During an Invercargill City Council meeting yesterday, Evelyn Cook said she would be happy to pay her own way to the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) conference in Christchurch, though Mayor Nobby Clark said it was for elected members only.
The conference in July will be attended by Crs Ian Pottinger, Ria Bond and Grant Dermody, as well as chief executive Michael Day.
Mr Clark said it was a conscious decision to send the four attendees who would not be attending the council trip to Invercargill’s Japanese sister-city Kumagaya, but they would normally send a larger group.
Mrs Cook said she had raised the issue in the past about attending the conference, but had received no information.
Council governance and legal manager Michael Morris said the information would be provided in the future, as it was still being worked on.
Mrs Cook said the two representatives missed out last year.
"I think it’s quite disappointing that this council has made the initiative to have representation, but we’re not getting linked into LGNZ."
Mr Clark said he would be happy to discuss the issue in a council-only meeting, but he would declare his own preference.
"I think attendance at the local government conference is for elected members, and elected members only.
"I am open to a group decision on that, which we can do at a later stage."
Mrs Cook and fellow mana whenua representative Pania Coote will also not be attending the sister-city trip to Kumagaya.
