'You look better in the paper than you do in real life' – concern over 'sexist' comment from transport boss
Monday, 14 September 2020
A comment made by the head of Wellington $6.4 billion transport programme to a businesswoman at a public meeting has been deemed “sexist” and inappropriate by some attendees.
Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) programme director Andrew Body made the comment to a central city businesswoman during a public meeting in July to discuss businesses’ concerns over plans to restrict private vehicle access along the capital’s Golden Mile.
Following the formal part of the meeting, Body told the woman, who Stuff has chosen not to name: “You look better in the paper than you do in real life.”
Body told Stuff when contacted the day after the incident he had emailed the woman to apologise, describing his comments as “overly flippant”.
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He said he approached the woman about her concerns and, while saying hello, noted her comments in the media and complimented her photo.
Documents obtained under the Official Information Act reveal Body alerted members of the LGWM partnership board to the incident after a query from Stuff and only apologised once he had been contacted by Stuff.
In an email, Body apologised to members for “any negative issues this may create”.
A spokesperson for LGWM said Body admitted in the email to making the specific comment – information which was retracted in the OIA document.
When asked again by Stuff if he denied making the comment, Body said he acknowledged the remark was “careless”, and “would like to express again how truly sorry I am”.
However, a witness to the incident claimed the comment was sexist and inappropriate.
She had been sitting at a table with a few others when Body approached them, she said.
“[The woman] was the most outspoken person there. She had a solid list of complaints and concerns.
“In light of that context, to start his conversation off with her with a comment on her looks … I think that creates a power imbalance as well.
“Given that context, it’s inappropriate.”
She questioned whether Body would have made the same comment to a man.
“When you make a comment about a woman’s appearance in a professional situation, that’s an absolute no-no.”
Another person, who did not hear the comment directly, said people at the table were left shocked.
“When he walked away, people in that circle turned around and said, ‘Did you hear that? Are we in the 1950s?’ People were a bit gobsmacked.”
The woman the comment was aimed at agreed it was sexist, and felt it was said with intent. “It certainly wasn’t flippant. It was more malicious.”
When asked if he thought the comment was malicious or sexist, Body said he had nothing to add to his earlier statement.
The incident also led to a complaint by another business representative at the meeting, seen by Stuff, raising “wider concerns about the confrontational nature of [Body’s] interaction at stages through the meeting, and afterward”.
Following Body’s email to the LGWM board, Wellington City Council chief executive Barbara McKerrow, one of four board members, called for an urgent meeting of members to discuss its response to Body, as well as other concerns about the group’s dealings with the public.
They included how public consultation was being managed, and criticism from “numerous other sources” about flaws in the feedback process.
McKerrow said the issue was especially serious “given the high profile of this project in a sensitive decision-making environment”.
Let’s Get Wellington Moving is a 20-year, joint programme between the New Zealand Transport Agency, Wellington City Council, and Greater Wellington Regional Council aimed at reducing traffic congestion between Wellington Airport and Ngauranga Gorge.