax invoice for each taxable supply. If the purchaser loses the invoice, the supplier may issue a copy. It must be clearly marked “copy only”.
http://www.ird.govt.nz/gst/work-out/work-out-records/records-tax/tax-info/
June 13th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
“These pinko bastards just cannot help themselves.”
I beg to differ BB. Their problem is that the slimy, leftard, bastards are too damn good at helping themselves.
June 13th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
“Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!”
Why is it so difficult for these people to tell the truth after all
“know the truth and the truth shall set you free”
June 13th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
maurieo 12:21 pm,
I think your quote may allude to, at least in part, some of the reasons these individuals have no concept of truth, honesty and integrity.
June 13th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Administrative stuff ups aren’t as funny as this though. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10651535
June 13th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Why are we so surprised when, in socialist dictum, he is “the first amongst equals”
June 13th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
If he still runs after this psychology students will be able to accurately measure the extent of mental illness in Auckland by how many people vote for him.
June 13th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
As a tax payer, rate payer and small business owner I am beyond disgusted. This is our money they are spending.
Eddie, spin it how you like but the simple fact remains this information would not be coming to light if the behaviour had not happened in the first place. Don’t have dodgy claims, no story for the media…simple isn’t it.
Left/Right has no part of this it is politicians of all colours that are so totally disconnected from the public that they think this is OK???
I would ask all out left friends if they seriously don’t have any problem with Jim Anterton, Shayne Jones or Chris Carter putting things on their credit card that would have you out of a job.
I don’t buy the I paid it back later argument either. I have a company card and the paperwork required to straighten the transaction out is horrendous…or is this just a socialist make work scheme??
June 13th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
So behind that warm face and the heart problems lies someone who is a serial abuser of ratepayers’ money. I feel an inquiry by the Auditor General and possible prosecution. There is no way a tax invoice should be produced unless the restaurant has a spare copy. To produce a fake invoice could amount to fraud.
June 13th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Still he still shows some of his old socialist roots. I mean a lousy $59 ham for the whole family for Xmas!
Good lord dahlings, what a peasant!
June 13th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
“There is no way a tax invoice should be produced unless the restaurant has a spare copy.”
By law the restaurant has to have the original. They should only provide a copy of that, clearly marked as COPY.
June 13th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
If the invoice is available then it should be released booze and all and I hope (unlikely) who the guests were. I assume this was a family birthday celebration for Mr Brown. I also assume the ONE family credit card (they have more than one card surely) was left at home. So poor old Len had to use the council card which was conveniently on him as it always seems to be.
June 13th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
“ONE family credit card ”
What banks allow multi person credit cards? I didn’t think banks allowed the shared use of a credit card. Eg:
You must sign your Card as soon as you receive it.
2.3 You must not use your Card for anything illegal, or allow anyone
else to use your Card, Card number or PIN and must keep them
safe from theft or fraudulent use.
June 13th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Pete,I have been thinking along those lines also. So what does that do to Winston Raymond Peters (unemployed of no fixed abode) claiming that he never used his credit card himself but his staff frequently did?
June 13th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
A Council CEO can tell an ordinary councillor where to stick it, bar him or her from council premises (except normal public areas) and decline to give any information except under OIC. In practice CEO’s and senior staff are much more accommodating with this.
A mayor has various statutory duties and so a CEO has to respect such duties with respect to the mayor. Moreover if the CEO were to be fired it would be the mayor who would bring the grim tidings.
However a CEO has to be very careful dealing with a mayor or councillor with the confidence of the majority of councillors. It may be some of them on the other side of the table at next review meeting or interview for another five year term.
Hence a CEO valuing job security may be excessively cooperative with such requests.
In instant case, it would be reasonable to take the median price for three courses, multiply it by number of people and presume the balance of the bill is booze. The onus is then on the mayor to show they did not get sick on caviar.
