Newbies favour signing declaration
A Waikato council has been backed into a corner by newly elected councillors pushing for the mayor to reconsider signing a climate change declaration.
In 2019, Thames Coromandel District Council and mayor Sandra Goudie voted against signing the Local Government Leaders’ Climate Change Declaration.
It’s a decision that’s since cost thousands of ratepayer dollars after Hauraki Coromandel Climate Action Group took the council to court and won.
Councillors Tony Fox, John Morrissey, deputy mayor Murray McLean and Goudie’s opinions, however, have not changed.
They remain concerned about what the council’s obligations would be, stating they were unwilling to put the district into a ‘‘financial black hole’’ for a ‘‘symbolic action’’.
Last year a High Court judge overturned the council’s decision not to sign the national declaration on climate change, saying the decision-making process behind it was unlawful.
In February, councillors acknowledged the judge’s ruling and voted to have the report deadline brought forward from August to April.
With the report now complete, councillors met on Tuesday to consider their options on the declaration before going out for public consultation.
While there were a number of options to consider, councillor Martin Rodley proposed another one – that council agreed with all principles and actions in the declaration, approved the mayor signing the declaration and continued with council’s current climate change commitments and work programmes – including the work of the council’s greenhouse gas working group.
Morrissey said the legislation would have to include the words ‘‘nonbinding’’ for him to go ‘‘anywhere near it’’.
‘‘We have good intentions, but we cannot throw ourselves into a financial black hole with something that we don’t know about.’’
McLean agreed, saying councillors ‘‘might as well go home’’ if they don’t have their ratepayers in mind when it comes to financial risk.
With the majority voting to have the fifth option added, councillors then voted 6-4 in favour of it being council’s preferred recommendation.