Evidence to support statement that Councils are choosing to fund toilets over road maintenance
Aaron W made this Official Information request to Christopher Luxon
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From: Aaron W
Dear Christopher Luxon,
In your 1 December press conference you noted (as it relates to Councils):
"[ratepayers are] sick of seeing their rates being spent on nice-to-haves rather than must-haves, building fancy public toilets rather than fixing the pipes, or installing endless speed bumps rather than maintaining the roads."
Please provide all evidence you hold that Councils are choosing to build toilets instead of fixing pipes, or installing speed bumps instead of road maintainance. I would assume given your statement that you hold specific information showing deliberate Council to decisions to prioritize certain things, or take funding away from other things in order to fund toilets and speed bumps.
Yours faithfully,
Aaron W
From: Christopher Luxon (MIN)
Christopher Luxon
On behalf of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Rt Hon Christopher Luxon,
thank you for your email. Please accept this as acknowledgement that your
message has been received.
The Prime Minister’s Correspondence Unit will be closed over the Christmas
and New Year period until Monday 12 January 2026. Your email will be read
and actioned after this date.
While all emails are read and considered, due to the very high volume of
messages sent to the Prime Minister, it is not always possible to provide
a personal reply.
If the subject of your email is closely related to another ministerial
portfolio, we may refer you to the Minister who will be best placed to
review your message. If you have already included in your email the
Minister or agency responsible for the issue you have raised, your message
will be noted.
If you are a Botany resident writing about a local issue or a constituent
matter, or you are writing to Rt Hon Christopher Luxon in his capacity as
the MP for Botany, please contact the Botany Electorate Office at
[1][email address].
If your email is an invitation, a media query, or a request under the
Official Information Act, you will receive a further response in due
course.
Thank you again for taking the time to write. We wish you all the best
over the holiday season.
Kind regards,
Office of Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister of New Zealand
Minister for National Security and Intelligence
Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services
Leader of the National Party
Member of Parliament for Botany
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From: Charlotte Horner
Kia ora Aaron,
Thank you for your email of (date) in which you submitted an Official Information Act request as follows:
"Please provide all evidence you hold that Councils are choosing to build toilets instead of fixing pipes, or installing speed bumps instead of road maintainance. I would assume given your statement that you hold specific information showing deliberate Council to decisions to prioritize certain things, or take funding away from other things in order to fund toilets and speed bumps."
Your request is being considered in accordance with the Act, and you can expect a response by 13/02/2026 (date determined by the OIA calculator).
Charlotte Horner
Roving Private Secretary - Executive Support | Office of Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister
Minister for National Security and Intelligence
Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand
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