June 13th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
If the CEO is jacking up documents to help the Mayor then that is a very serious matter indeed for the CEO> He will go down with the Mayor. Remember Nixon’s henchmen. But I assume the CEO will do no such thing. Brown would be most unwise to ask his CEO to do something dodgy. I assume he hasn’t. A sensible person willingly allows checks and balances as a PROTECTION against accusations of impropriety. Or does Brown NOT get that.
June 13th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Eddie, nicely played. Blame it on the Nats spin machine. Except. It was reported in the paper this morning, a paper that has always been a friend of Labour.
David.. a couple of questions that the media should be asking. Who was at this dinner that was held on a Sunday night a few days before cardiac browns birthday?
Which council employees were involved in this attempt to deceive?
Are these council employees members of browns campaign team? If so, is it appropriate for ratepayers (or council owned events centres) to be paying their wages?
An OIA for the staff roll (including the TelstraClear events centre) may well throw up a couple of names that are not unfamiliar to keen students of the muppets who act as fixers for the labour Machine.
I had looked on with some amusement at the stealing from the North Shore and Manukau areas. But I am moving to Auckland and now actually feel the same sense of disgust and outrage that ordinary decent citizens feel towards these crooks.
June 13th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Meanwhile over on the sub-standard, Eddie has put his tinfoil hat on again.
‘Nats’ smear machine steps up attack on Len Brown. The National Party’s David Farrar is even suggesting a “cover-up” and “fraud” at the Manukau Council. Is panic setting in at the thought of losing Auckland?’
June 13th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
The troughing it up on a sunday night is the least of Browns problems. wait til the hard questions about who is paying the wages of his campaign staff start being asked.
June 13th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Let us ask who is paying the wages of campaign staff. If it is the ratepayers then Brown has to disclose all of that.
June 13th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Trougher, trougher, trougher.
Would it be a coincidence if Trougher Brown is supported by the hopelessly socialist Labour Party?
The sense of entitlement of these bastards is beyond belief.
June 13th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
As a Manukau Ratepayer, what screws me up are the number of other ratepayers for whom these amounts are a very big deal indeed, and who must stump up the cash to keep Labour Lackeys in the style to which they are accustomed.
Anyone voting for Brown in October cannot say they didn’t know what they were getting. If this is what Willie Jackson and Matt McCarten think is honourable and worthwhile and a fair go, they need to say so tomorrow.
June 13th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Barnsley Bill, you are a nasty nasty man.
Just because your goal keeper fucked up doesn’t mean you have to cast such nasty nasty nasturtiums at the poor useless conniving corrupt thieving bastard.
BTW, who is paying the wages of Len Brown’s campaign staff?
June 13th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
BTW, who is paying the wages of Len Brown’s campaign staff?
An excellent question. And even more so, how many are presently employed directly or indirectly by the Manukau City Council? And who owns the land the signs for the campaign in Manukau are standing on? Trust Len Brown? Sure can’t!
June 13th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Sigh, putting aside the football……
That is a good question Adolf. Who is paying the wages of Len Browns campaign staff? Who funds the painting burner and C-C-Conor?
Mr Marshall, I assume you are reading. Try getting hold of a staff roll for the events centre and the mayors office. And then google a few of the names…..
June 13th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Nothing like a bit of sunlight shinning on the troughing bastards.
June 13th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
No wonder “Eddie” is on the defensive at The Standard – this is getting too close for comfort for him
June 13th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Pete et al
RE:
Pete George (5055) Says:
June 13th, 2010 at 11:17 am
It is looking potentially more and more dodgy, incompetent at best.
What is the MCC policy on personal use on council credit cards?
Eddie, the credit card use has all been since the election. If it had been used properly this couldn’t play.
ETC
I know the credit card stuff has been coming out since the election. My question was, has this strategy been in play before then? It has been well played and if it has been planned since before the election then hats off to the strategist.
BB and chfr do try and keep up.
June 13th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
And I’ll have you know “Inventory2″ (I assume “Inventory1″ was banned here previously for being a ratbag) that just because 1 or 2 Labour members have taken minor liberties with credit card policy (and lets be frank it is no more excessive than Grosser and Brownlee) it is hardly fair to smear all of the honest Labour members.
