Mayor turns down invite to meet Obama

Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless.

Most mayors couldn't believe their eyes when they saw an invitation for dinner with Barack Obama.

Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless turned his down.

"Unfortunately I'm unable to attend the event due to prior commitments," says Greg.

A council spokesperson says Greg had a long-standing commitment to attend a citizenship ceremony, where 60 people would receive their citizenship from him.

"He regretfully declined the invitation to honour his commitment to his own people."

One person who definitely did get an invitation and said yes was celebrated New Zealand actor Sam Neill, who took to Twitter on Tuesday to say he was "honoured to be In Conversation with President Barack Obama for an hour on stage this week in Auckland", adding that he was a "tad overexcited".

Mayors of Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Nelson and Napier received and accepted invitations to attend Thursday's 1000-person banquet dinner with the former US president at Auckland's Viaduct Event Centre.

Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith says he almost missed his invitation - a nondescript email from Local Government New Zealand that was almost lost amongst the 150 other emails he receives every day.

"It came out of the blue. I was sort of going 'wow, do I go to this or not?', yes!"

Not all mayors in New Zealand have received an invitation, Mayor of Whangarei Sheryl Mai says she hadn't received one or been asked to keep her Thursday free for an event.

She joked: "I'm feeling really left out now!"

A spokeswoman for Local Government New Zealand says they had not been involved in the selection of mayors chosen to attend the event.

Auckland's waterfront will go into lockdown on Thursday night as Obama pops in for the banquet alongside some of New Zealand's highest-profile civic and business leaders.

Security will be tight - and comprised of at least six layers including police, and Obama's personal protection squad.

On Tuesday morning trucks were moving containers out of the centre, which has just finished hosting the Volvo Ocean Race.

A staff member says preparations for the dinner would begin in earnest on Wednesday.

They revealed security measures began at least a week ago, with an advance guard scoping out the venue to identify what steps would be needed to lock it down.

Invited participants have been told it will be a dinner followed by a facilitated question and answer session.

Technology and agri-tech companies from around New Zealand are also in the list of attendees including Levno, a company which creates farm monitoring technology, and Biolumic, a company that increases crop resistance to disease through the use of ultra-violet light.

The banquet will happen in the cavernous Waiheke Room, capable of seating more than 1000 people.

Urban Gourmet is often contracted for dinners at the events centre but a spokeswoman said they would not comment on whether they had been retained for the NZ-US Council dinner.

"We don't disclose our clients."

The company's summer menu posted on its website includes grain fed beef eye fillet in a parsnip and roast hazelnut puree and chipotle charred kumara.

However, it doesn't include some of Obama's publicly proclaimed favourite foods.

At a White House Kids state event in 2013 Obama sparked a mini-controversy when he told a young journalist that his favourite food was broccoli.

Right-wing site Breitbart accusing him of giving the "politically correct" answer, others on social media mocked the concept that anybody could truly like the vegetable.

Molasses has also long been thought one of Obama's favourite foods from its appearance on the former president's inauguration lunch menu.

Smith said invitees hadn't been given any details about the food either.

"Maybe we'll get broccoli with molasses."

- Stuff/DILEEPA FONSEKA AND CRAIG HOYLE


You may also like....

9 comments

Go away

Posted on 21-03-2018 07:14 | By Mein Fuhrer

Mr Hopey Changey, you're the bloke along with that Clinton cow, that helped ruin america and ordered countless drone strikes killing thousands of children in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Pakistan, who also campaigned so hard for gun control but has 6-12 armed body guards.


MMMM

Posted on 21-03-2018 07:56 | By fletch

well if you dont want to go I sure do. How rude


Good on you Greg

Posted on 21-03-2018 10:20 | By Johnney

Refreshing to have a mayor that puts duty before junket. Not sure what advice Obama could give with a speech. Maybe he could crack some jokes about fake news Donald


True commintment

Posted on 21-03-2018 10:26 | By Ubique

Well done Mr Mayor


Well done Greg - I wouldn't go either.

Posted on 21-03-2018 10:35 | By Kaimai

An ex US president on $207 000 pa has a private Gulfstream jet - I smell a rat - okay, maybe its not his. This same man helicopters to a golf course with some golfing buddies - still smelling a rat somewhere here.


Reply to MMMM

Posted on 21-03-2018 11:48 | By Raeleen

Congratulations Mr Mayor, it would have been rude to cancel a prior commitment, you have your priorities right unlike MMMM a previous correspondent.


Great

Posted on 21-03-2018 12:54 | By rastus

This is indeed good news that our Mayor has got his priorities right - How anybody can go fawning around a person who has done so much harm to what he professes is his own country puzzles me - history will record the ups and downs of America and its leadership - thank goodness that American citizens are not stupid - we could hear the gasp of relief from here when Trump overcame the Clinton mob!


@fletch

Posted on 21-03-2018 12:54 | By morepork

It is NEVER rude to politely decline an invitation. And the rules of etiquette do not REQUIRE you give a reason for not going, either. In this case the Mayor has behaved impeccably, recognized his duty, and is doing it. There is nothing rude in that. Maybe you and JaJa Binks should revise your Emily Post...


It's called

Posted on 21-03-2018 14:03 | By nerak

integrity, has nothing to do with the nonsensical first comment, just plain, old fashioned integrity.


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.