Why is Auckland City council investing nearly $800,000 of ratepayer money in Big Tobacco?

Smoking has killed hundreds of millions of people worldwide, including countless who have never touched a cigarette. That’s exactly why Auckland council is banning smoking in public spaces.

It’s bad enough that Auckland council’s newly discovered $320 million slush fund isn’t being used to fund badly needed housing and infrastructure needs. But the fact that hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders’ dollars is invested in a global killer—the same industry it claims to want to kick out of New Zealand altogether—is frankly shocking.

Tell Auckland council to divest from Big Tobacco immediately!

The $320 million slush fund was a massive embarrassment for Auckland council. When Radio NZ broke the story, council at first had no idea where ratepayer money was going. None of the answers were good: tens of millions of dollars to fossil fuels despite its commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. Just last week, council banned sugary drinks in leisure centres—but now it's revealed that it owns massive shares in Coca-Cola, the world’s biggest soft drink manufacturer.

Auckland council is supposed to have a responsible investment policy—which we’d think means not investing in a guaranteed killer like smoking. As SumOfUs members, we’ve been fighting Big Tobacco all over the globe -- whether it’s fighting for plain packaging laws in Australia and Britain, or stopping Phillip Morris and other tobacco giants from suing countries under dangerous ISDS legislation.

Auckland council, when it comes to investing in Big Tobacco, it’s time to butt out.

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