‘Disruptor’ ruffles South Waikato council feathers

Tuesday, 7 May 2024

First term South Waikato district councillor Marie Farrell has upset some of her colleagues with her direct approach.

First-term South Waikato councillor Marie Farrell has accused council staff of producing a Long-Term Plan “written solely through a corporate lens with councillor feedback stripped out of it”.

Farrell, who was at the centre of a recent heated public debate with some of her South Waikato District Council colleagues, admits to being frustrated with council processes, and “may have said things that did ruffle some feathers”.

She said she believed the council’s Long-Term Plan (LTP) was driven by staff, not councillors, and she was not provided with enough financial information to make an informed decision.

The South Waikato District Council during last year’s Annual Plan discussions. Photo/File

“This [LTP] document affects every one of us, our friends, family, our community our people. We need to bring the community lens into this document at this late stage.”

She said suggestions local facilities could close to save the council money was not in the public interest and the council should not be playing property developer and stick to its core services.

Councillor Kerry Purdy said Farrell “spoke the truth” and supported her stance on the council’s proposed Long-Term Plan process.

South Waikato deputy mayor Hamish Daine said Farrell had overstepped the mark in her treatment of council staff.

“I feel as councillors we aren’t always included in discussions or decisions when we should be … and some of my questions don’t even get answered by staff.

“But I know Marie has the best interests of the community at heart.”

However, deputy mayor Hamish Daine said Farrell had “overstepped the mark” with some of her comments and had “disrupted council proceedings more than once”.

“She should have been made to withdraw some of her comments, but didn’t.”

Daine said his main concern with Farrell’s “outbursts” were that they “plant a seed in the community’s mind that we have got something to hide - that we are not being transparent - but that is totally not the case.”

“It makes us look a bit silly, that one person’s behaviour reflects on us all as a team.

“We are butting heads but we want to achieve the same thing … to make our community better.

”We don’t all have to agree, but attacking staff in the process is not constructive.”

Daine said Farrell was “taking up time and energy better used in more constructive areas” and wondered what her real motivations were.

An anti-vaccine leaflet delivered to households in Wellington by Voices for Freedom during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Farrell’s political links also turned a few heads, especially during her 2022 election campaign.

She was supported by the Resistance.Kiwi website, which ran her election profile.

“Although their views and mine do not necessarily align I appreciated their support,” she said.

Resistance Kiwi was set up 2021 “as the resistance to the growing tyranny perpetrated by the over-reaching New Zealand Government against our fellow Kiwis during the Covid pandemic”.

Resistance Kiwi said councils had been infiltrated by a “nonsensical climate change political green agenda” instead of “focusing on the important infrastructure that is breaking down”.

Farrell also openly supported Voices For Freedom (VFF) during her campaign, but said she does not “have a formal affiliation to any political party”.

“I was unhappy with the direction that central and local governance was taking our country, and I felt New Zealanders were not being listened to,” she said.

A recent VFF article states its followers should be “sprinkling crumbs of doubt” and during the 2022 local government elections the anti-vaccination, anti-mandate group wanted to make the country “ungovernable” by standing candidates in local body elections to “sway the results (and) throw our weight around”.

“I support those who align with VFF the same way I support every member of our community’s right to respectful freedom of expression,” Farrell said.

She also revealed she had worked for the Government’s Security Intelligence Services (SIS) from 2016 until 2021.

“Under the Official Secrets Act 1951, I cannot discuss this role.

“I felt it was important to be transparent about this unusual background for both my previous employer, the SIS, and our community.”

She said she left her SIS role to go on maternity leave.

“I can assure our community that I am a very boring conservative.”

Farrell said she aimed to “be constructive, offer views that are considered, evidence based, and align with our community”.

“I believe we need to strengthen democracy by being transparent and accountable and I do hold council to account at times.”

Purdy said Farrell was black and white and I have a lot of time for her”.