Cr Pottinger Demoted in New Committee Structure Discussed Without Mayor

Mayor Nobby Clark was absent for today’s Invercargill City Council meeting, where his mid-term review on committees and chairs was discussed.

Deputy Mayor Tom Campbell continued to discuss the report which outlined the new structure of committees, despite it being challenged by Cr Ian Pottinger.

“I would expect the Mayor to be here to deliver this since it was his view. The actual report on its own is very light on detail and substance and how it came about. “I’m asking it to be deferred for a month so that he can be here in person to answer those questions.”
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On June 14 the Mayor issued an email to councillors about what the new structure would look like, and those changes had to be tabled at today’s meeting.

Cr Campbell told the meeting that the Mayor consulted him on the report and said that he was closely involved, so was happy to take those questions on behalf of Mayor Clark.

There was silence in the room before Cr Campbell asked Cr Pottinger was he pondering the comment?

“No, you’ve said your answer,” was Cr Pottinger’s reply.

The new committees and roles are effective from July 1, with the main change being the combining of the Infrastructure and Projects into one new committee, with Cr Grant Dermody named as the chair over Cr Pottinger.

The Community Wellbeing Committee has been renamed Community Wellbeing and Regulatory Committee to better reflect the regulatory oversight of this committee, and Cr Ludlow will remain as chair.

Finance and Projects will be renamed Finance and Policy and will have a focus on the council finances and corporate policies, with Cr Soper as the Chair.

The changes made recently to Risk and Assurance Committee are unchanged.

Mayor Clark said in his report he wished to acknowledge the work of Cr Pottinger as chair of Infrastructure Committee, and thank him for his steering of this committee since the start of this term.

“I am very pleased Cr Pottinger continues to serve as a lead for council on the WasteNet work.”

Local Government New Zealand chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene spoke at the meeting via livestream, after council requested that they have more regular contact with the organisation.