A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Opinion
Re: Online response to June 27 column, Poor form during State of Emergency.
I was a member of the Civil Defence response for a number of years, and unlike Lara, know what goes into every event.
Leading up to and when there is an event, Civil Defence Emergency Management staff, council staff
and volunteers leave their own families and work 12-hour-plus shifts to attend to the needs of their community.
It’s not merely a job, it’s an absolute commitment.
Strong leadership is required, and I can tell you that at every event, not only is the Mayor available 24/7 but so too is the Chief Executive giving 100-percent support to her staff 24/7.
There are always opportunities to review the response after the event, and stone throwing during a response is just — as stated in the opinion piece — incredibly bad form. Your form is also bad Lara because not only were you personally patronising against the CE (who is highly qualified — so I am sure would understand the definition of deficit theorising), but you also do not understand the CE’s commitment to her community, her leadership of her staff, and the commitment of CDEM volunteers during a response. Not helpful Lara!
Charlie Takatu
