Code of conduct complaints not upheld

Kāpiti Coast District Council today declined to uphold 10 code of conduct complaints against elected members.

The council considered complaints made against the Mayor, councillors Michael Scott, Murray Bell, Penny Gaylor, Janet Holborow, Diane Ammundsen, and Gavin Welsh; and Waikanae Community Board chair Eric Gregory by Dr Kerry Bolton. It also considered complaints made by Councillor Jackie Elliott against the Mayor and Councillor Gaylor.

Mayor Ross Church says he shares the view expressed by several councillors that the complaints were a wasteful distraction from the real business of council and is pleased they have been resolved.

“The code of conduct holds an important place in the set of rules that governs how council operates. But today we saw it used in the most political of ways which I find disheartening.   

“Throughout this process members of our council were accused of bullying, lying and intimidation, amongst other things. On behalf of the whole council I absolutely refute those claims. The suggestion that a large proportion of our council is capable of that kind of behaviour is very unfair and unacceptable.

“I hope that having dealt with the complaints today we can draw a line under the issues raised and have a far more constructive and collaborative focus in our council meetings in future.”

Mayor Church says it was disappointing he needed to ask three members of the public to leave the council chamber during the meeting but it was the right thing to do.

“The communities of the Kāpiti Coast must be able to have confidence in us to govern their district effectively.  Running our council meetings well is a vital part of that. 

“The chamber is our workplace.  Standing orders are our rules. I stand by the decision I made to ensure they were upheld.  After fair warning, I asked people to leave when they refused to respect the rules of behaviour within the chamber. I won’t hesitate to do it again.”