Kent walks out after bust-up

Rotorua Lakes councillor Rob Kent.

Brewing tensions within the Rotorua Lakes Council boiled over yesterday as councillor Rob Kent walked out of the chamber after Mayor Steve Chadwick accused him of "pulling back the reputation of our district" with a negative approach to government.

The mayor also said the Auckland-based Mr Kent, who has frequently condemned the council's debt levels and financial planning, would be less scathing of local government if he lived in Rotorua.

A seemingly innocuous discussion over recent building and resource consents during a committee meeting turned sour after Mr Kent described the numbers as "horrific" and an indication of excessive red tape.

After explanations of the figures by two members of council staff, Mr Kent tried to request further information.

This was blocked by committee chairwoman Janet Wepa, before Mrs Chadwick chose to criticise the councillor's line of argument.

"This negative spiral that this councillor is taking us down is pulling back the reputation of our district," she said.

"If this councillor lived here and experienced what is happening in this city he would feel a little more positive about the wonderful growth that is beginning to happen."

On hearing that statement, Mr Kent left the chamber.

Mr Kent was elected to the council in 2013 but since December 2014 has been commuting to the city from his farm property in Warkworth, near Auckland.

Following yesterday's meeting, he told the Rotorua Daily Post he had only moved back to Warkworth with the intention of renovating his house for sale before returning to Rotorua.

Mr Kent rejected the suggestion that living outside the district prevented him from fulfilling his role as a councillor.

Figures released by the council yesterday showed Mr Kent had the lowest average meeting attendance of any councillor since the start of 2014 - albeit by a margin of 1 per cent.

Mr Kent said his only absences from meetings had been a result of a hospital trip, a council training day and a handful of meetings that he had chosen not to attend because of the "absolute garbage on the agenda".

He said he was "sick to death of not having questions answered" - but would not be giving up his position on the council.

"Quite honestly, if I did back out now, one or two councillors would just be breathing sighs of relief."

Speaking outside the meeting, Mrs Chadwick said Mr Kent's attendance was an issue of which the council had been aware.