West Coast Regional Council: chairperson to be removed
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council is taking formal steps to remove Allan Birchfield as chairperson.
In a public notice to be published on Wednesday, the chief executive has called an extraordinary meeting for March 28 "to make decisions on the removal" of Birchfield from the chair.
Unlike the mayoralties, the regional council chair's role is internally elected from within the seven-member council.
It's understood a letter requesting the meeting was signed by all six other councillors and was lodged with the chief executive in the first week of March.
Birchfield was caught out by the news.
"I wasn't made aware. Someone probably should have told me that that's what they were going to do... we'll see how it unfolds," he said on Tuesday.
However, he noted there would have to be four signatures for the process to remove him as chairman.
"They will have to go through the formal process."
Birchfield indicated he at this stage had no intention of resigning: "If they want me to go they will have to follow the proper process".
He preferred not to comment on whether he was disappointed.
"I'd be interested to know who the signatures are," he said.
Acting chairperson Peter Haddock declined to comment on whether intended to stand for the role full-time.
However, as the meeting opened he did lodge an apology for Birchfield's ongoing absence.
Mabin said she received a formal request to start the process on March 2.
"I got a formal request so I'm now going through the process... I now have to action it within 14 days. There is a formal motion."
If that was ratified on March 28 then council would make a formal decision on the election of a new chairman, including a protocol for that, before an internal election, Mabin said.
This comes after Birchfield went on leave in December for three months, which both he and Haddock maintained was due to his health.
However, his leave of absence immediately followed a tumultuous period at the council with the relationship between council's business unit VCS and Birchfield's Minerals Ltd again under scrutiny in relation to the sale and consenting of the mothballed Grey Valley gold dredge.
At the same time -- on the day the new council was sworn in after the October local body elections and Birchfield was re-elected as chairman -- Mabin indicated her intention to resign.
His two main opponents from the previous triennium, previous Westland councillors Stuart Challenger and Debra Magner, both lost their seats at the election and the new council -- on paper -- appeared to consolidate Birchfield's strength after a previous effort to roll him was thwarted last year.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
-
4.7% Second half of November
-
43.6% 1st December
-
17.4% A week before Christmas
-
33.2% Whenever you wish
-
1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.