Code of Conduct Investigation
The South Waikato District Council has today reported to Council the outcome of a Code of Conduct Investigation arising from a formal complaint against the Mayor.
The independent investigation was authorised by Council Chief Executive Susan Law following the receipt of an official complaint from Cr Marie Farrell, in relation to the conduct of Mayor Gary Petley in withdrawing a submitter's right to speak at the Council Hearing held on June, 24 2024.
In response to the investigation, the independent investigator advised that:
• The complaint, as documented by Cr Farrell against the Mayor, has no basis and should therefore be disregarded.
• The Council use this as a learning and development opportunity in terms of further securing communication channels with the public, and reinforcing behavioural and process expectations of, and between, elected members and the public.
The independent investigator found Mayor Petley exercised his rights under Standing Orders to withdraw the submitter’s speaking rights on the basis that this was not being delivered respectfully.
The report made a number of general recommendations to strengthen processes and understanding, which can be viewed in full here.
Acting Mayor Hamish Daine said once a formal complaint was received Council had an obligation to investigate.
“Once a formal complaint is received Council can’t backtrack, especially in cases such as this involving serious allegations,” Daine said.
“The Code of Conduct is very clear in that a complaint against the Mayor must be investigated externally.
“As the report states, transcripts and interviews relating to this matter show a lack of respectful dialogue, which is never acceptable in any forum.”
The full cost of the review was less than $3000.