On councillor attendance

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Thanks Gisborne Herald for your interest in councillor attendance rates.

Over my years as a councillor I have seen many come and go and the unfortunate reality seems to be that more often than not, it is the younger councillors who leave seemingly prematurely.

The reality is that the role is often enabled through an age-and-stage reality. The required commitment lacks true regularity and hence the potential to hold down another role and pursue an alternative career is usually very limited.

While I believe remuneration for the role is fair, it is not sufficient to be considered as primary income. Hence most will need other income sources. Sadly this can be poorly understood by new councillors until it is their reality.

Once in the role, the ratepayer (employer) expectation of high work ethic is fair. There is an expectation that the councillor team all pull their weight.

It can be challenging and damaging to have over- and under-performers under the same expectation and remuneration delivering quite different commitments. There is a danger of internal resentment. There is also the frustration of everyone being at different levels of understanding through unattendance, which then handicaps the flow of systems and workstreams.

Many believe the role should be our priority but some may not prioritise it as highly. At the end of the day, we all should have the ability to prioritise our own lives but I believe there is a minimum justifiable level of commitment which should be adhered to in this very important publicly-funded role.

Andy Cranston

Councillor