Source: Taxpayers Union
27 JANUARY 2020FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Zealanders approaching the Hemo Gorge roundabout from the south will from today be greeted by an electronic message board warning motorists of the 12-metre 3D-printed monument to Government waste at the Te Hemo Gorge roundabout, where State Highway 5 meets State Highway 30. The sign reads MONUMENTAL WASTE AHEAD / COST: $743,000 / AND COUNTING, and is an initiative of the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union, installed by volunteers from the Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers (RDRR). Union spokesman Jordan Williams says, “This monument to waste was installed three years behind schedule and $240,000 over budget. But we understand the final bill will be even higher, once the costs of the botched installation are counted.” “The final product looks nothing like the grand concept drawings – in fact, ratepayers and taxpayers can barely see the sculpture because it’s been erected below road level!” “Sometimes the best antidote to government waste is sunlight. We’re glad to expose to holiday period travelers how Rotorua District Lakes Council and the New Zealand Transport Authority have squandered public money while so many households struggle to make
