A number of Wellington City councillors are worried a review into the council's governance will not be truly independent.
Wellington City Mayor Andy Foster. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Mayor Andy Foster announced the review yesterday.
The reason he explained was that the council was at a crossroads, with "a succession of incidents and comments over a period of time [which] have given cause to an environment of public and media speculation".
He said Wellingtonians had lost faith in their elected representatives' ability to govern.
It comes after a particularly tempestuous beginning to the week, when he was reported to the Auditor-General by a fellow councillor, over his actions in the build-up to a meeting last week.
Residents of the capital have expressed their own dissatisfaction with the current discourse and happenings around the council table.
Process 'needs to be collaborative' - councillor
For an Independent Governance Review, some expressed concern over who will be appointed, and who will dictate the terms of reference.
Neither would be a council decision, Foster said in his media conference yesterday.
When asked who will have the final say, he replied: "Ultimately, me, but obviously, I have some support to do that.
"There are a number of people with me, and the organisation as well.
"We always talk these things through, and make sure it is not just me who makes the decision because obviously, it is a very good idea to get the wisdom of other people, to knock these things around."
He said he had ideas for who would be appointed, and that discussions over the terms of reference were "well advanced".
That it will not be a whole-of-council approach to the terms and appointment was a surprise to some councillors.
"That was not what I had understood would be the process, and I think in order for the process to be successful, it does need to be collaborative," councillor Jill Day said.
"Otherwise the process could look like it's fairly staged, and that the direction is being decided by just a small faction, then that can create issues for everybody else."
Foster said he, himself, would also be within the scope of the review.
But that's not enough for some.
"I'd want reassurances that this is completely independent, that as a councillor, I get a say in who does this, what the terms of reference are, that it does look at some of those issues that I see as being a problem," councillor Rebecca Matthews, the representative for Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward, said.
"I do think we need to examine leadership in the context of this council, otherwise it's not a process we can trust.
"I would welcome an independent review, but the Mayor calling his review, on his councillors, I think that's quite anti-democratic actually."
Frustration over how governance review was announced
According to Matthews, there was a division between the 15 elected members over who knew about the review, and when.
"It seems pretty obvious that there is a group of councillors who knew about it in advance. The mayor had a certain group of councillors he brought together.
"That was clear about the press conference that he called as well. I was finding out it was happening from journalists, while other councillors knew.
"That's not right - we need to have all councillors getting the same information."
Councillor Teri O'Neill, one of those who also only found out about it during the meeting, said it meant the review began on the wrong foot.
"If he is using the word partisanship, that demonstrates to me hypocrisy within his own leadership and personal leadership that he was setting council up to be a shambles today, intentionally by not including everyone.
"It raises quite a lot of concern with me that barriers of trust have been broken, and that if the review is not fully intentional on being transparent and independent from council, then I can only conclude that the Mayor is playing games."
'Bad behaviour has escalated' - Foster
Foster told Morning Report the council had some "serious governance issues at the moment".
"The issue here is I've got no issue whatsoever with having good robust debate about issues; it's how people behave themselves, how people conduct themselves, the impact on the organisation and that is what the review is going to be looking at."
He would not give examples of situations that led to the review. "I don't want to do the reviewer's job for them."
Foster asked for patience and said it would be in the "full light of media attention, I hope soon".
"It's a very challenging situation" - Wellington City Mayor Andy Foster
As for councillors who said they only found out about the review yesterday, he called it a "deflection".
"The key issue is we've had an ongoing process of bad behaviour and that is why I have announced the independent review.
"That bad behaviour has escalated."
He said if he had not called for the review, someone else might have.
Being mayor was challenging, he said, citing trying to stir a ship with a crew that was not on the same wavelength.
"It's a very challenging situation."
Foster said he wanted to focus on developing the city and not be distracted by "behaviours we've got at the moment".