Nobby Clark apologises to those offended by interview

Wednesday, 17 April 2024

Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark has apologised “to anybody who felt offended’’ by his nationally televised interview on comedian Guy Williams’ NZ Today show.

He has acknowledged he now faces a code of conduct complaint lodged by two of his councillors, Ria Bond and Ian Pottinger.

During the interview Williams repeatedly and reproachfully confronted Clark about his highly publicised use of the N-word, a word the mayor insists he hates, but had explicitly used to highlight, at an arts meeting, what he saw as the double standard of artists appearing to have sanction to use offensive language.

At one stage in the interview he persuaded Williams himself to use it, though that moment was not broadcast. The interviewer acknowledged on air that he had said it, and said he should not have.

Clark told Stuff his impression was that he was appearing on what was essentially a comedy show.

“With hindsight, had I known how the Guy Williams TV show was going to be cut and pasted, I wouldn’t have been involved.’

“But I didn’t know that at the time.’’

Clark said he had received direct feedback from the community.

“Most was quite positive, but some were offended by it,’’ he said.

“So I guess it’s appropriate for me to apologise to anybody who felt offended.’’

An independent agency would be investigating the code of conduct complaint.

Clark said it was time to put the issue to rest “and move on with the many positive things that we have got happening in the city at the moment’’.