Invercargill City Council has not revealed how it plans to restore the community's trust after an independent governance review.
The council has acknowledge public interest in Invercargill over its plan to address governance issues demanded by central government is significant. Photo: Invercargill City Council
The plan is part of the assurances the Department of Internal Affairs has sought following concerns of rising tensions between councillors and, at times, with staff.
Last night, councillors met in a public-excluded, extraordinary meeting to discuss the findings of the review and a range of possible actions to address the issues raised.
In a statement released this morning, the council said the findings were unanimously accepted and they would be discussed with the department in the coming weeks.
Council chief executive Clare Hadley acknowledged there was strong community interest in the outcome of the review process.
"We are acting with urgency to address the issues raised and agree a pathway forward that will restore the community's confidence. This is a top priority for myself, the mayor and councillors and we are all working together to make the right decisions for the city," Hadley said.
"I know the community is eager to find out more about the review process and how the council intends to respond to it. However, it is important that we follow the process through, working with the DIA to discuss how we put a plan in place for the future and offering the assurance they need that the council is addressing the concerns raised."
Invercargill mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt said councillors were committed to working together.
Tim Shadbolt Photo: INVERCARGILL CITY COUNCIL
"There's no doubt that this process is raising some challenging issues for our council to address, but we are up to the task," he said.
We've got some good ideas about how to move forward and, once we've worked through these with the DIA, I'm looking forward to sharing our pathway forward with the community and getting on with the task at hand."
The statement did not detail any of the issues raised in the review or any of the potential solutions.
The council has held at least five extraordinary meetings - mostly behind closed doors - to discuss the department's request since late August.