Tony Watkins

Mavis Yarall was murdered by the Auckland City Council.

Doug Armstrong, Chair of Auckland City Council Finance Committee, openly advocates city violence rather than a peaceful city, nuclear war rather than a nuclear-free city, exploitation of the poor through unfair trading practices rather than a fair-trade city, the encouraging of profligate waste rather than zero waste, and the destruction of the planet through unsustainable patterns of growth rather than sustainability. (Panache 7, December 2009)

When the jury retired we took a straw vote. Eleven jurors said "guilty" while I said "not guilty". I was Chairperson. I knew I had to convince everyone else to change their mind, and they were not particularly interested. They just wanted to go home.

In the old days the Mayor always had the road sealed outside his house. No one complained. The Mayor gave a lot of his life in community service and it only seemed fair that he should get something in return.

I must have looked dismayed when the building inspector asked for a geo-tech report. "Don't worry." he hastened to reassure me. "My brother and I run a little geo-tech business and we will be able to provide exactly what you will need over the coming week-end."

The reporter rang up to ask if he could come to Court to report on the hearing. I assured him that it would be extremely boring and was almost certainly going to be adjourned. "If you want a story" I suggested "then I have a much better idea as to how you might spend your afternoon."