The Greymouth gold miner was deposed as council chairman in April last year, after allegedly leaking confidential employment information to news media after a standoff with then chief executive, Heather Mabin.
He was replaced as council chairman by his deputy, Peter Haddock, and formally censured by the council.
He objected strongly.
"Three thousand people voted for me, I’m an elected member and you’ve excluded me from most committees."
Cr Brett Cummings said he was unhappy the council’s two iwi representatives would be on the committee, possibly with voting rights, while an elected councillor was excluded.
Cr Haddock reminded him Cr Birchfield had been formally censured, limiting his right to attend some meetings.
Cr Birchfield is still on the council’s resource management committee but is banished from the confidential public-excluded part of meetings.
Some previous attempts to eject him from meetings have been unsuccessful.
But under the new structure he is not a member of the following committees: operations; risks and assurance; corporate services; and remuneration and employment.
If he wanted that revoked he or any other councillor could ask the council to reconsider, Cr Haddock said.
Cr Birchfield earlier told LDR he was not worried about being excluded from most of the committees, but was determined to challenge his banishment from the operations group.
"That committee makes all the decisions about our floodbanks and infrastructure and deals with our special rating district groups — I go to all those meetings."
As one of three Greymouth councillors representing the regional council on the Grey special rating district joint committee, Cr Birchfield said he would fight his ejection.
The council approved the new committees and meetings arrangement.
• LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
By Lois Williams
