Coast Council Appointment 'Undemocratic', Says Reefton Candidate

Friday, 7 February 2025, 9:23 pm
Article: Lois Williams - Local Democracy Reporter

Reefton man and council hopeful Dave Hawes says local democracy has been the loser with the appointment of a Westport man to fill a short-term vacancy on the West Coast Regional Council (WCRC).

The council this week appointed surveyor Chris Coll to fill the seat left vacant by the sudden death of Buller councillor Frank Dooley in November.

The council was not required to hold a by-election because the next council elections are less than a year away.

WCRC chair Peter Haddock said Coll had extensive experience of the issues confronting Westport and West Coast rivers and continuity was vital for the flood protection projects being carried out by the council.

But Hawes, who missed out on a council seat by just 50 votes at the last election, said he was also familiar with Westport issues from a previous 15-year stint on the Buller District Council.

The council already had one Westport representative in Cr Mark McIntyre and the WCRC had made a choice based on a single issue affecting less than half of Buller's population, Hawes said.

"The most democratic thing to do would have been to hold a by-election but failing that, they should have respected the voters' choice and appointed me. "

The selection was made by a council subcommittee made up of the chair, and councillors Brett Cummings and Mark McIntyre, from a short-list of five candidates who put their hands up for the role.

Hawes said the council's chief executive Darryl Lew also sat in on the interviews.

"I don't believe that was right. This was a governance matter for elected representatives, not a job interview for staff. Lew was essentially sitting in on an interview to select one of his bosses."

The chief executive had not taken part in the interview, Hawes acknowledged.

Council chair Peter Haddock said Lew had been present only to answer any technical questions the candidates might have.

"He took no part in the selection process - that was a decision of the full council, with public excluded on Tuesday."

Personally, Haddock said, he would have preferred the council to go with the next election candidate in line as Hawes suggested.

"But again - it was a council decision to make an interim appointment, so it was democratic from that perspective."

Hawes said he would stand again for a Regional Council seat in the elections later this year.

"I accept that Westport flood protection is a foremost issue but so are the council's rate increases - 27 percent this year and they borrowed to keep it down to that. "

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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