SIMON O’CONNOR/THINGS/Things
New Plymouth District Council CEO Craig Stevenson. (File photo)
Craig Stevenson, chief executive of the New Plymouth District Council, is on leave after an emergency secret meeting of councilors.
The meeting took place last week, but on Tuesday the council declined to say why it took place or what was discussed.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, a spokesman for the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) said: “The CE is currently on leave and an interim director has been appointed.
“The interim acting CE is NPDC group engagement manager, Jacqueline Baker.”
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Stevenson’s absence follows an emergency Zoom Internet meeting that took place at 9 a.m. last Thursday.
At the time of the meeting, no agenda had been posted on the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) website.
When councilors Tony Bedford and Colin Johnston apologized that day to the Waitara Community Board, which was being held at the same time, an NPDC spokesperson said no extraordinary meeting was held.
However, in the days following the emergency meeting, an agenda for it was uploaded to the council’s website, but it contained no information about what was being discussed.
ANDY JACKSON/STUFF/Things
No details are available about an emergency meeting of the NPDC.
In response to subsequent questions, the council spokeswoman said she was “not made aware of the meeting at the first questioning, so our answer was correct at the time it was sent”.
However, there were “no details to be released” about the meeting, she said.
Under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, agendas are typically made available at least two full business days before a meeting.
A council may exclude the public from a meeting, but the general subject of any matter to be discussed must be stated.
There are provisions in the law for when the standard reporting requirements cannot be met.
In these instances, “the local government shall ensure that such meeting and the general nature of the matter is ‘as soon as practicable before the meeting is held’ or ‘as soon as practicable on the local authority’s Internet site and on any other way that is reasonable in the circumstances.”
The agenda for the emergency meeting stated that the public should be barred because: “Terms of Reference for Investigation Subcommittee (2022) Withholding the information is necessary to protect the privacy of individuals, including that of deceased individuals.”
Minutes of the emergency meeting have not been posted on the council’s website.