A Christchurch city councillor's comment that extracting oil from the ground may cause "more earthquakes" produced a stunned look from one of her council colleagues during a debate on fossil fuels.
Innes Ward city councillor Pauline Cotter made the comment on Wednesday as city councillors debated whether to sign up to a treaty to limit the use of fossil fuels.
When speaking at the debate over the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty initiative, Cotter said she "wondered if we're getting more earthquakes (cause) we're taking all the oil out of the ground".
Deputy Mayor and Papanui Ward city councillor Victoria Henstock was sitting next to Cotter. Henstock appeared unimpressed when Cotter connected seismic activity to oil extraction.
The comment, which Cotter said was a personal question, also drew the attention of others in the chamber and people watching the meeting online.
Henstock's reaction was caught on camera and posted to social media.
Former Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board member Ali Jones posted the video to her Facebook page.
"As ChCh city councillors today discussed whether to join a treaty to stop fossil fuel proliferation, here’s a comment from one of our most senior councillors, that is absolutely mind-boggling," Jones wrote on Facebook.
In the 2025 local body elections, Jones (3027 votes) failed to unseat Cotter (3273 votes) in the race for the Innes Ward city council seat.
Cotter (2653 votes) also held the seat in the 2022 elections. Jones (2637) applied for a recount, which saw Cotter's winning margin reduced from 16 votes to eight.
Another viewer thought "Henstock looked like she might be sick".
"Former deputy mayor, Cotter made a unique contribution to the discussion. Funniest thing I've seen in a long time."
City councillors voted to endorse the non-binding initiative with nine votes in support and eight against.
