Councillor wants role elucidated

Feeling guilty for speaking out publicly on the Project Hayes issue, Otago Regional councillor Gerry Eckhoff has asked the council for clarification of his role.

Mr Eckhoff spoke to the Otago Daily Times about his views on the Project Hayes resource consents being turned down.

At the council meeting, he said as a public representative he felt guilty for speaking out and was unsure if he had done the right or wrong thing.

"How do we represent the public without compromising the integrity of the council or its independence in these matters?"

Chief executive Graeme Martin said when councillors got into the quasi judicial Resource Management Act (RMA) process, there was a fine line leading to pre-determination, bias and conflict of interest.

The Otago Regional Council supported the maximum use of councillors on its hearing panels to provide the community representation although in the case of Project Hayes independent councillors were chosen, in part because of the length of the hearings.

Chairman Stephen Cairns said if someone had a strong opinion on a topic and voiced it then they would be considered to be at "significant risk" for being on a hearing panel.

The regional council required all councillors to undergo training and accreditation before becoming eligible to sit on or chair a hearing panel.

Cr Duncan Butcher said it was a vexed question.

He believed a councillor should keep an open mind about issues, but if they felt they had a particular view they could speak publicly about it.

"If they are of the view they have an open mind [and] don't publicly state a view . . . then they can be involved in the RMA process."

The system was good, worked well and it was important to have someone on hearing panels who knew the community involved, he said.

rebecca.fox@odt.co.nz