South Wairarapa’s deputy mayor says it’s business as usual after a bombshell no-confidence vote in the mayor.
The Department of Internal Affairs [DIA] and Local Government NZ [LGNZ] are helping address issues at the council following the vote that the councillors of South Wairarapa District Council [SWDC] announced they had unanimously passed against Mayor Martin Connelly late on Thursday.
Deputy mayor Melissa Sadler-Futter has confirmed the council is working with LGNZ, but said it is business as usual, while Connelly has said he wants to work with councillors to resolve the issues.
A DIA spokesperson confirmed the department is in the early stages of understanding the problems at SWDC and will be working with LGNZ and others to gather information on how the council plans to manage the issues.
“I asked DIA officials to provide assistance and I’m pleased that is occurring”, Local Government Minister and Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty said.
“It’s also good to see LGNZ is providing support. This is the appropriate response at this point.
“The government remains ready to support SWDC if required; however, I’m hopeful that this matter will be resolved without the need for considering any formal intervention.”
After the vote was passed on Thursday, McAnulty noted that formal government intervention is only triggered if a council is not meeting its statutory obligations – something he’s seen “no evidence” of “at this stage”.
“Putting in commissioners is a last resort and would involve all the councillors, not just the mayor. I hope to avoid commissioners, and my hope is we can provide support and resolve this matter.”
The vote was passed in a closed-door meeting to discuss concerns about aspects of Connelly’s behaviour. Although invited, Connelly didn’t attend.
A statement issued on behalf of all SWDC councillors on Thursday listed a litany of concerns about Connelly, including claims of inconsistent and disrespectful treatment of both public presenters at meetings and staff, acting in isolation, and provocative behaviour on social media.
LGNZ president Sam Broughton said the organisation – which represents the interests of New Zealand’s councils – is aware of the issues.
“We are supporting SWDC to put effective governance structures in place to meet the community’s expectations,” he said.
Meanwhile, a DIA spokesperson confirmed that a no confidence vote “is a symbolic action, but it does not have legal standing, and councillors cannot remove the mayor on this basis”.
“While a vote of no confidence in a mayor is unusual in New Zealand, it is not unusual for councils to experience problems in the governance and management of their community.”
As part of understanding the scope of SWDC’s problems, DIA is working with LGNZ and others to ascertain how the council is planning to navigate its issues and to ensure it has the necessary support.
“However, under local government legislation, councils are ultimately accountable to their communities for their actions and decisions, rather than to the Department of Internal Affairs or the Minister of Local Government,” the DIA spokesperson said.
Sadler-Futter said SWDC councillors remain open to discussion and look forward to the mayor making time for this.
“The councillors are cohesive and united as evidenced by their unanimous decisions. We remain committed to finding a positive path forward for the benefit of our community,” she said.
– NZLDR
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