June 13th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
‘it is hardly fair to smear all of the honest Labour members’
There are some honest ones? I’ve never met an honest Socialist yet. They spend money that does not belong to them
June 13th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Eddie, you will not find any comments by me ANYWHERE defending the nats who have troughed it up. I am colour blind in matters pertaining to my pocket being picked.
I want wholesale reform of the whole system
Just tonight I have seen on the news. Goff climbing into a CR plated BMW freshly returned from his no doubt tax payer funded jolly to china at the pointy end of a big plane. Ginga Hughes and the moonbat king climbed into the car with him no doubt on their way out to his mansion in clevedon paid for by us so they can have a crisis meeting on how to look tough without pissing off the three troughing maori members and the pink wing.
Are king and hughes in auckland on parliamentary business or did we just get ass raped again so they could fly up for a tearfull meeting at the leaders lifestlye block? Why is an opposition member getting in a chauffered car on us. Why are we funding opposition members on 5 star trips to china?The questions never end.
Likewise the mt albert campaign that relied very heavily on parliamentary services funding and the ludicrous hypocritical axe the tax tour.
If key really wanted to stick it in Labour he would get the sunlight on parliamentary services and scrap public funding of political parties. get your foreign mates to buy more honours and the unions to stump up a bit more.
The more you pricks squeal the more the public will clamour for openness.
Oh, and before I forget..
Who is paying Browns campaign team?????
Any comment on that one “E-e-e-eddie”?
June 13th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Yep Steve but Maggie T’s old axiom is still relevant ‘The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money’
June 13th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
BB,
I was simply enquiring about the strategy behind the expenses debacle, and reminding the slow of what the question was just in case they missed it among some big words the first time round. Seems some people missed the question the seond time around too, must have been some of the multi-syllabic words.
eh, B.b.b.b.i.l.l.y
June 13th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
I find it surprising that you would try and credit the boy scouts who run the nats with anything vaguely resembling a strategy in this matter E-e-e-e-conor.
Carters troughing has been the subject of gossip for a decade.
Groser, not too worried about that one. I am sure his days as a trade official led him to his bad habits and he can be retrained.
Heatley. Sack him
Brownlee. Sack him.
Carter, the four maori labour MP’s.. Sack them.
Cosgrove, sack him
Anderton, sack him
Double Dipton.. Shocker. Lets sack him and then go through the living arrangements of labour ministers for the last decade and if any have “offended” in the same way. Sack them too.
Have I missed any?
June 13th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Glad you quickly picked up the question Lamb Chop.
Well done boy.
Try answering it next time eh.
June 13th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
I suspect some get too bogged down with “strategies” and forget about the basics. Politics shouldn’t be a game played by point counting strategists, it should be driven by politicians treating our money as if it is our money.
Too many stategists can’t see the wood from the trees. Dead wood.
(and I suspect some strategists haven’t figured out that they can’t control the message on the net as easily as they can in the old media).
June 13th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
BB- Roger Douglas publishing a book on our coin
Rodney Hide taking the mrs on a worldwide trip on our coin.
June 13th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
BAHAHAHAHA see ya later brown len
June 13th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
darren hughes taking a jolly to new york.. sack him too. Yup. Nick. I agree re rodney and douglas.
June 13th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
I’m interested in following this ‘one family’ credit card angle.
As far as I know, a credit card has a single name on it, and is to only be used by that person. Couples normally have cards in their own names.
If the card was in his name, and his wife has been using it, then that is tantamount to fraud, and he is aiding and abetting it.
If the card is in her name, it makes his story look very dodgy.
It still smells – esp the MCC not having the details to support all the outrageous expenditure
June 13th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
“it is hardly fair to smear all of the honest Labour members.”
You must be kidding. Are there any honest Labour members? Unless honesty is a synonym for stupidity, imbecility, moronity square.
June 13th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
The question BB is which one should not be sacked….
