Four Otago regional councillors have been chosen to guide a working group that will provide advice on a region-wide climate strategy.
However, their selection was suggested to be improper after it emerged they were chosen as nominees during a "lunchtime meeting" other councillors were not a part of.
Crs Alan Somerville, Elliot Weir, Alexa Forbes and Kevin Malcolm were voted in to develop an over-arching climate strategy that will address both mitigation and adaption work in Otago.
As a working group, with a staff representative, they will provide advice to the Otago Regional Council on community and stakeholder engagement; climate change mitigation and emissions reduction; climate change adaptation and resilience; and information gaps and how to address them.
It emerged during discussion at last week’s council meeting that Cr Kate Wilson had created the list of councillors she nominated during lunch before the meeting.
Her process did not sit well with all those who were not included on the list.
Deputy chairman Cr Lloyd McCall said he was "a wee bit concerned" there appeared to have been a "lunchtime meeting" to decide who would sit on the group.
"I think it’s important, if we are creating a group, that we have a cross-section across urban, rural, northern, southern . . . it’s really important that we get a cross-section of points of view."
Cr Bryan Scott said he did not believe it was appropriate for one councillor to show up to the meeting and nominate four councillors.
And while chairwoman Gretchen Robertson said Cr Wilson’s motion was appropriate, Cr Scott said, despite an interest in climate change issues, he would not put his name forward to be part of the group due to the process that was followed.
Cr Scott said a more appropriate process would have been for interested councillors to express their interest to the chairwoman who then made the appointments.
Cr Wilson said there were "wonderful people around this table able to do this job".
However, she said the council needed to move ahead with some urgency.
"We need this work done, we needed it done some time ago, everyone is absolutely busy . . .
"I just want to see it done.
"I’m sorry, I don’t want it to delay," Cr Wilson said.
"I’m sorry if I didn’t talk to you at lunchtime; don’t take it personally.
"It wasn’t personal."
The vote passed with Crs McCall and Tim Mepham voting against and Crs Somerville, Scott and Malcolm abstaining.
ORC climate change principal adviser Francisco Hernandez said the council’s regional strategy would take into account what was already happening and then "cast an Otago-wide lens" on what else might happen in the region.
His report to councillors said a draft of the strategy was due in February and the final strategy was due June 30 next year.
