Trench warfare takes a back seat: Under fire city councillors drive boss around the east

The investigation into under-fire Christchurch city councillors Phil Mauger and James Daniels appeared to take a back seat last week when they took council boss Dawn Baxendale for a drive through the east.

Mauger chauffeured city council chief executive Baxendale on a tour of the eastern suburbs in his 1923 Fiat 501 with Daniels to show her the high and low points of the area.

Mauger told The Star part of the tour included a visit to the unauthorised trench he and Daniels were currently under a city council investigation for digging.

“I said to her: ‘Just for your information Dawn, this is what someone has done’,” he joked.

Mauger said she gave him a “wry smile” in response.

The two councillors are currently under investigation from the council’s regulatory compliance unit after taking action to fix flooding issues on Pages Rd in Bexley, which had been left unresolved for 10 years.

Phil Mauger and Dawn Baxendale in the 923 Fiat 501 which used to belong to Mauger's father 62...
Phil Mauger and Dawn Baxendale in the 923 Fiat 501 which used to belong to Mauger's father 62 years ago. Photo: Supplied
Mauger used a digger from his company, Maugers Contracting, to dig a 70m trench through red zone land in a bid to bring the issue to an end.

Two days later the council brought in its own digger and filled in both ends of the trench to stop it from working.

However, funding to reduce the prevalence of the issue recently got prioritised.

While Environment Canterbury only gave the councillors a formal warning, it remains to be seen whether the city council will take things any further.

However, this did not lead to any awkwardness between the two councillors and council boss.

“No, not at all awkward,” said Mauger.

“She [Baxendale] is way too professional for that, I have got a lot of time for her.”

The tour included trips through Prestons, Burwood, Parklands, Southshore and concluded with the trio having ice cream in Victoria Square.

“I bought her [Baxendale] an ice cream because she had been a good girl.”

The unauthorised trench in New Brighton. Photo: Geoff Sloan
The unauthorised trench in New Brighton. Photo: Geoff Sloan