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Kaipara District Council chief executive Jason Maris last week optimistically described a report on the judicial review of council’s decision to disestablish its Māori Ward last year as “closing the loop”.
However, the closure did not come quietly, bringing a heated exchange between Mayor Craig Jepson and Māori Ward councillor Pera Paniora, who threatened to lay two Code of Conduct complaints against the mayor.
Councillors were told at their monthly meeting that Te Runanga o Ngāti Whātua had paid just over $24,000 towards the $160,000 council had spent defending its decision through the judicial review process. The amount was the maximum claimable in costs under the High Court rules.
Jepson said he was disappointed at not receiving the full costs, adding that he thought the High Court challenge was “entirely vexatious”.
At this, Paniora raised a point of order, saying only a court could rule a claim vexatious.
“And they absolutely did not, so can you consider retracting that?” she said. “You are mispresenting legal proceedings.”
When the Mayor said he would not accept this, Paniora said she would lodge a Code of Conflict.
The Mayor then commented, “You are actually somewhat conflicted by the fact that you are the in-house counsel for Ngati Whatua, by the way.”
“No I’m not, thank you,” Paniora said. “You have just misrepresented my title and my work at the runanga. I would like that statement retracted or I will file two Codes of Conduct.”
Jepson said he would consider what he had said and make a retraction if he felt it was necessary.
