HUNTLY PUBLIC MEETING ON PROPOSED PIGEON STATUE ENDS WITH TWO RESIGNATIONS AND A THROWN SCONE
Waikato District Council wanted feedback on a $48,000 bronze pigeon. They got it.
A Waikato District Council consultation meeting on a proposed bronze pigeon statue for Huntly's main street collapsed into shouting, one thrown scone, and the on-the-spot resignation of two community board members on Tuesday night.
The statue, commissioned at a cost of $48,000 from a Hamilton sculptor, is intended to "celebrate Huntly's relationship with its birdlife". Residents at the Huntly War Memorial Hall were told this during a slideshow. The slideshow got as far as slide three.
"Forty-eight grand," said local Denise Purcell, 61, who had come for the free tea and stayed for the carnage. "For a pigeon. We've got actual pigeons. They're free. They're on my ute right now."
A council spokesperson attempted to explain that the statue would "activate the streetscape" and attract visitors from Hamilton. A man in a Chiefs jersey responded that no-one from Hamilton had ever willingly stopped in Huntly and that the council was, quote, "a shower of muppets on the ratepayer tit". This is when the scone was thrown. It hit the slideshow.
Community board members Trevor Ngatai and Kaye Wilcox both resigned before the meeting adjourned, with Wilcox stating she "did not sign up to defend a bloody statue of a shit-hawk". A council spokesperson later confirmed the consultation was "ongoing" and that feedback had been "robust and valuable".
The sculptor has already been paid a $12,000 deposit. The pigeon is reportedly half-cast.
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Reader Letters
Garry (Halswell)
What a piss-take! $48k for a pigeon?
Paul_Huntly
Mate, you’d think the council would have learned by now. We don’t need to activate the streetscape with pigeons, we need better bloody infrastructure!
Jeanette_1949
Back in my day, we had real statues like the ones of Captain Cook. Not some bronze pigeon! Ridiculous waste of money, especially during these times when rates are skyrocketing. Where’s the sense in that? The council has truly lost the plot.
SandraH
Jeanette, what about asking the community next time before spending heaps on statues?
couchgremlin
Lol! Scone fight is gold.
tourist_junkie
Actually, pigeons are quite symbolic and could really put Huntly on the map. People love quirky things, and $48,000 isn't that much when you think about tourism!
disgusted_dave
Council keeps getting rooted with every decision! Who even wants to come to Huntly for a pigeon?
Barry_from_Waikato
Sandra, mate, that's the problem – council doesn’t care about community opinions.