The accompanying information drew attention to an opportunity for the public to check out the machine.
Curious to see what a Rainbow Machine looks like,
your PoO team found this picture.
Come down to Silo Park and see what you can see. It’s new and it’s fun, it’s bright like the sun… it’s Rainbow Machine and it’s for everyone.
A stupendous mix of science and art, design and engineering, Rainbow Machine will make you smile with wonder. An extraordinary invention, kids of all ages can turn the wheels to create a rainbow sensation.
Discover this brand new, bright yellow innovation, it’s better than you can imagine. It’s lots of fun and best of it all, it’s absolutely free.
But not “absolutely free” if this is the same Rainbow Machine which featured in a news release today from the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance.
The alliance revealed that a request made under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act established that Auckland Council spent $430,000 to build a ‘Rainbow Machine’, used as an interactive arts installation.
Furthermore, since the Rainbow Machine’s 2018 commissioning, Auckland Council has spent $104,405 cleaning, moving and erecting the installation in various locations.
Council has spent a further $6,898 on maintenance for the machine, and approximately $3,400 each year on storage.
The total amount spent by Auckland Council on the Rainbow Machine is approximately $561,703.
“Has no one told Auckland Council that rainbows are free?” said Sam Warren, a spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance.
“In all seriousness, while Auckland Council is currently pleading its case to increase rates by 5.8 percent on top of last year’s 6.8 percent increase—it comes out that they’ve spent more than half a million dollars on rainbows. You couldn’t make it up.
“When I was recently asked by a councillor what a ‘nice-to-have’ is, I can say in full confidence that this is one of them. Yes, art is subjective—especially when superannuants are forced to choose between paying rates and groceries.
“Unless Auckland Council somehow finds a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, which I’m sure would be wasted—they need demonstrate to ratepayers that every dollar spent is truly valued.
“Announcements last year by Government included a crackdown on this kind of spending. While councils up and down the country continue to make noise about being hard done by, can we remember that one person’s entire lifetime of paying rates has been spent on a spectrum of colours. Do better, Auckland Council.”
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
3 comments:
Is this machine related to the Alphabet Community rainbow as in pedestrian crossings and socks or the more traditional leprechauns and unicorns type rainbow? The distinction is important as it is for the kids.
In this day and age children are not impressed by intricate devices; they have it all on parent's phones etc. it is incredible the methods Council devises to dissipate money. A few years ago enormous effort was expended promoting worm farming. I often wondr what happend to the expensive antenna like "sculpture" which cluttered downtown for years. I hope they struck a peak in aluminium prices.
Rainbow machine, $560K sheesh. Would cost less than that to fix potholes in my street.
I see the Auckland council has voted to upgrade Eden Park to be our 'national stadium' . In all probability will result in another over budget blow out and a massive hit on ratepayers.
Remember, all borrowing by council is basically underwritten by ratepayers. They cock it up, we pay.
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