By Dan Satherley
Tony Blair is in Auckland this week, providing courageous - or foolhardy - anti-war activists with a way to make some money.
Website www.arrestblair.org is offering cold, hard cash in exchange for attempting to perform a citizen's arrest of the former UK Prime Minister, whom along with then US President George W Bush, took his country to war in Iraq in 2003.
Estimates of the war dead range between 100,000 and 1 million.
Mr Blair will be speaking at a corporate fundraiser at Eden Park on Thursday, and veteran anti-war activist John Minto says buying a $495 ticket could turn into $4500.
"Even Tony Blair would approve such a sure-fire investment," says Mr Minto.
"Iraq posed no immediate threat to any other country, there were no weapons of mass destruction and no plans or programme to develop [weapons of mass destruction]," says Mr Minto.
"Tony Blair knew this but deceived the public and a gullible media because British multinationals wanted their share of the massive Iraqi oil reserves."
In order to collect the bounty, the claimant must attempt a non-violent citizen's arrest, and have it reported by a mainstream news outlet.
So far, three people have collected a total of almost £9,000 from the site, which was started by Guardian writer George Monbiot, and is funded by donations made over the internet.
"We advise anyone wanting to attempt the arrest to try at the airport when he arrives on Wednesday evening or leaves on Thursday afternoon," says Mr Minto. "Alternatively, at his hotel or at the Eden Park dinner."
3 News