Gore Mayor Ben Bell. Photo: Facebook / Ben Bell
The Gore District Council today backed away from its push to vote on a motion of no confidence in the Mayor Ben Bell, instead taking a more conciliatory stance.
The council had called an extraordinary meeting to vote on a motion of no confidence in the mayor and strip him of his committee assignments, but today no-one around the table was willing to support either motion.
Instead, they agreed to seek support from Local Government New Zealand and Taituarā - Local Government Professionals Aotearoa - for a review to restore confidence in the council.
In a statement, Bell and councillors said they apologised to the community and each other for the turmoil of recent days.
The council said that in a move to restore trust with the public and amongst each other, elected members had agreed to put their differences aside and refocus on serving the people of the Gore District.
The Gore District Council building. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
In the joint statement, the elected members said they reunited following an in-depth, transparent, and honest conversation yesterday.
"We have agreed that we all need to communicate more openly and effectively so there are no further misunderstandings that could lead to an irreparable breakdown in trust."
At the meeting today Bell described the days following the request for him to resign as some of the darkest in his life.
"Getting the request to resign was probably two of the darkest days of my life, it was incredibly hard, incredibly stressful. But following that the immense pressure from the community and the voice helped lifted me up, but consequently pushed all our councillors down."
Bell said he and the council need professional help to get through the issues.
Gore's deputy mayor Keith Hovell said he had witnessed bad behaviour over the past several months, though he did not provide specifics.
He said he had to call out that bad behaviour when he saw it.
Hovell said the council had tried to sort out the matters internally without success, so it was time to speak out.
Supporters of Ben Bell outside the council buildings before the meeting. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
"Others in the press have said stop acting like children, I would say the opposite. Our mental and physical health is at risk. What do you want us to do? Pretend all is well and carry on? That is no longer the New Zealand way."
Hovell said he wanted to be open with the community about the issues the council was facing.
He said he also needed help from the community, and said some of the comments put up on social media were bad for the mental health of the council and council staff.
The council and community needed to work together, he said.