Otago regional councillor Michael Laws today said that his council “has likely broken the law” in hiding an independent
review of its consents function from public or media scrutiny.
The Dunstan Ward councillor absented himself from the ORC regulatory committee yesterday afternoon “rather than be a
party to that kind of skulduggery. In short, the Council lied about why it was taking the review in secret. It even lied
about what it was hiding.”
The independent review of the Council’s consents service was sought by the governance team last year after concerns were
expressed – both publicly and privately – as to whether best practice procedures were being observed.
The review was prepared and presented by Philip Maw and Steven Daysh a lawyer and planner respectively with experience
in local government and consents functions. It was presented to a secret workshop on Wednesday and then discussed, in
another secret public-excluded committee, on Thursday afternoon.
Cr Laws challenged the need to take the report in secret and the reasons being used by the Chief Executive and
leadership of the ORC to do so.
“ The reasons given were all bogus. Every one of them. In short, it was a lie
designed to withhold information that might be seen as critical of Council.
The law does not allow councils to protect themselves from potential
embarrassment.
In fact, the over-riding principle of the Local Government Act 2002 is
open government. The Otago Regional Council is defying the very law
that creates and sustains it.” *
Cr Laws said that he was looking to employ whistleblower legislation or the Official Information Act to get the report
released.
“ When people read it, they will wonder what the fuss is about.
Sure, the review identifies flaws but it doesn’t identify individuals at fault but
systems that need improvement. But it’s the direct lying, and direct denial of
open government principles that cannot be tolerated.”