John (wank) Banks gets car towed

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Mayor unrepentant after car towed for blocking driveway

02.04.2004

By ANNE BESTON

John Banks' car was towed away by his own council staff yesterday as he parked in an inner-city suburb for a Japanese lesson.

The Auckland mayor left his council-owned silver Ford Falcon parked across a driveway in a Grafton residential street - prompting neighbours to call the council's parking services and have it removed.

Mr Banks was philosophical about the incident last night and promised to settle the fine out of his own pocket.

"If you park illegally in Auckland City, you get your car towed away and if you get your car towed away in Auckland City you pay and that goes for the Mayor too," he said.

Mr Banks said because he got so many complaints from people regarding parking tickets, he always made sure he paid his own.

The mayor was entitled to put a sign in his car saying he was on official business but he usually forgot to use it.

"Mostly I drive my own cars and I would never use official signs in my own cars, life's not meant to be easy," he said.

"It's not the first time I've been towed and it won't be the last."

The Mayor said he was having Japanese lessons because he was asked by almost every ethnic group in Auckland city to learn their language but said he found it hard to find the time.

"I'm learning to speak Maori as well and I'm learning to speak Chinese," he said. "Maori people at Auckland City have been pestering me for a long time to pick up my Maori language skills.

"The Chinese community would love it if I could speak a little Chinese, and the Japanese say it would be nice if I could say a few words on Japanese Day, so that's what it's all about."

Mr Banks' Japanese tutor, who did not want to be named, said the mayor had wanted to keep the language lessons as a surprise for the Japanese community and visiting officials from Auckland's sister city of Fukuoka.

The mayor was a "slow learner" she said, but that was only because he was so busy.

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c h u m p

[Dnz 0]

What a lovely PR story.

I hate it when the news pretends its giving you information, when its really propaganda.

Hooray for the mayor who is learning languages for his people, and being treated like 'the people'.

Oh yay lets pick him again!

Damn you news.

[Guest hizza bizza]

yeah its pretty stupid huh, dose it matter why he was parked illegally? I think not, I'm sure if joe bloggs had been in the same situation the latter bit of the story wouldn't have been mentioned, haha not that it would have made a page 3 story if it had been a nobody, my bad..... But ya get my point

[*sic 1]

f**k that homo wank fest of a story!!

banks must have sucked that writers cock to get that 'waste of my life reading it' story written.. ffs if i meet that dick in real life im gonna knock his punk ass out

[Dnz 0]

speaking of towing, which end should a bimmer be towed from if you dont want to F*ck it up?

It sucks how towies take no responsibility for the cars they take..

[*sic 1]

it was "Ann Beston".. wonder if she got any brownie points? looks like Banksy would have got his brown wings from that stupid career enhancing skank