Emotions boiled over during a discussion around Rugby Park at yesterday’s Invercargill City Council meeting, causing the meeting to be adjourned early. 

Councillors met for three hours as the council held back-to-back infrastructural services and performance, policy, and partnerships committee meetings. 

Discussions began civilly, during the infrastructural services committee meeting. Councillors discussed the Invercargill City Tree Plan and Cr Toni Biddle commended council staff on putting together such a thorough report and taking the time to properly consult with local iwi on the plans. 

However, it was not until discussions around Rugby Park began where things started to become very heated.

ICC building assets manager, Paul Horner, provided an oral progress report on the work being done at Rugby Park to get it strengthened and safe for use. 

This report was not a part of the agenda. 

"I don't even know why we're doing oral reports now anyway," Cr Biddle said later in the meeting. 

Mr Horner told councillors that toxic mould had been removed from the Rugby Southland Supporters’ Club lounge at Rugby Park and the all the mould from the Rugby Southland offices was expected to be removed by Friday this week.

He then said the Rugby Supporters Club wanted to move in for the rugby season – which begins in September – but noted there might be a misunderstanding about whether it was the council or the supporters’ club that was responsible for carrying out the fit-out work. 

Things started to go south quickly from here. 

"We understood that they (Rugby Supporters Club) had made an earlier offer to carry out the fit-out work so they could move into that lounge space but we're not sure that that's now the case,” Mr Horner said.

"So, it's unknown as to whether or when that fit-out work can take place." he said. 

"There was an indication that we, the city council was going to fit-out the lounge, not the supporters’ club."

Cr Nobby Clark said that had always been his understanding. 

Cr Clark expressed his concern that the ability for the Rugby Supporters’ Club to use the lounge for the opening of the rugby season may now be in jeopardy. 

Council chief executive Clare Hadley began to speak, causing Cr Clark to call a 'point of order' – saying elected members should be able to work through debates without "getting constant interjections from the CE".

Chairman of the Infrastructure and services committee meeting, Cr Ian Pottinger said; "I have no problem, as chair, in getting advice from the CE when necessary".

"The quicker the facts get out for me the quicker we stop talking."

"It seems to be pick on the CE day," he added.

Mrs Hadley then said the correct term that should be used regarding the work in the lounge was "made good" and not "fit-out".

Cr Lesley Soper agreed and said her understanding was that the supporters’ club had offered to "make good," the lounge and do the fit-out work on a volunteer basis. 

Cr Biddle highlighted that fact that the supporter’s club members could not go into the building anyway as it was not yet safe to do so. 

To which Mr Horner said by Friday, August 21 is when the mould testing is done. 

Cr Biddle then asked who would normally be liable to carry out fit-out work when it came to tenants in council-owned properties.

"Is it the landlord's responsibility to fit-out a property for a tenant to come into the building – yes or no?"

“I don’t believe the arrangement with the Rugby Southland Supporters’ Club is as clear as that,’’ Mrs Hadley said.

Cr Biddle then asked the question again, growing frustrated that the chief executive was not giving her a direct answer.

“I’m not trying to avoid the question, but the arrangement with Rugby Southland Supporters is not a lease agreement,’’ Mrs Hadley said.

Cr Pottinger then said the council had been told that the fit-out would be done by the Rugby Southland Supporters’ Club.

"That's not true chair," said Cr Biddle.

"They made a suggestion that they would go in and contribute to [it] so we've obviously misinterpreted that."

Cr Pottinger then said he was shutting down the Rugby Park discussion saying the meeting was going nowhere productive and there was insufficient information to conduct a proper debate.

Crs Clark, Peter Kett, and Biddle were not impressed by this.

"No one knows the rules,” Cr Pottinger said. 

“I know the rules Mr Chairman, and I want to speak," said Cr Kett

However, Cr Pottinger told Cr Kett he was the chair and was not going any further on the topic.

“You’ll read it in the paper if you don’t let us continue to speak Mr Chairman,’’ said Cr Kett.

Cr Clark yelled over the top of Cr Pottinger trying to close the discussion down, saying; "every time you into a point of issue, you just close down the meeting".

Cr Biddle wanted clarity around why the debate was shut down when councillors were just doing their job in asking questions. 

However, Cr Pottinger said he liked informed debate and was "absolutely appalled" by the manner at which the afternoon's debate was unfolding. 

At another point in the meeting, Cr Biddle also voiced her concerns as she had spotted the Mrs Hadley passing notes to the Cr Pottinger. She said this was not the first time that this has happened. 

“I see the CE writing you notes and passing them over, and it’s very distracting as an elected member, and it would be nice if we could have that communication, rather than have the CE write a note and pass it to the chair. I’m very uncomfortable with that, it has been raised before and I would like to raise it again,” she said. 

Cr Pottinger then said he did not have an issue with the note passing. 

To which Biddle responded that she did not care if he did not, saying it still was not appropriate behaviour.