I generally dislike JK but the best you can say about him is his expenses are sure to be squeaky clean…. most things others would whack on the taxpayer he pays for himself, which is a good thing
June 13th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
stop the bus (Phil Loves buses) .. Goff is back so all the shit will be sorted by tomorrow thank god.
Now, Volare Restaurant , I have been there about 3 times and it has great food etc .. the owners etc seem a little mafia like but what do I know. I will go back because it is a nice place. The last time I was there was 3-5 weeks ago and so was the previous Mayor .. the bloke whose house slipped down the bank .. Curtis??, maybe there is a “understanding” there??
June 13th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Eddie said
I didn’t think I had smeared anyone Eddie, but if, from your viewpoint the cap fits, feel free to wear it. And like Barnsley Bill, though I am generally a supporter of the Nats, I’m not going to resile from criticising Nat MP’s who rort the system.
But to say “just because 1 or 2 Labour members have taken minor liberties with credit card policy” is a major understaement of the facts that have emerged this week, and will continue to emerge. Do you think that Rick Barker and a mate drinking 16 beers between them in a single meal is acceptable? I don’t. Do you think Mita Rurinui was within his rights to pull out the ministerial card to buy a bike and golf gear? I don’t. Do you think Clayton Cosgrove is just plain unlucky losing his luggage three times in a year? I don’t. And do you think that Len Brown’s minders organisibng a fraudulent tax invoice is acceptable? I don’t, but you’d probably not want to answer THAT one eh.
June 13th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
We are relieved to hear that you will forfeit the Blue troughers Inventory2.
June 13th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Go easy on Eddie IV2
He will not be at ease contributing to a blog where he cannot ban anybody who dares speak out against Labour and the left.
They are not big fans of the truth.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
What a cocktrumpet you are Eddie. You just do not get it. None of us feel like we must forfeit some of the blue team. To suggest forfeit means we value them. I do not value people who piss in my pocket and tell me it is raining.
Clowns like you will continue to spin and evade knowing that to agree to wholesale changes in the way politics and the people who do it for a job is funded, would see you and your chums looking for real jobs in a heartbeat.
Parliamentary services will be next.
You can blame Winston Peters, Mike Moore and Helen Clark for the push to openness. It was the actions of these three weapons grade rorters that started all this. Clark with her THEFT of the pledge card money. Winston with his complete and utter lack of honesty over the uncashed cheques and dodgy funding and Williams with his H fee cock up.
You reap what you sew. Labour and it’s mates started it. Complaining about it now is wasted energy. You might be better off campaigning internally for candidates and staff with integrity, honour and a well developed sense of right and wrong.
I was raised working class, I still consider myself working class. I will never again consider voting labour until it becomes the workers party again. Right now it is the party workers party.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Thanks for your considered and calm opinion.
By the way, the sayin’ is “You reap what you SOW”, Cocktrumpet.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Ha……. Nah, I got nothing. Thanks for popping my bubble Eddie.
And, that was calm and considered. But keep ignoring the points I made and only replying to my insults with more insults. That is sure to advance dialogue. Honestly it really disappoints me that somebody who is paid to do this cannot actually respond with reasoned argument when confronted by an enthusiastic amateur like myself.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Where I come from, Bill, an enthusiastic amateur is otherwise known as a train spotter. Do you like trains Bill?
June 13th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Your insults (amateur or not) trump his insults IMHO.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Cullen was a trainspotter? Weird!
June 13th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
wow labour party HQ is really on overtime tonight isnt it “eddie”?
Hope you are getting double time and a taxichit to get you home tonight.
But hey, that was a rhetorical question. Of COURSE you are. You work for Labour. Hope the Pizza and coke that taxpayers paid for tonight in your War room were to your taste (assuming you are all out of the Bolly and caviar of course)
June 13th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Jimbos shouting the pizza tonight diety. $1000 flown in from Vienna—-none of this local shit is good enough for the elite.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Collective workers contracts stipulate meal allowances during extended weekend work so I will ask you to keep a civil tongue in your head, even righties can do that right?
June 13th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
what are you doing away from home Eddie?? I see you have 238 contributions under the name .. I can’t remember reading the other 237.
