Present council chairman Andrew Noone confirmed the department’s interest in the council in a statement to the media this afternoon after it was revealed in a media report yesterday.
Mr Noone said the department’s interest in the council never went beyond informal conversations.
The interest was particularly around leadership, governance and decision-making by councillors.
It came at a time when there was considerable division among councillors about how to meet the council’s responsibilities for managing freshwater, in particular, the recommendations of Environment Minister David Parker, Mr Noone said.
He was elected chairman of the council at an extraordinary council meeting in July after nine councillors signed a letter on June 15, requesting the meeting to vote on Cr Hobb's ousting.
Cr Hobbs said some councillors had been trying to ‘‘get rid of her’’ since New Zealand entered its Covid-19 lockdown on March 26 and seven councillors called for a re-evaluation of the council’s policy and finances.
The March 26 letter was signed by Mr Noone and Crs Michael Laws, Hilary Calvert, Carmen Hope, Gary Kelliher, Kevin Malcolm, and Kate Wilson.
It called for the withdrawal and suspension of plan changes in progress and a review of the council's regional policy statement.
Several days later Cr Hobbs wrote to Environment Minister David Parker about issues arising from the letter.
When her communication was discovered through an Official Information Act request it was revealed that she had asked that if she lost key votes on freshwater policy whether Mr Parker would consider putting in a commissioner.
In today’s statement Mr Noone said the council acknowledged it had been through a ‘‘tumultuous period’’, but now it was operating in a more unified manner.
He said he wrote to Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta to outline steps taken to improve governance and decision-making through professional development at the council as well as to bolster the minister’s confidence in the council.
The Department of Internal Affairs launched an investigation at the Invercargill City Council in August in response to concerns raised there about the performance of Mayor Tim Shadbolt and its councillors.
