Organisers of the annual Auckland Festival of Photography are against a planned billboard blitz by the Auckland City Council aimed at improving the city's visual appeal. Festival spokesperson Julia Durkin says billboard photography plays a major role in advertising and in popular culture. She says any change from the status quo to restriction on where and how billboards are displayed is a breach of the rights for freedom of expression protected by the New Zealand's Bill of Rights.Organisers of the annual Auckland Festival of Photography are against a planned billboard blitz by the Auckland City Council aimed at improving the city's visual appeal. Festival spokesperson Julia Durkin says billboard photography plays a major role in advertising and in popular culture. She says any change from the status quo to restriction on where and how billboards are displayed is a breach of the rights for freedom of expression protected by the New Zealand's Bill of Rights."The plans outlined by Auckland City Council are questionable," says Durkin. "They amount to state intervention on visual artists and photographers who make a living from these billboards."

"Given the current push for economic development based around the creative industries, Auckland City Council is out of step by proposing such restrictive measures."

Julia Durkin says festival organisers had been planning to promote this year's event to Aucklanders through high quality, eye catching billboard photography. The billboards, which would have featured work from a local photographer, are now in doubt.