This is embarrassing.
Our chairman is embroiled in a public spat with Dr Jan Wright, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment over her just-released report on water.
This should not be happening. The chairman of Environment Southland is supposed to represent the council and relay the council's views to the public where needed, but her criticisms are not those of the council at all, in fact we've not even discussed the report.
Dr Wright says Timms has misunderstood the report and that she is misinterpreting the findings.
Perhaps Ms Timms should be breathing through her nose and waiting to learn what the council of Environment Southland think of the report before going to the media with her 'misinterpretations' and defensive claims.
I'll be taking my concerns to our next already-full council meeting in order to give them an airing.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
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4 comments:
It is sad when people go on the defensive. We cannot argue that the water quality is getting worse and we cannot argue that farming practices impact water quality. The discussion needs to be had about what we as a community feel is acceptable. Federated farmers say you cant have farming without sacrificing something and that comment shows their stance. The question is for them is the degrees of damage they feel is acceptable but the answer will never be enough to give comfort to others.
I think the same thing should apply to every business whether its farming or whatever and that is while they do their business within their boundary fence or buildings and nothing impacts outside of that they should be largely left alone. However once they cause any adverse effects on anything outside their boundaries they should expect the community to have the ability to monitor and if required stop that happening.If that means changing the business practice so be it. Money and greed has never helped improve either communities or the environment
Well said, Mr Todd. Even the Federated Farmers accepted the report, or at least made out that they did, though they too sought to qualify the findings and share the blame with others. Still, big ups to Jan Wright. She doesn't pull her punches when it comes to protecting the environment.
Ms Timms is being unprofessional here, imho.
I would agree with that. A response to something that is at the heart of what your council is about should be well researched and discussed. Even the staff should have had the chance to input as they see and manage whats going on today. It is stepping out onto a slippery slope when the chair of anything comments about something his or her board has not had the chance to fully discuss and arrive at a collective view on. Their role is articulating the boards or councils views, not necessarily their own. Such small detail can be frustrating to some who think the best committees are one person and they should be the chair.
That's it in a nut-shell, Philip.
This is far from the first instance of this sort of behaviour.
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