Ruapehu District Council is calling out the aggression directed at workers from its Community and Recreational Facilities contractor Green by Nature, seemingly sparked by misinformed views about the recent budget overspend, as completely unacceptable.
Executive Manager Infrastructure Vini Dutra said several Green by Nature staff have faced verbal abuse while carrying out routine maintenance.
“The abuse has been serious enough to be reported to Police and it must stop immediately,” he said.
Mr Dutra emphasised that contractors had no role in Council’s spending decisions.
“Much of the unbudgeted work was undertaken by other suppliers, not Green by Nature.
Targeting these crews is unfair and misguided.”
He added that the ignorance and misunderstanding behind these attacks is especially frustrating given Council’s successful recovery from the overspend - without adding any debt burden to ratepayers - has been widely publicised.
“Even the Taxpayers’ Union, normally a strong critic of local government, has applauded Council’s response.”
Council’s resolution of the overspend without new borrowing, and all supporting information is available to the public.
“Anyone wanting the full story can read the detailed reports, view Risk & Assurance Committee meeting videos, and see Council’s media releases on our website,” Mr Dutra said.
The next phase of Council’s investigation involves examining staff and supplier decisions and will be overseen by an independent specialist appointed jointly by the Mayor and the Chair of the Risk & Assurance Committee to maintain transparency and community confidence.
“Our staff and contractors are also local residents and ratepayers,” Mr Dutra added.
“They work hard for this community and deserve respect, not abuse.”
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