Invercargill mayor Tom Campbell is calling for change to his council’s code of conduct policy following an investigation into his deputy using foul language which stung the organisation $33,000.
By Matthew Rosenberg of Local Democracy Reporting
On Tuesday, councillors rejected the findings of Anderson Lloyd lawyer Michael Garbett who concluded deputy mayor Grant Dermody had said “you f…ing d..k” or “you’re a d…head” to a council staffer.
Mayor Tom Campbell said at Tuesday’s meeting that new information had come to the table because there were councillors who heard what Dermody explicitly said but were not interviewed by Garbett.
The mayor has since taken to social media to say the “ridiculous” cost of the investigation should have been avoided.
“So, I have asked council officers to propose a modified code which would provide an off-ramp where complaints are frivolous or have already been resolved as in this case without the need to go to an external lawyer,” Campbell wrote.
The incident relates to a February event at Invercargill’s Rugby Park where it was alleged Dermody used inappropriate language towards a staff member.
Evidence in Garbett’s report showed a variety of alleged slurs, including “f…ing d..k”, “bull…t” and “d..khead”.'
Dermody maintained he said “that’s ridiculous” in an aggressive manner to someone at another table, and was backed by councillors Lisa Tou-McNaughton, Steve Broad, Trish Boyle and Andre de Vries on Tuesday who all said they heard those same words.
Some councillors highlighted inconsistencies with the different accounts of what Dermody allegedly said.
Local Democracy Reporting asked lawyer Michael Garbett what framework was used for deciding both who would be interviewed and whose evidence would be included in the report.
Garbett was also asked how the conclusion on the slur was reached given the difference in versions.
He said he could not comment on the investigation.
“As a lawyer I am only authorised to carry out my instructions to investigate and report to the Chief Executive and I am not authorised by our client to comment publicly on the work done.”
Garbett’s six-page report included evidence from councillors Dermody, Darren Ludlow, Ria Bond, and the staff member.
The staff member also included an alleged comment from councillor Alex Crackett in their account.
Invercargill City Council has now spent more than $125,000 on code of conduct complaints since 2020, with the most recent against Dermody totaling $33,000 with a bill to come.
In 2024, former mayor Nobby Clark was the subject of two complaints — an appearance on a television show where he repeated the ‘n-word’ and cost the council $20,146, and a firefighters' event where he upset attendees with his behaviour and cost the council $43,330.
– Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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