Bay of Plenty regional councillor Stacey Rose says he can still do his job despite moving to the South Island. Photo / Supplied
Bay of Plenty regional councillor Stacey Rose says he can still do his job despite moving to the South Island. Photo / Supplied
Bay of Plenty regional councillor Stacey Rose has moved to Christchurch but insists he can still carry out the representative role his constituents are paying him for.
However, Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder says, in his opinion, relocation is "hard to defend".
On the phone from Christchurch,Rose said he moved about three weeks ago after a stint in February to reconnect with whānau and improve his mental health.
"I made the call that the best thing for me was to return home, however with the intention that I would be back in Tauranga once a month to execute on the community aspect side of things."
In addition to his councillor role, Rose is studying a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in te reo Māori and anthropology at the University of Waikato. He is also the Tauranga director for the Waikato Students Union.
"Now I'm in Christchurch, I have the ability to execute my role as a councillor as well as a student in a much more formal way in my time management. It just means that when I've got council matters, I've got the time for that," Rose said.
"When I was in Tauranga, I was overcommitted with council or overcommitted with uni."
Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman Doug Leeder says councillor Stacey Rose's move to Christchurch doesn't break any rules but is "hard to defend". Photo / Andrew Warner
Asked whether he felt his move was fair to his colleagues and constituents, Rose responded: "I think it's fair, particularly with Covid matters, where we have councillors who aren't attending meetings in person and being on Zoom".
In March 2020, an amendment to the Local Government Act enabled councils to continue to meet virtually. Because this legislation had not been repealed, elected members could still attend meetings virtually without breaking any rules.
"Having this Zoom option has made life a lot easier."
Rose insisted he would still be connected to local issues but "when it comes to being there in person and living down here, it's difficult".
"I'm not going to say I'll meet everything but in my time as councillor, I've always made time to get to as many community events as possible. I will still do that but there will be simply some things that I'll prioritise over others. As much as that sounds rude, it is what it is," he said.
Rose said his relocation "does not mean I'm not fully committed to the people of Tauranga during my time as councillor".
The 22-year-old said he planned to fund his flights in which he was returning to Tauranga in a councillor capacity himself, when not flying up for student union matters that would be paid for by that organisation.
Rose discussed his move with Leeder and chief executive Fiona McTavish to ensure he wasn't breaking any rules, he said.
Bay of Plenty regional councillor Stacey Rose, pictured in 2020 a year after being elected. Photo / George Novak
"It came down mainly to mental health reasons to give me the peace of mind that I was home," he said.
In January, Rose received a moko mataora, a traditional face tattoo representing his Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe and Waitaha roots. While he expected some backlash, he was stunned at the severity of the response.
Rose said comments ranged from "some saying 'man, that looks like it would've hurt' to others saying 'why would you do that, that just ruins your chance of getting any work'".
"I got told it's like having a WINZ barcode on my face. I got told I should be shot. And people want me to commit to living there?"
Rose said there was a "strong minority" in Tauranga that aimed to shoot down Māori "no matter if you're brown, white, with or without moko mataora or moko kowai".
The abuse Rose received about his tattoo had a "part to play" in his decision but "the main part was my mental health", he said.
An independent investigation into his claims found of abuse and ageism from within the council were not substantiated by fact. However, some councillors were found to have displayed "poor" and "discourteous" behaviour that was unbecoming of people in such roles, the investigation found.
Chairman Leeder told the Bay of Plenty Times that the rules around elected members' participation meant they could live wherever they liked.
"But I think expecting the ratepayers via the regional council to pay for transport, for mileage and flights, is not reasonable and we will not be doing it," Leeder said.
Leeder said there had been concern expressed by Rose's colleagues at the move.
Leeder said, in his view: "Morally, it's pretty hard to defend you living in Christchurch and representing Tauranga but that's an issue he has to address."
Leeder said he believed the legislation allowing for virtual attendance in council was fit for purpose during the pandemic "but now we are coming out of this community response, there's nothing more effective than to have face-to-face meetings and a central place whereby members of the public can watch proceedings".
Under the Local Government Act, if a councillor resigns within 12 months of an election the resignation will not trigger a byelection.
Local body elections will be held on October 8 this year, with candidate nominations beginning on July 15 and announced on August 17.