I don’t think slagging off I2 (or 1) will get traction so back to the substandard/redablurt sonny, or girlie
June 13th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
Naughty little boys called Eddie should be in bed by 7pm or mister hand will get to connect with mister bottom with extreme prejudice.
June 13th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
I don’t venture into the sewer frequently as I find the stench awful but thanks for asking Jaba (the hut?).
And JonhB’s ‘into’ a little spankyspanky eh.
When Labour is in Government again social justice will prevail in Aotearoa again.
June 13th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Trainspotter! Have another red bull mate.. We both know you can do better than that.
Meanwhile I have it on very good authority that a new bundle of OIA’s are heading across your desk in the morning. Better order in another tanker of twink.
June 13th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
You ever seen that TV show PUNK’D Bill?
June 13th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Good to see that “eddie” admits that s/he is here for work purposes – trying to manage spin control for her masters.
Nice to see that her collective agreement covers this though.
Oddly enough everyone else is on here on their own account, but Labour has to pay its trolls – guess that figures.
We all know that one day Labour will get back into office, but I genuinely had no idea that Bolly, golf clubs, massages, hire limousines, porn flicks and fancy resorts were necessary manifestations of “social justice”. Who knew?
Perhaps we’ve had you “social justice” campaigners all wrong after all? “Bolly for all, and up the workers!”
Yes it has something of a ring to it doesnt it.
June 13th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
In fact this issue is going to be such fun, I think I may have to get in a couple more cases of “social justice”
But “eddie” should I go for the Brut, or the blanc de blanc?
June 13th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
I’d go for the Bollinger Rose NV but really don’t like champagne so recommend you trust your palate.
June 14th, 2010 at 7:16 am
So it now looks like this whole beat-up was a fabrication by the SST journo, possibly aided and abetted by some rival councillors – if that proves to be the case I trust those hurling the insults at Brown will be forthcoming with an apology?
I didn’t realise politics was a dirty game……….
June 14th, 2010 at 7:40 am
DPF,
Another possibility is that the Council did not have a GST invoice and requested such an invoice from the restaurant. It seems the SST didn’t think of this possibility, though you would’ve expected them to have asked the restaurant and/or the Council if this was the case. I guess ithat doesn’t make for interesting reading and doesn’t sell newspapers. You really should have doubts about an article when the writer can’t even spell the name of the city correctly.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10651730
June 14th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Brown has some plausible explanations but he also seems to be avoiding others. When asked about the ham he said something like he thought it was paid and it is paid, but not reason for taking over a year to deal with it.
I think his biggest problem is trying to justify everything he’s done. He’d be better off if he said straight up that his use of the card hadn’t always been appropriate, and he now had his own personal card that he would use from now on.
I’m suspicious of people, especially politicians, who don’t seem able or willing to admit and rectify mistakes.
June 14th, 2010 at 9:43 am
“Mr Brown said he paid for the ham in January last year.
However, council officials could not find any record of that, so in March this year he made another payment to cover the cost of the ham.”
This is Brown’s latest excuse from this morning’s Herald.
Does Mr Brown not have a cheque book as well as not having his own credit card or ATM card?
Is he going to expect us to believe that he reimbursed the council in cash and the council’s system did not have a record? If the council’s system is that bad I hope every ratepayer makes sure they pay by cheque, ATM or credit card.
If Brown paid any way except by cash he could prove he paid for the ham in Jan 2009.
June 14th, 2010 at 10:51 am
I was at Volare restaurant that evening. Seated at the mayor’s table was Leigh Auton, Richard Jeffery – CEO of Counties Manukau Pacific Trust, their partners and approx 3 other couples. Inspirational up and coming opera singer Geoffrey Knight performed during the evening – which was enjoyed by everyone in the restaurant. Geoffrey joined their table after he had performed. It appeared that only a moderate amount of alcohol was consumed by the party, who remained quiet and reserved during the course of their evening. This is probably consistent with why the bill for perhaps 12 diners was on average $67.50 each. Boring but true.