A Horowhenua District councillor working remotely from Scotland has hit back at critics calling for his resignation, arguing that his attendance is better than some of his colleagues.
“The issue is he’s now been doing this since October. We’re now here in March and it doesn’t look like that is going to change,” Horowhenua District Mayor Bernie Wanden said of Rogan Boyle.
“He’s supporting his partner, I believe, who is on a student exchange.”
Standing orders allowed Boyle to work remotely from Scotland, but his colleagues believed he should be in New Zealand.
“I just don’t think you can adequately represent your ratepayers from the other side of the world,” councillor Ross Brannigan said.
Boyle told 1News that he intends to complete his term as councillor, even if it means joining meetings at 1am from Scotland.
“I’ve been doing the job – engaging, debating, voting, and representing my community. My attendance is in line with, and even exceeds, some of my colleagues,” he said.
“Walking away now wouldn’t save ratepayers a cent, but it would mean less representation for our community and more power to the same old voices making unchallenged decisions — while giving themselves a pay rise.”
Wanden and Deputy Mayor David Allan believe Boyle should resign from his role.
“As mayor, I can’t condone or support someone not being physically present for that length of time,” Wanden said.
“I don’t believe you can adequately engage with your constituents when you live in Scotland, and we live in New Zealand,” Allan added.
With local body elections coming up, Wanden wanted potential candidates to understand what they were signing up for.
“Maybe we need to strengthen some of those rules around what those expectations are,” he said.