Conduct complaint ‘electioneering’
Nelson mayoral candidate Bill Dahlberg filed a complaint against mayor Rachel Reese over ‘‘inappropriate’’ communication with iwi, leaked documents reveal.
Councillor Dahlberg made the code of conduct complaint over Reese’s emails and texts with iwi which asked for support for the council’s climate change emergency declaration.
Just over a month later, Dahlberg withdrew the complaint, despite maintaining the mayor had acted ‘‘inappropriately’’.
Dahlberg raised concerns in a letter to council chief executive Pat Dougherty, dated June 3. The more than 30-page complaint includes attachments that show Reese’s communication with nine iwi chairs.
She sent emails to each outlining the basis for the vote on the declaration, and offering them a chance to make late submissions to the council at the hearing the following day.
While it is normal practice for iwi to be consulted on council matters, Dahlberg said he was concerned that among the communications was a letter to an iwi chair who had also been nominated for a council kaumatua position.
Dahlberg was critical of a text conversation between Reese and that chair.
The response from the iwi chair said: ‘‘It’s a ‘yes’ from [us]. Kia kaha NCC.’’ Reese replied: ‘‘Kia Ora!! Unfortunately it looks like I don’t have the numbers around the table but [your] support may help sway some.’’
She later sent a further text to say the vote had gone through, despite being ‘‘touch and go’’, thanks to ‘‘good argument and support of partners’’.
Dahlberg said that because Reese had a role to play in the appointment of council kaumatua, she should not have been communicating with the chair in this manner.
He suggested that asking the chair for support could have compromised both the climate vote and kaumatua appointment processes, and it could have been construed that he was receiving preferential treatment over the other three kaumatua nominees.
However, on July 18 Dahlberg withdrew the complaint, after learning that iwi appoint kaumatua and the council merely accepts their recommendation.
In his letter of withdrawal, he said he had ‘‘reluctantly’’ put forward the code of conduct complaint to have his mind put at ease.
‘‘I do not wish to struggle when engaging with local iwi with feeling NCC may have done them a disservice.’’
Dahlberg maintained that Reese’s text
‘‘I do not wish to struggle when engaging with local iwi with feeling NCC may have done them a disservice.’’
and letter communication was ‘‘inappropriate’’, but he was satisfied that she had no ‘‘direct influence’’ on the kaumatua appointment process.
He said Reese’s conversation with the iwi chair didn’t pass ‘‘the front page test’’ – questioning whether it would harm the reputation of the council if it were to appear on the front page of the Nelson Mail.
The letter also cited a response to the complaint from the mayor, in which she accused Dahlberg of conducting a ‘‘fishing exercise’’ for the complaint when he had asked questions about the kaumatua appointment process during a Chief Executive Employment meeting. Reese confirmed at that meeting that she would be part of the ‘‘conversation and selection’’ of kaumatua.
Dahlberg defended his actions, saying he had been asking on behalf of councillors not present, and had directed his questions to the chief executive.
‘‘I did not ask Mayor Reese any questions. However, she felt compelled to share her view,’’ he said.
In a statement to Stuff, Reese said Dahlberg’s actions were ‘‘electioneering’’ and there was no ‘‘substance or merit’’ to the complaint.
‘‘Mr Dahlberg knows that because he withdrew the complaint,’’ she said.
‘‘Nor is there any substance or merit in Mr Dahlberg’s subsequent allegations. My engagement with iwi chairs, and their engagement with me, is at all times entirely appropriate and robust.’’
She said she did not respect this ‘‘type of electioneering’’, but couldn’t control other candidates’ decision-making.
Dahlberg said his concern had primarily been about ‘‘the speed with which the mayor was pushing this climate emergency through, and the amount of preparation that had or hadn’t been done to support the emergency declaration’’.
On one of his ‘‘various issues’’, he had sought assurance from the chief executive and, having received this, had withdrawn his complaint.
‘‘It’s disappointing that an internal issue that had been resolved has made it into the public arena,’’ he said.
Dahlberg was one of three councillors to vote against declaring a climate emergency, along with Mike Rutledge and Ian Barker, criticising it as a rushed vote. He said at the time it was ‘‘a symbolic gesture process with not a lot of teeth in it’’, and wanted the declaration delayed.
At a second vote which saw the council commit $754,500 in funding to back up the declaration, he was one of six councillors to vote against it, criticising the lack of public consultation over the funding.
In 2010, Dahlberg was campaign chair for Reese’s bid for mayor, but is running his own campaign for the mayoralty this year.
Dougherty did not want to comment on the code of conduct complaint, as it was a confidential process.
The iwi and iwi representative involved declined to comment, and Stuff has chosen not to name them.