Southland mayor Rob Scott has defended his council forking out more than $12,000 on a six-day Scandinavian trip, saying every second was worthwhile.
By Matthew Rosenberg of Local Democracy Reporting
But former Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark said he would be asking questions if he was a ratepayer in the district.
This week, the district council revealed it spent $12,840 for Scott to join an Infrastructure NZ delegation which visited Sweden and Norway from May 4 to May 9.
The trip was discussed in advance behind closed doors and came at a time when the Ombudsman has told the council to do a better job of recording elected member spending.
"I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t happy with it. I see it as an investment, and I wouldn’t have done the trip if I didn’t see it that way," Scott said of the amount spent.
Scott believed about $8000 went towards the delegation — which included accommodation — with the rest covering flights.
There was no particular reason why the decision to attend was made in private, he said, and the trip was made with the full support of councillors.
"I stewed over this for a long time, in terms of whether I should go or not. The discussion with the councillors was very valuable.
"I always go on my gut feeling. I know that ratepayer money... needs to be invested wisely and every dollar matters. So this trip really needed to matter, and it has."
Scott said he did the trip as affordably as possible and paid for things himself along the way.
Ratepayer group advocate Clark expressed disapproval, questioning why the trip needed to be undertaken when technology was available.
Clark said the Ombudsman and Auditor General had given instruction for transparency at meetings, so making decisions in non-recorded or non-public meetings was unacceptable.
"To make a decision like that, knowing there would be some sort of political scrutiny of it thereafter, doesn't sit well with me," Clark said.
On Wednesday, mayor Scott joined a district council meeting via video feed and has since revealed he was still abroad, having stopped in New York for "a couple of extra days" at his own expense.
He was due to fly back to New Zealand on Friday.
Scott confirmed he was the only mayor on the trip and said his key takeaway was that local government was funded properly in Sweden and Norway which made it easier for them to "get stuff done".
In response to questions, the council said Scott was invited to attend the trip in December 2025 and no other elected members or staff had joined.
"Mayor Rob discussed the trip with councillors (not through a formal report) earlier this year before responding to the invitation, and was given endorsement by all, for the trip," a spokesperson said.
The council had not adjusted its travel policy in response to the current fuel situation, and the trip was booked well before the war in Iran began, they said.
Earlier this month, Chief Ombudsman John Allen recommended the district council change how it recorded elected member spending after it refused a request from Local Democracy Reporting in 2025.
– Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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