Elected members endured a 12-second wait on Tuesday for an apology from Cr Ian Pottinger over a comment aimed at Cr Alex Crackett during a committee meeting she chaired.
But Cr Pottinger, a six-term councillor, could not be moved by the deafening silence, prompting Cr Crackett to say she would take the matter up "offline".
The situation unravelled during discussion about a projects report when Cr Pottinger criticised council spending on the city’s historic clock.
Cr Crackett told Cr Pottinger the matter was not up for discussion that afternoon, and debate would take place when the report came back.
Cr Pottinger then took exception to Cr Crackett asking if he had a question.
"Yeah I asked the question, were you listening?" he said.
Cr Grant Dermody disapproved of the comments, calling for a point of order and an apology.
"I think, Mr Dermody, you just refrain and learn about council before making comments like that," Cr Pottinger retorted.
Cr Crackett told Cr Pottinger she would appreciate an apology, leading to a standoff which was broken by Cr Crackett saying the pair would talk "offline".
Both councillors have since confirmed an apology has not been made.
Cr Crackett said it was appropriate to keep discussion relevant and ask councillors to hold on to opinions until information was complete.
"As the chair, I was well in line to pull him up.
"Strong and robust debate is a really vital part of our democracy but it has to be conducted with professionalism and with respect."
She might follow up on the matter, which would be handled through governance processes.
Meanwhile, Cr Pottinger was still unsure what he needed to apologise for.
He pointed out Cr Dermody could not raise a point of order because he was not a member of the committee — a detail which was confirmed by the council.
It is not the first time Cr Pottinger has caused a stir at a council meeting.
In May, he irked Cr Darren Ludlow by saying he had not received the email that democracy was not in place that day.
The incident followed a situation in March when he apologised for assuming the gender of mayors.
• LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
