Conflict probe report discussed in private
INVERCARGILL
THE outcome of a central government probe into ‘‘significant conflict’’ at Invercargill City Council moved a step closer at a closeddoor meeting yesterday.
An extraordinary meeting was held for independent evaluator Richard Thomson and council independent governance adviser Bruce Robertson to brief councillors on their review of the council’s governance.
The pair were called in after the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) launched an investigation in August in response to concerns raised about the performance of elected representatives.
Deputy mayor Nobby Clark described the meeting as positive and said everybody had a chance to comment back on the report and to make sure Mr Thomson accurately understood of their feedback.
‘‘We are having a meeting in a week when we will get the final report which will [provide an] overview [of] a way to go from here and what we need to do to work forward.’’
When questioned on whether the report gave any indication of possible intervention from central government, he replied he did not ‘‘think the report was designed to do that’’.
‘‘There is a desire around the table to do things more positively, to focus on good and tangible outcomes for the community.
‘‘I'm hopeful that is where the issue will end — but we will need to walk the talk, not just talk. That is the challenge for all of us.’’
Cr Darren Ludlow said it was an informative and constructive meeting, but councillors would need to wait to have the final report to understand the recommendations.
‘‘But I’m comfortable with the process.’’ Cr Ludlow said.
A council spokeswoman said the discussions at yesterday’s briefing would be incorporated into a final report, which included recommendations for the future.
‘‘Once the council has considered the finalised report on November 12, and made decisions on the way forward, the outcome and next steps will be shared with the DIA and the community.’’
In the meeting yesterday, before it became publicexcluded, Cr Peter Kett asked why some had been able to have a look at the draft report before the meeting.
Mr Robertson replied saying he was happy to explain the reasons for that when the meeting moved to privatemode.
Other councillors and Mr Robertson declined to comment on the matter until the finalisation of the report.