Latest news with #Horrell
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Chair Refuses To Apologise, Rejects Use Of ‘Kia Ora' In Council Email
A chair of a southern council group is unrepentant about his behaviour at a recent meeting, which was dubbed "disrespectful" by a council leader. Mataura catchment liaison committee chair Hugh Gardyne has also rejected the use of 'kia ora' in an email reprimanding him for his actions. The committee Gardyne oversees is one of eight in the region that supports Environment Southland with local river work. In May, Gardyne gave a blunt presentation to councillors, alleging catchment management was in "a state of paralysis" under the watch of the council chief executive and that communication was ineffective with the general manager in charge. He was shut down at the end of his talk, when he mentioned an abatement notice later revealed to be one issued by Environment Southland against itself. A letter from Environment Southland chair Nicol Horrell on 28 May warned Gardyne of his behaviour, saying parts of his presentation were factually incorrect and disrespectful. "My intention is both to correct your understanding of the facts, and to inform you that councillors will not tolerate any criticism levelled at staff in public meetings or disrespectful behaviour," Horrell wrote. He added it was incorrect to suggest catchment work was in a state of paralysis and accused Gardyne of not having all the facts. "I would be interested to know from where you are getting your information." The letter ended with a suggestion that Gardyne apologise to the chief executive and manager in question, but Gardyne has defended his actions, saying his criticism was about questioning professional ability. "It doesn't, in my opinion, deserve a response or an apology." Gardyne said he would speak at council again in the future and the response from the general manager had been "great", following the presentation. Separately, he also took exception with the use of 'kia ora' in the email sent by Horrell, which delivered the reprimanding letter. Gardyne requested he instead be addressed with 'hello' or 'dear'. Horrell told Local Democracy Reporting using the te reo Māori greeting was commonplace and he didn't think its use would be Gardyne's biggest issue. "I would have thought that that's almost a wee bit racist." In a letter back to Horrell, Gardyne doubled down on perceived issues with river management and questioned whether the chair's concerns were shared by other members. Environment Southland oversees eight catchment liaison committees, which help the council develop annual maintenance programmes and budgets, as well as provide a local point of contact. Gardyne has been involved with the Mataura group since the early 1990s. Last month, the council said it was working to improve communication with its catchment committees.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Catchment chair refuses to apologise; rejects use of ‘kia ora'
Hugh Gardyne is the chair of the Mataura Catchment Liaison Committee, which helps Environment Southland with river management. Photo: Supplied A chair of a Southern council group is unrepentant about his behaviour at a recent meeting which was dubbed "disrespectful" by the council boss. Mataura Catchment Liaison Committee chair Hugh Gardyne has also rejected the use of "kia ora" in an email which reprimanded him for his actions. The committee Gardyne oversees is one of eight in the region which supports Environment Southland with local river work. In May, Gardyne gave a blunt presentation to councillors alleging catchment management was in "a state of paralysis" under the watch of the council chief executive, and that communication was ineffective with the general manager in charge. He was shut down at the end of his talk when he mentioned an abatement notice — later revealed to be one issued by Environment Southland against itself. A letter from council chair Nicol Horrell on 28 May warned Gardyne of his behaviour, saying parts of his presentation were factually incorrect and disrespectful. "My intention is both to correct your understanding of the facts, and to inform you that councillors will not tolerate any criticism levelled at staff in public meetings, or disrespectful behaviour," Horrell wrote. Horrell added that it was incorrect to suggest catchment work was in a state of paralysis and accused Gardyne of not having all the facts. "I would be interested to know from where you are getting your information." The letter ended with a suggestion that Gardyne apologise to the chief executive and manager in question. But Gardyne has defended his actions, saying his criticism was about questioning professional ability. "It doesn't, in my opinion, deserve a response or an apology." Gardyne said he would speak at council again in the future and the response from the general manager had been "great" following the presentation. Separately, he also took exception with the use of "kia ora" in the email sent by Horrell which delivered the reprimanding letter. Gardyne requested he instead be addressed with "hello" or "dear". Horrell told Local Democracy Reporting it was common practice to use the te reo Māori greeting and didn't think its use would have been Gardyne's biggest issue. "I would have thought that that's almost a wee bit racist." In a letter back to Horrell, Gardyne doubled down on perceived issues with river management and questioned whether the chair's concerns were shared by other members. Environment Southland oversees eight catchment liaison committees which help the council develop annual maintenance programs and budgets, as well as provide a local point of contact. Gardyne has been involved with the Mataura group since the early 1990s. The council said last month it was working to improve communication with its catchment committees. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
Otago Daily Times
23-04-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Documentary recalls service in East Timor
