John Freer, Thames Coromandel District Councillor
Now that Council and Community Boards had agreed on a new Accord, boards could get on and do the job they were elected for.
I was disappointed not to have the chance at this week’s council meeting to put forward his reasons for supporting the new Accord and is now setting those reasons out for the residents of his Tairua-Pauanui and Whangamata Ward.
I owe it to the people who elected me to explain why I voted the way I did.
The statement comes after Mayor Peter Revell, using council meeting rules, stopped the debate which prevented some councillors from having their say on what had become a controversial agreement between Council and the Community Boards.
In the lead-up to the vote there was a strong campaign against the Accord, including from former Deputy Mayor Terry Walker, who was on Council for the entire period the 2019 Terms of Reference were in place.
During those six years, frustration from Community Boards across the district grew, rather than eased. That is the record, and it weighed heavily on my thinking.
Therefore, I was not prepared to go backward to go forward with this.
Two things determined whether I would support the new Accord or stay with the old Terms of Reference put in place by a previous council.
Firstly, of the five Community Board chairs, four supported the Accord and one abstained. These are the people elected to lead our boards.
When that many of them say a document is good enough to proceed with, councillors should take that seriously.
Secondly, the 2019 Terms of Reference simply have not delivered what our communities need. That is not opinion – it is the lived experience of six years.
The Tairua-Pauanui and Whangamata boards had both been strong advocates for their communities and wanted to be stronger still.
Our boards have been vocal – on issues like the state of local council buildings, mowing of reserves, annual planning and flood protection. These are the things that matter to people on the ground, and our boards have too often felt they were not being heard.
The Accord directly addresses that. It commits Council to early consultation with boards on decisions affecting their areas, reliable staff support, regular Mayor and Chairs meetings, clear timeframes when differences arise, and a dispute resolution path. The Terms of Reference document addressed none of this.
I received several emails and calls urging me to retain the existing Terms of Reference. Those views came from people who care about our communities, and I respect that. After weighing them carefully, I reached a different conclusion, and I wanted residents to hear my reasoning directly.
A commitment to review
I recall having sat in the Thames Coromandel council chambers with representatives of residents and ratepayers’ groups from around our district, meeting with councillors when the Terms of Reference were discussed as a mechanism to improve relations – but still, until the last elections, the lack of engagement between Council and Boards continued. Cr Freer said the Accord also came with a built-in commitment to review.
A full review is locked in at six months. That gives us the chance to test how it is working, hear from boards and communities, and adjust where they are needed.
“his is not a document to be set in stone, it’s a living document that will evolve over time to meet the needs of our communities.
You don’t drive down the road by looking in the rear-view mirror. We have a chance now to build something that works for our communities – and that is why I support this change.
For more information, please contact John – 0274 839 426
