I am a local rate payer in our lively city of Tauranga, New Zealand. I deeply believe that our funds could be directed towards more pressing needs instead of painting a rainbow crossing. This project, in my view, seems to make a poor use of our collective contributions.

We recently saw a proposal to install a rainbow crossing in our city gathering only 900 votes. In a city of approximately 137,900 people, as of June 2020 (Statistics New Zealand), that only represents about 0.7 percent of us. This small number of votes, in my opinion, does not provide a credible validation for the project.

Beyond the number of votes, the financial burden this project represents could be better put to use. There are numerous infrastructure, health, and safety issues in our city that could benefit greatly from further funding.

I urge our local council to reconsider taking action on this matter in favor of allocating our rates to where they are more urgently needed. Please join me in asking our local authorities to stop this project's implementation. Let's prioritize our city's essential needs - sign this petition today.