Christchurch City Council spending over half a million dollars for a new sculpture is a slap in the face for rate-payers, the Taxpayers Union says.
A computer-generated image of the sculpture in its new home. Photo: Supplied
The council's Public Art Advisory Group contributed over $500,000 to a sculpture by British artist Antony Gormley.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority also contributed to the sculpture purchase, but will not disclose how much.
The permanent sculpture, titled Stay, is a cast-iron human figure and will be installed in the Avon River this week, as part of the Scape Public Art Festival.
Taxpayers' Union spokesman Ben Craven said with rates increasing by 8 percent and almost 15,000 people behind on rates payments, the last thing the city needed were new sculptures.