Invercargill City Councillor Nobby Clark copped his fair share of criticism in the Richard Thomson report, but he says he’s taken it on the chin and is working to improve his relationships with his colleagues.

The report – released on Monday (November 23) – was written by independent evaluator Richard Thomson as an assessment of the standard of governance of the Invercargill City Council.

Mr Thomson, who is also a clinical psychologist and former Dunedin city councillor, describes Clark in his report as a “complex character who is seen by the majority of councillors as extremely polarising” – although his heart and motives are in the right place.

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He says there is a sense of ‘mission’ about Cr Clark that comes from the heart, but his colleagues find his manner and methods hugely “aggravating,” with many blaming Cr Clark as being a significant cause of the governance disharmony.

Following the report, Cr Clark said he had recognised the error of some of this methods, and was now doing his best to smooth things over with his colleagues – but, he said, his number one mission remained getting tangible outcomes for the ratepayer, and if that meant asking the tough questions and being seen as the bad guy, then so be it. 

“I will still be a strong advocate for outcomes, and I’ve told my colleagues that. I will be more diplomatic with them and try and work better as a team member, but that cannot be a cost of getting tangible outcomes for the ratepayers,” he said.

“I didn’t go back and challenge any of the [Richard Thomson report] but if some of my colleagues will say that I’ve been rude to start, [and] if asking questions and not being satisfied with the answer and then asking further questions is being rude, then I guess I’m rude.”

He said he would keep advocating for projects that he saw as major priorities, such as the re-opening of the Southland Museum and Art Gallery, remedial work to Anderson House, the Invercargill water tower and finishing work at Rugby Park.

“Any delay in [those projects] then I’ll be back to doing my advocacy role.”

“Those things have been sitting around for years…. we want to be a council that gets on [and] does that remedial work and gets a result, because the community has lost faith that we’ve got any ability to do that.”

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Despite seeing a significant improvement in his relationships with most of his colleagues already, he said some were still a little “uneasy” and may take a little longer to build their trust back. 

“It’s a little bit of a wait and see I guess,” he said.

“While the team’s not 100% yet, there are still a few things that are just a little bit uneasy… often actions speak louder than words and I think we’ll get there at the end of the day.”

Cr Clark said when the Richard Thomson report was released and discussed by councillors in private, he told his fellow councillors that, while he wouldn’t resign as deputy mayor, he would go without a fight if the councillors wanted him gone.

However, he said after some honest and frank discussions at the meeting, no one moved the motion to remove him as deputy.

“I put on the table an option for them which they didn’t take up.”

“I’d also arranged with the mayor that the councillors would have the job of appointing the next deputy mayor… as an act of good faith,” he said.

But this option wasn’t needed.  

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He said his relationships with his fellow councillors and colleagues was now on the mend.

“I think people are more open with each other, they’re more accepting that the way forward is not necessarily personality based or ego based. They way forward for us as a group of councillors is to make sure we get tangible outcomes for the city.”

He added that he’d also adopted a “no surprises” policy with his fellow councillors when it came to voicing his grievances with the media.

He said he would give them a ‘heads up’ first about an issue, before going to the media – which the Thomson report said often left other councilors feeling distrustful of Cr Clark.

Cr Clark said he had also made an effort to improve his relationship with the Chief Executive Clare Hadley by looking for opportunities to find common ground, listening – and not reacting – to better understand where the other was coming from, and trying to be transparent and open when communicating. 

He said the new relationship had already cost him a bottle of wine.

“I lost a wager with her and she beat me…. But we have got another one on which I should win,” he joked. 

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He added his close relationship with the mayor would help him serve as a link between the mayor and the other councillors, and would put him in a good position to support the mayor who had openly said he needs more support with his mayoral duties. 

The most significant problem highlighted in the Thomson report was the “leadership void” within the council, to which Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt was held largely responsible.

“Getting Sir Tim to the end of this term will be about teamwork,” said Cr Clark. 

“I do help him… probably more than in a traditional deputy mayor role, but that’s okay.”

“At the end of the day if we continue to internally fight, we’ll get nothing for the ratepayers,” he said.