Two controversial press statements by Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Duncan Field remained displayed on the council's website yesterday, despite requests for them to be removed by the two parties he criticised.
The Wakatipu Environmental Society and Andre Prassinos wanted the press releases removed because, they said, they contained either false information or made defamatory statements.
Two attempts by councillors at last week's council meeting to debate the statements were thwarted by Mayor Clive Geddes, who said they could not be discussed because they had been referred to the council solicitor.
The mayor's actions were criticised yesterday by Wakatipu Environmental Society spokeswoman Karen Swaine, who said the group intended to pursue the issues of democracy and transparency.
There were also huge issues regarding the consent process and competencies at Lakes Environmental.
Now that was compounded by the mayor disallowing any discussion on the press releases at last week's council meeting.
"We're now at the heart of democracy for me. How can our councillors - our elected officials - be empowered to represent us if the chairman is allowed to shut down open debate at a full council meeting?"
She said the mayor's role as chairman of the meeting read as an attempt to shelter Mr Field from public criticism, not as an attempt to follow protocol.
Ms Swaine said she strongly believed the CEO was meant to work for elected officials: "These matters should be dealt with by them at full council meeting."
However, she distanced herself from Mr Prassinos, who had identified the issues as personal.
Instead, she wanted clarity on the delegations register and communications guidelines.
"We'll be pursuing issues of transparency and democracy."
Mr Geddes, speaking from Rotorua yesterday where he and Mr Field were attending the Local Government New Zealand Conference, said he also disallowed the discussion about communications governance and the delegations register because they were not listed on the council agenda and thepublic had a right to know in advance what items were to be discussed at a council meeting.
Mr Geddes said he had passed Ms Swaine's complaints on to the council solicitor Graeme Todd, to Lakes Environmental planning manager Brian Fitzpatrick and to Mr Field for a reply, which he said Mr Field would pass on to her once he returned from the Local Government conference because Mr Geddes was going on leave.
