Hookway smells a political rat
Far North District councillor Dave Hookway has hit back at council figures regarding his meeting attendance record (Next council item — any apologies? March 28), saying the “biased” report had been designed to make him look bad.
“I’ve no doubt that in part, this misrepresentation and selective reporting of elected member attendances had political overtones, in part to make me, and some other members, look bad in my opinion,” he said.
Chief executive Shaun Clarke said the elected member attendance reports, which were part of a bid to be more open and transparent with residents and ratepayers, simply recorded the official meetings attended. Each elected member was treated equally.
“After our initial report we did uncover inconsistencies with some attendance records. However, corrected figures have not substantially changed the outcome,” he added.
The report, which was prepared for a committee meeting in March, cited elected member attendance figures ranging from 36 to 100 per cent at council and committee meetings, and 10 workshops, between November and February. Mayor John Carter and first-term councillor Kelly Stratford scored 100 per cent attendance rates, Mr Hookway 36 per cent, Mate Radich 39 per cent and Sally Macauley 40 per cent. All three disputed the figures.
Mr Hookway admitted it was a challenge juggling his commitments to his fulltime job with the Northland DHB with his duties as an elected member, but said his travel expense claims proved he had attended another five meetings and appointments in November alone that had not been included in official attendance figures.
And he was concerned that “biased” information could discourage others in fulltime employment from contesting October’s elections.
If working people couldn’t be councillors that left only the independently wealthy, retired or self-employed, which wasn’t good for a functioning democracy, he said.
“Being employed need not be a barrier for you standing up to represent your community, provided your employer can be flexible . . . we need to encourage diversity,” he said.
Mr Clarke said as a result of feedback from councillors, future reports would include a greater range of official events such as consultation hearings. The future has been assured for two old, much-loved Far North halls, with refurbishing of one well under way and almost finished at the other.
The Far North District Council, which began work in March, has completed repiling the subfloor in the supper room and kitchen of the Kohukohu Hall, and is now completing work on new cladding, roof repairs, extra downpipes and installing LED lighting.
General manager — infrastructure and asset management Andy Finch said the 114-year-old hall’s high ceiling and floor areas meant it could easily accommodate significant social events, indoor sports and weekend markets. Unfortunately, however, rain had got in through the roof, creating damp areas and making it less popular over recent years.
The council was last week completing repairs of water damage and replacing internal lighting with LEDs, which would boost illumination levels for such a large space, with such high ceilings that scissor lifts had to used to replace blown bulbs.
“LED lights not only use less power, but last much longer, meaning ratepayers will potentially save thousands in operating and maintenance costs annually,” he added.
The bad news was that initial repiling work had revealed that the main hall needed relevelling. That would be done once a project plan and budget were finalised.
Meanwhile, repair work at the Horeke Hall was scheduled for completion by the end of the month. The building had been repiled and reclad, and the exterior had been repainted. Water-damaged particle board flooring in the entrance and kitchen areas was also being replaced, other improvements including new window and door joinery, new carpets and lino, and LED lighting.