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An independent investigator’s report has upheld Code of Conduct complaints against Kaipara District Councillor and Mayoral candidate, Victoria del la Varis-Woodcock, by two staff members.
The report, authored by former Rodney Mayor John Law, was tabled at a Council meeting on August 31.
The complaints concerned a Facebook post made by Councillor del la Varis-Woodcock, relating to the June Council meeting. The post alleged the staff had tampered with the sound recording of the June 29 meeting, alongside imagery of the complainants.
The complainants stated that the post publicly questioned their integrity on a democratic process, affecting their reputation.
Law found that the audio had not been censored and Cr del la Varis-Woodcock materially breached the Code of Conduct with her Facebook post, which potentially brought Council into disrepute and adversely affected the privacy and integrity of the complainants.
Mayor Jason Smith said he viewed the complaint very gravely because the case was about Council as a good employer and about the community’s trust in Council.
“Normally we think about codes of conducts being brought between elected members, but this is a complaint brought by staff,” he said.
Council, on the recommendations of the independent report, called on Cr del la Varis-Woodcock to give a public apology to Council and to provide a private apology directly to the two complainants.
Councillors also accepted the investigator’s recommendation that the chief executive organise an induction session on the use of media and social media for all in-coming elected members after the election, including Cr del la Varis-Woodcock if re-elected.
Council also agreed that funding should be allocated in a future Annual Plan for improved technology for Council meetings.
After the unanimous adoption of the recommendations, Cr del la Varis-Woodcock apologised to both the complainants and Council for what she said was a genuine error.
