Kia ora Harry,

 

Thank you for your request for information about Legal spending on Monte
Cecilia Park.

 

We have attached an information sheet on our processes and requirements
under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

 

We will respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no
later than 20 working days after the day your request was received. This
will be by 20.08.25

 

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact Fernanda
Maciel via reply email to [1][Auckland Council request email]
quoting reference above.

 

 

Ngā mihi,

 

The Privacy and LGOIMA team

Auckland Council

 

 

From: Harry <[FOI #31721 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 23 July 2025 4:22 pm
To: Official Information <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Legal spending on Monte Cecilia
Park dog access issue

 

Dear Auckland Council,

As a constituent, park user and ratepayer, I have been paying close
attention to the ongoing story of some members of Puketāpapa Local Board
attempting to outlaw offleash dog access at Monte Cecilia Park despite
staff advice from multiple teams and despite a strong negative response to
the proposal in public submissions.

This issue has now been taken to the High Court for judicial review,
precipitating at least a thirty minute confidential legally privileged
session at the local board’s 24 July workshop.

This is inevitably generating work for the council’s legal team, if not
external experts and law firms as well.

As a ratepayer I am concerned that in this highly constrained financial
environment these local board members are not only overstepping their
powers and derelict in their duty to the views of their constituents, but
are also wasting rates funding on this pointless and frivolous personal
crusade.

It is an election year, and information on this flagrant mismanagement of
public funding by specific local board members is important electoral
information.

Please enumerate for me:

- How much time has been spent on this issue by the council’s legal
team—rough estimates to the nearest couple of hours are acceptable.
- What’s the approximate average salary of the legal team either overall
or working on this matter.
- How much has been spent on external input on this matter whether on
legal advice or other consultation.

I understand that some of this information may be considered privileged,
please feel free to exclude what is necessary. The average salary of your
legal team for instance will not be.

Yours faithfully,

Harry

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