With his documentary airing on Anzac Day, a Gore man wants to remind people of the experience, service and sacrifice of the contemporary veteran. Twenty-five years ago, Aaron Horrell took a video camera to his first deployment to East Timor because he said he knew they were going to be a part of history. Last year, Mr Horrell commemorated that history by taking 15 veterans back to the place of the conflict and filming their emotional return for his documentary, Back to Timor . In its largest deployment since Korea, New Zealand was part of the multi-national force sent to East Timor in 1999 after its people voted for independence from Indonesia. After the referendum, devastation and violence erupted as pro-Indonesian militia tore through the island, systematically razing its towns to the ground. Gore RSA president Bradley Bridgman said when he arrived in Timor-Leste in 1999, there was nothing but "scorched earth". Mr Bridgman said the Timorese had fled their country when he first got there and his battalion worked to repatriate them back to their home. He said by the time he left and Mr Horrell's battalion arrived, people were starting to get back to their normal lives but it was still a "hostile" environment. It was in this environment in July 2000 where Private Leonard Manning was shot during an ambush by the militia, becoming the first New Zealand soldier killed in action since Vietnam. A total of five New Zealand soldiers were killed during the deployment. Mr Horrell said the Gore RSA helped to fund the three veterans' return to East Timor, while some of the others used their $1500 "travel warrants" which they are given to go back to a place where they served. He said Community South Trust funded the rest. "Probably 70% or 65% of funding came from Southland." The veteran said the documentary highlighted the emotional and positive experiences his crew had in returning to the war-torn country they had served in. He said it was touching for them to see how things had changed, that the country had healed, with the jungle regrown, but also how evidence of their presence remained. This evidence ranged from physical details like a drawing he had left carved on a door of the old barracks to the locals saying "kia ora bro" and remembering their service. Mr Horrell said he wanted his documentary to connect with veterans who did not get the chance to go, so they could experience the healing and appreciation, too. He also said he wanted to use the documentary as a tool to remind the government of the sacrifices contemporary veterans made, not just those who fought in the world wars. He wanted the documentary to remind people that we need to be doing more for these veterans, who often come back isolated by the things they have experienced. "You created these veterans by sending them overseas, but you need to look after them a bit better once they come back," he said. Mr Bridgman said his RSA invested in the documentary as he similarly wanted to draw attention to the plight of the returned servicemen, and to remind them of the services, support and community the association could provide. • Back to Timor airs tomorrow at 5pm on TV3 and at the same time on RNZ's video platform.
Otago Daily Times
23-04-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Video highlights veterans' sacrifices
Aaron Horrell holds a photo of his patrol in East Timor, deployed in 2000. Photos: supplied With his documentary airing on Anzac day, a Gore man wants to remind people of the experience, service and sacrifice of the contemporary veteran. Twenty-five years ago, Aaron Horrell brought a video camera to his first deployment to East Timor because he said he knew they were going to be a part of history. Last year, Mr Horrell commemorated that history by taking 15 veterans back to the place of the conflict and filming their emotional return for his documentary, Back to Timor. In its largest deployment since Korea, New Zealand was part of the multi-national force sent to East Timor in 1999 after its people voted for independence from Indonesia. After the referendum, devastation and violence erupted as pro-Indonesian militia tore through the island, systematically razing its towns to the ground. When Gore RSA president Bradley Bridgman arrived in Timor-Leste in 1999 he said there was nothing but "scorched earth". Mr Bridgman said the Timorese had fled their country when he first got there and his battalion worked to repatriate them back to their home. Two unknown soldiers stand in front of the carved graffiti left by Aaron Horrell in East Timor in the early 2000s. He said by the time he left and Mr Horrell's battalion arrived, people were starting to get back to their normal lives but it was still a "hostile" environment. It was in this environment in July 2000 where Private Leonard Manning was shot during an ambush by the militia, becoming the first New Zealand soldier killed in action since Vietnam. A total of five New Zealand soldiers were killed during the deployment. Mr Horrell said the Gore RSA helped to fund the three veterans' return to East Timor, while some of the others used their $1500 "travel warrants" which they are given to go back to a place where they served. He said Community South Trust funded the rest. "Probably 70% or 65% of funding came from Southland," he said. The veteran said the documentary highlights the emotional and positive experiences his crew had in returning to the war-torn country they had served in. He said it was touching for them to see how things had changed, that the country had healed, with the jungle regrown, but also how evidence of their presence remained. Aaron Horrell stands in front of his old carved message in East Timor last year. This evidence ranged from physical details like a drawing he had left carved on a door of the old barracks to the locals saying "kia ora bro" and remembering their service. Mr Horrell said he wanted his documentary to connect with veterans who did not get the chance to go, so they could experience the healing and appreciation too. He also said he wanted to use the documentary as a tool to remind the government of the sacrifices contemporary veterans made, not just those who fought in World Wars 1 and 2. He wanted the documentary to remind people that we need to be doing more for these veterans, who often come back isolated by the things they have experienced. "You created these veterans by sending them overseas, but you need to look after them a bit better once they come back," he said. Mr Bridgman said his RSA invested in the documentary as he similarly wanted to draw attention to the plight of the returned servicemen, and to remind them of the services, support and community the association can provide. Back to Timor airs on Anzac Day at 5pm on TV3 and at the same time on RNZ's video platform.
