The outspoken former councillor said she was not surprised her ex-colleagues had not been sacked by Environment Minister David Parker in the wake of Prof Skelton’s findings even though she once called for their removal herself.
Ms Hobbs resigned from the council mid-term last year shortly after a controversial decision not to proceed with a staff recommendation to note minimum flows for the Manuherikia River.
That decision featured prominently in Prof Skelton’s follow-up investigation of the council on behalf of Mr Parker this year.
In determining the council should not be granted an extension for its under-construction land and water plan, in his report released on Monday Prof Skelton raised the Manuherikia River meeting on August 25 last year.
Councillors decided not to note minimum flows that would be used to determine water take limits for the river and called for more scientific evidence to bolster their coming decision instead.
In his investigation report, released this week, the former chief freshwater commissioner for New Zealand informed Mr Parker he found it hard to accept the councillors’ decision was based solely on concerns about the science.
Ms Hobbs, who has recently moved to Wellington, said Prof Skelton recognised calling for more work from the Manuherikia’s technical advisory group was a "delay tactic".
In the days after the meeting, Ms Hobbs signed a petition launched by the Central Otago Environmental Society calling on Mr Parker to disband the elected councillors and to appoint commissioners to govern the council.
She later stated publicly she would step down as a councillor if government commissioners did not take over council affairs.
When that did not happen, Cr Michael Laws said she should either withdraw her comments or leave the council as promised, and she resigned.
The technical advisory group’s final report on that scientific evidence required to note Manuherikia River minimum flows is expected to be discussed at next week’s strategy and planning committee meeting, and Ms Hobbs said she expected a decision to be made after staff presented councillors with the new evidence.
"If they try any more delay tactics that would be so obvious — it’s been obvious to some of us for a long time, but it’s going to be so obvious," she said.
When the report was released, chairman Cr Andrew Noone and interim chief executive Dr Pim Borren issued a joint statement confirming they were committed to the deadlines Mr Parker had set out and "some of the issues raised in the report".
Strategy and planning committee iwi liaison Otakou runanga upoko Edward Ellison said the report was "frank, clear and helpful" and of the calibre he expected given Prof Skelton’s experience and skill.
He was concerned the council’s leaders had not accepted it in its entirety.
"I think they should have accepted it in full and got on with it," he said.
Otago Fish & Game environmental officer Nigel Paragreen said deciding not to note a minimum flow was an example of councillors wasting a "leadership opportunity".
"If councillors could have given people a rough idea of how the river needs to be managed in future, we could start looking to solutions rather than constantly arguing about the problems."
Pomahaka Water Care Group project manager, and council candidate, Lloyd McCall, of Tapanui, said Prof Skelton’s report described a "shambolic performance" that showed councillors could not work as a team.
