Fiery start to South Waikato long-term plan hearings

Thursday, 27 June 2024

During a heated exchange, South Waikato mayor Gary Petley, centre, attempts to defend the council’s chief executive Susan Law, left, from personal attacks made by Putāruru man Zed Latinovic.

Fiery exchanges saw one submitter booted out and another asked if he had considered leaving the district on the first day of public hearings for a council plan.

South Waikato District Council received a record number of submissions on its plan for the next 10 years, many of them critical of council spending and of its three years of proposed 8.9% annual average rates rises.

Sixty-nine people indicated they would like to speak directly to the council during its long-term plan hearings, which were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday this week.

During Monday morning’s session, Putāruru’s Zed Latinovic was stopped from speaking about halfway into his submission by South Waikato mayor Gary Petley, who said his personal attacks against council staff, particularly against chief executive Susan Law, were out of order.

South Waikato mayor Gary Petley told one submitter to leave after the man made repeated personal attacks against the council’s chief executive.

In a tense back-and-forth, Latinovic said as a ratepayer whose money helped pay councillors salaries that “I have every right … to say what I think … and you have every obligation to listen to what I have to say”.

Petley said the council “were not here to listen to personal attacks” and repeatedly warned him he would cut him off if he continued.

Latinovic went on to bring Law’s former employment history into question and said she wanted to bring more “like-minded superior people who couldn’t care less about our community” into the district, and questioned her effectiveness in previous roles.

The South Waikato District Council’s proposed rates increases sees a possible three years of 8.9% rises.

It was at this point that Petley told Latinovic he was “done with you” and told him to leave.

As Latinovic left he said to Petley, “I’m going to be running a petition to remove you from office,” to which Petley replied “good luck on that”.

Later in the day William Hildreth delivered his submission, which was also highly critical of the council.

“I am so disgusted with the actions of this council I have been in contact with the Minister of Local Government and the Ombudsman about the disgraceful waste and actions of this council.”

He said there would be consequences for councillors’ “incompetence” and “arrogance”.

Moments later, councillor Hans Nelis addressed Hildreth saying “I wondered, because you were so critical, have you ever considered moving to another district?”

Nelis’ question received a round of moans and groans from those in the public gallery.

“Why should I?,” Hildreth responded.

“Why don’t you move, why don’t you give us a fair go instead of trying to cripple us and end up with a blasted town that’s just a ghost town because no one will live here,” he said.

However, Petley told Nelis his question “was in poor taste” and Nelis withdrew the question.

Meanwhile, those wanting to watch proceedings on the council’s livestreaming and meeting management service, which costs ratepayers $26,000 annually, were out of luck due to another round of technical difficulties which saw only an hour and 10 minutes of the day-long meeting available on its website.

A council communications staffer said staff were “working hard to retrieve the backup recording so they can upload the full session asap”.