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Do you know the real you? Page 13
A NAME YOU CAN TRUST! Thursday, November 10, 2016
Vol 45, No 44
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Eric Koh is on fire selling East Auckland.
What happened on Browns Island?
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FIRE MYSTERY: Fire crews battled the blaze on Browns Island through the night on Thursday and into Friday; inset, Police are appealing for sightings of this dinghy, which was seen floating between Browns Island and Musick Point on Monday, October 31 and which could be connected to the stranded woman found on the island. Photos supplied / Waitakere Volunteer Fire Brigade & New Zealand Police
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Oath, I’m outta here By NICK KRAUSE
S
peculation is mounting that Botany MP Jami-Lee Ross could come under pressure – possibly from his own National Party – to reflect on his alleged behaviour involving the selection of a new Howick Local Board chairman. Two of the board’s members stood and declared at their inauguration ceremony last Thursday that they had been bullied and approached to vote for Ross’s wife Lucy Schwaner as chairman of the newly-elected board. Within minutes of the board members making their oaths, Ms Schwaner walked out after failing to win the vote to become the new chair. Shortly after, her resignation was sent to media (see editorial, page 2), citing no confidence in David Collings, who was voted back in as chairman. Ms Schwaner yesterday sent an open letter to the Howick community via her husband’s email
newsletter and asks to be excused for her incursion. “In the next couple of days there will be some news stories in the print editions of the Eastern Courier and Times Newspaper (sic) regarding the Howick Local Board that involve me, but also mention my husband, Jami-Lee,” she wrote. “I wanted to give you an opportunity to hear my side of the story in an unedited fashion. Matters are never as simple as a newspaper editor portrays them to be.” She talks of “deep problems” within the board that, “until last week, were kept below the surface”. “To essentially walk away from nine years in local government and the opportunity to follow through on so many amazing projects I was a part of, was a massive choice I felt I had to make,” she said. “Since then I have faced some abuse and accusations of “throwing my toys” because I didn’t get
my way. That is far from the truth and those who know me know I don’t make reckless decisions, or put myself in a difficult position for no good reason. “It was a decision that evolved as it became clear that the proposal to change the leadership of the board was divisive and, at times, unpleasant.” Ms Schwaner even referred the Times online headline from an editorial last Friday. “The current situation on the board was well-described when a local journalist commented that ‘something is rotten in the ward of Howick’. “It is because of the unprofessional and seemingly poisonous environment that has developed within the Howick Local Board, as well as the groundswell of negative feedback from business and community organisations, that I sought to make much needed change.” [The full transcript of Ms Schwaner’s email can be read on www.times.co.nz]
Meanwhile the new chair Mr Collings spoke out against the reported intimidation, saying he’d not seen anything like it in his 18 years in Local Government. “It has no place in local government,” he told the Times. “This isn’t the end of it. I understand it has been raised at a higher level.” Mr Collings refused to elaborate on the meaning of that. “If the environment is toxic and if I’m that bad ... four other people (who voted for him) didn’t think I was that bad including Bob (Wichman) and Jim (Donald) who used to be on the Manukau City Council. If it was toxic, she shouldn’t have resigned – she should have stayed on and challenged me.” Her departure will force a byelection next year, the cost of which cannot be confirmed yet. Meanwhile, Katrina Bungard – who spoke up against bullying – was elected vice-chair shortly after the walk-out, taking the vote ahead of former deputy Adele ➤ Turn to Page 6 White.
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