Council email saga not over
Disputes over council staff intercepting emails from blacklisted citizens, including the mayor, have not been solved by a ‘‘halfhearted’’ apology.
Horowhenua District chief executive David Clapperton has written apologies to mayor Michael Feyen and four other people who complained to the ombudsman’s office about historical email interceptions.
In the letter, he offers ‘‘sincere apologies’’ for the affect the council’s email quarantine practice had on them between 2011 and 2017.
Clapperton said he had continued the email blocking practice, which started before he took up his role, to protect the health and safety of council officers and members.
‘‘However, without clear policy framework and oversight, it overstepped the mark and consequently impacted on you.’’
A new policy was adopted in October last year, which chief ombudsman Peter Boshier was satisfied dealt with the problems.
Feyen said he felt vindicated by the opinion, but thought the letter he received from Clapperton was ‘‘no apology at all’’.
And he said he was at a loss to understand how the ombudsman had been able to make bold criticisms about the ‘‘unreasonable’’ practice in an opinion released this week, yet came to the ‘‘lightweight conclusion’’ an apology was all that was needed.
Tokomaru woman Christine Toms, one of those campaigning for a boundary change to take the village out of Horowhenua and into Palmerston North city, said it was a ‘‘scrappy, insincere apology’’.
Toms said the people whose emails were blocked faced stigma from repeated claims their emails were ‘‘abusive’’, but the ombudsman could not uphold that claim from the emails his office had been able to view.
‘‘We as individuals and a group have been defamed and discredited to our families, in our communities and businesses.’’
She said the ombudsman had done a good job, but had not resolved all of the problems.
Toms said while Boshier could find no evidence emails had been tampered with, altered, or shared with other recipients, she remained emphatic they were.
There was no way to be certain the interception of emails did not affect resource management, iwi and Environment Court processes, she said.