Code of conduct

I note Clyde Graf is suggesting the code of conduct can be used by councillors with opposing views. As I am the councillor who made the complaint, I can only assume he is talking about me and therefore his statement is nonsense.

My complaint had nothing to do with Cr Graf and Kathy White’s views on 1080. In fact I have worked with them to get a stricter regime around the use of Brodificum, a much worse poison which is aerially dropped in places and has a much longer residual life than 1080.

My complaint was about process. A council needs processes in place which elected members need to follow for council to function in a civilised manner. Cr Graf used his chairmanship of the environment performance committee to send a letter to all mayors and councillors throughout the region espousing his views on a council process which he disagreed with. He had not notified his committee or had a resolution passed by his committee agreeing for him to take this action. We did not know until the complaints started to roll in from mayors and iwi what had taken place. Cr Graf got into an email argument with one of our mayors and with iwi and this caused damage to the reputation of council and was the reason for my decision to take a complaint against him. I thought this was needed to stop the ongoing behaviour of Cr Graf and to allow for a proper process to take place where council could make a decision based on the facts of the matter. The council had to do significant damage control with our partners because of Cr Graf’s actions and his non apologies, which were insulting to his council and its staff, just made a sham of the process.

Lois Livingston Waikato Regional Council