Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark threatens to snub media outlets

Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark says he will no longer “contribute” to some media outlets on the back of stories about his costly behaviour.

On Friday, Local Democracy Reporting released figures on the cost of code of conduct complaints at Invercargill City Council for the past five years.

It showed that of the five complaints recorded for that time, the three most-expensive belonged to Clark, with two of those coming in 2024.

Clark said the story left him “no option” regarding his contributions to the Otago Daily Times, Southland Express and Stuff.

“The lesson for me is that there are some media that care way more about some of the positive and good things I'm delivering in our city,” he wrote in an email.

“There are some very serious issues within council over the next month but I am no longer prepared to contribute to your news outlet.”

Clark was contacted by Local Democracy Reporting for further comment but did not respond. His email did not provide further details on what he meant by contribution.

He said the code of conduct matters were a regurgitation, while outlining what he had “saved and delivered” for Invercargill.

That included taking an older car from the council fleet over a $56,000 option, keeping accommodation low-cost when travelling, a single-digit rate increase, and a “futuristic” museum.

Code of conduct breaches related to Clark’s behaviour have cost the council more than $79,000 since 2020.

This year alone he was found to be in breach of the code twice.

On March 16, Clark attended a United Fire Brigades’ Association (UFBA) event which resulted in a complaint being lodged against him for his behaviour.

He was alleged to have verbally attacked the female MC and called volunteer firefighters second-class citizens.

The following week, Clark appeared on television show New Zealand Today where he drew criticism for his use of a homophobic slur and the ‘n-word’.

Clark's earlier breach relates to a 2020 incident where he questioned the truthfulness of remarks by former council chief executive Clare Hadley.

He has publicly apologised for all three breaches.

The council’s code of conduct was last updated in 2022 and covers a range of topics, from relationships to media protocols.

Deputy mayor Tom Campbell did not wish to comment without further information and Invercargill City Council did not respond by deadline.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

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