[asia-apec 1147] nz: funky smiling apec ambassadors

[Jaggi Singh]

[the following is an excerpt from an article in the may 28 New Zealand
Herald.]

...

An Auckland City Council submission on the bill sought reimbursement for
costs of $5.2 million. Apec officials have since expressed surprise at
some of the costs claimed, including money for taking foreign media to the
zoo.

The council last night approved using unemployed people as smiling
ambassadors during Apec and the America's Cup and millennium events.

The council will employ 10 ambassadors and two supervisors for six months
at a cost of $49,808. Work and Income New Zealand will pay $59,390 towards
the scheme.

After training, the ambassadors will hit downtown streets in a "funky"
uniform to greet passersby with a smile, maps and suggestions for places
to park, visit and eat, and will keep an eye on rubbish and graffiti. -
STAFF REPORTER, NZPA