PONSONBY MAN BILLED $400 FOR 'STRATEGIC VIBES' BY AUCKLAND COUNCIL
Ratepayer asked what a vibe costs per hour. Council declined to specify.
A Ponsonby ratepayer scrutinising his quarterly council statement has discovered a $400 line item labelled, in full, 'strategic vibes' — with no further explanation, no contractor name, and no GST breakdown.
Declan Roe, 58, of Crummer Road, said he'd only opened the statement because his wife wanted to know why the rates bill was 'thicker than the Yellow Pages used to be'. He found 'strategic vibes' between a $1,200 'engagement framework refresh' and a $680 charge for something called 'placemaking alignment'.
"Four hundred dollars," Roe told The Daily Yarn, holding the page at arm's length. "For vibes. Not a vibe. Vibes. Plural. I've paid less for a plumber who actually turned up."
An Auckland Council spokesperson confirmed the line item was 'consistent with current consultancy practice' and that strategic vibes were 'a deliverable, not a feeling'. Asked who delivered them, the spokesperson said the matter was 'commercially sensitive'. Asked what colour the vibes were, the spokesperson ended the call.
A neighbour two doors down, Philippa Whitmore, said she'd had the same charge on her statement but assumed it was a typo. "I thought it said 'strategic vines'. I've got a grapevine out the back. Made sense at the time."
Roe has lodged a formal query and been issued a reference number. The reference number, he noted, also appears to have cost him $40.
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Reader Letters
Garry (Halswell)
Back in my day, vibes meant your mate had a good record collection, not a bloody invoice from the council. What a joke.
Auckland_Activist
CONSPIRACY! This is how they cover up their dodgey deals. Hide it in 'vibes' and nobody asks questions. WAKE UP PEOPLE!
BarryBishopdale
@Auckland_Activist they hide the real money in 'placemaking alignment'. That's where the gold is, mate. Vibes are just fluff.
couchgremlin
Lol. Vibes.
Margaret_F
It's like the time Gerald got charged for a 'community spirit influx' on his statement. Some nonsense about neighbourhood cohesion. What's next, a bill for smiles?
Just_a_Ponsonby_Passerby
I wonder if I can get charged for the 'strategic vibes' I feel in the queue at the Ponsonby Countdown. They might as well! Outrageous.