Catchment chair refuses to apologise; rejects use of ‘kia ora'
Hugh Gardyne is the chair of the Mataura Catchment Liaison Committee, which helps Environment Southland with river management. Photo: Supplied
A chair of a Southern council group is unrepentant about his behaviour at a recent meeting which was dubbed "disrespectful" by the council boss.
Mataura Catchment Liaison Committee chair Hugh Gardyne has also rejected the use of "kia ora" in an email which reprimanded him for his actions.
The committee Gardyne oversees is one of eight in the region which supports Environment Southland with local river work.
In May, Gardyne gave a blunt presentation to councillors alleging catchment management was in "a state of paralysis" under the watch of the council chief executive, and that communication was ineffective with the general manager in charge.
He was shut down at the end of his talk when he mentioned an abatement notice — later revealed to be one issued by Environment Southland against itself.
A letter from council chair Nicol Horrell on 28 May warned Gardyne of his behaviour, saying parts of his presentation were factually incorrect and disrespectful.
"My intention is both to correct your understanding of the facts, and to inform you that councillors will not tolerate any criticism levelled at staff in public meetings, or disrespectful behaviour," Horrell wrote.
Horrell added that it was incorrect to suggest catchment work was in a state of paralysis and accused Gardyne of not having all the facts.
"I would be interested to know from where you are getting your information."
The letter ended with a suggestion that Gardyne apologise to the chief executive and manager in question.
But Gardyne has defended his actions, saying his criticism was about questioning professional ability.
"It doesn't, in my opinion, deserve a response or an apology."
Gardyne said he would speak at council again in the future and the response from the general manager had been "great" following the presentation.
Separately, he also took exception with the use of "kia ora" in the email sent by Horrell which delivered the reprimanding letter.
Gardyne requested he instead be addressed with "hello" or "dear".
Horrell told Local Democracy Reporting it was common practice to use the te reo Māori greeting and didn't think its use would have been Gardyne's biggest issue.
"I would have thought that that's almost a wee bit racist."
In a letter back to Horrell, Gardyne doubled down on perceived issues with river management and questioned whether the chair's concerns were shared by other members.
Environment Southland oversees eight catchment liaison committees which help the council develop annual maintenance programs and budgets, as well as provide a local point of contact.
Gardyne has been involved with the Mataura group since the early 1990s.
The council said last month it was working to improve communication with its catchment committees.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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