Big Read: From a Thailand break to whiteboard full of tasks
“My better half said to be several times, if you want to retire, just retire."
Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark has returned to a whiteboard full of tasks and findings of a second Code of Conduct following a month’s leave. Logan Savory visited Clark in his mayoral office to talk through his break and the next 15 months.
Bangkok, Thailand is as far removed from the sometimes rough and tumble of Invercargill City Council politics as you might get.
For Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark, two weeks in Bangkok was the tonic he needed as he eyes a big 15 months ahead.
In December Clark suffered what was said to be a minor attack. But it required a major remedy in terms of a by-pass operation.
The council granted Clark three months leave, although after two months he felt ready to return to lead the council and city.
Clark now concedes he got that wrong. He should have seen out the full three months away from council.
Last month, in some way, it all came to a head.
Clark found himself embroiled in the public fallout from a Code of Conduct complaint triggered by a letter from the United Fire Fighters Association. That letter followed a speech Clark made in March.
A couple of days after his own council recommended Clark hand over his public speaking engagements for the remainder of the term, Clark decided to take that additional month’s leave he had earlier turned down.
It followed a meeting with a couple of council colleagues who he trusts - including Deputy Mayor Tom Campbell. They agreed the break might help the “dust settle” following that angst from the United Fire Fighters Association complaint.
For Clark it also provided some time to tend to himself personally.
He had lost a lot of weight following his heart attack and his blood pressure had climbed. Two weeks in Bangkok with partner Karen Carter helped that.
“I didn’t meet anyone that new me, it was bloody great,” Clark joked.
“I put on a whole lot more weight and got up every day when I felt like getting up… I had two and half weeks of not doing a lot, and it was nice and relaxing.”
For most 70-plus-year-olds retirement might all of a sudden sound pretty appealing as Clark distanced himself from Invercargill City Council happenings in a different country.
Particular with another Code of Conduct compliant - lodged by Cr Ian Pottinger and Ria Bond over his television interview with comedian Guy Williams - to play out publicly this Friday.
Does he really want to go through all that again?
Although when asked if the thought of retirement entered his thoughts during his break, Clark was direct in his response.
“No,” he told The Tribune.
“My better half said to me several times, if you want to retire, just retire.
“The by-election would be $100,000, but that’s not the issue. I get a lot of public support all of the time with people coming up to me saying; ‘you are doing a good job, and this is all out of proportion’.
“And it is [out of proportion], but still I’ve got to be accountable, I don’t blame anyone else. I have to live with it.
“[The complaints are] a distraction, and with the health issues I’ve had it’s probably a distraction I don’t need at the moment. My blood pressure is still too high, but so be it.
“I’ll work my way through it. I am a person that is committed to things and one of the things people like about me is I get stuff done. So, I will hang in for the next 15 months. I won’t just sit here and draw a salary and do nothing.”
The list of things Clark wants to get done during the next 15 months is lengthy. In fact it takes up the entire whiteboard in his mayoral office.
The big build…
The most significant capital project for Clark, and the council as a whole, to sort during the rest of the current term is the new museum.
Clark campaigned on a quest to get the new museum built as quickly as possible. The target is to have the actual building built by December 2025.
It will likely be late 2026 when the museum is open to the public following the interior fit out.
An issue for the council to work through is funding. The council had budgeted bringing in $17 million of external funding to help with the overall cost.
Clark concedes that might be challenging.
“In today’s market it is fair to say that it is going to be a pretty hard ask to get all the funding we need for the museum, given a lot of people that traditional support us probably don’t have as a much funding available as they normally would, and that includes Central Government.”
Clark remained firm in his belief that the museum is a “no-brainer” and will be done as is planned.
He was confident the internal experience inside the museum would be the best in the country.
“I’m absolutely committed to that, and my colleagues are too, to do whatever it takes to make it happen.”
“It’s a one in a lifetime project.”
Land sale…
Rather than lumping a potential shortfall in external funding for the museum back on ratepayers through increased rates, Clark said there was another option - finding other revenue.
The council has identified 16 parcels of land it could sell, including the farmland at Donovan Park.
At the moment there are sheep grazing on the land and it is also used for the one-day Southland A&P Show each year, as well as equestrian events.
Clark flet there were two plus sides to selling surplus land, one that it will free up land for more housing.
“I’ve had about 15 developers in to see me. They want to build now that Tiwai got a future. They are keen and we need more housing, the right sort of housing,” Clark said.
“The second part of the land sale is the revenue we get from it which allows us to do the next biggest project which is to finalise the museum.”
Clark acknowledged selling council land was easier said than done with half of the 16 parcels of land identified having reserve status.
It takes ministerial approval to change that status.
“We are about a year and half into that process, and it would probably be another year at least to get into the market.”
Supporting Grace St Project…
Mayor Clark would personally like the council to find the money to further support South Invercargill’s Grace Street Project.
The Grace Street Project is a community-led initiative aimed at addressing some of the key challenges faced by South Invercargill. With some of the highest deprivation communities and rates of youth exclusion and disadvantage in New Zealand, and a shortage of workers, the project aims to provide a multi-purpose community building to help bridge the gap.
The plan is to transform the run-down former Grace Street Chapel building into the new community space with a price tag of about $4.2m. Over of half of that has already been raised.
Funding hasn’t been allocated to the project as part of the Invercargill council’s long-term plan, but Clark said it remained a possibility.
“Every year you do a annual plan that sits within the long-term plan. So, if we all of sudden found some extra revenue we could use then you start to think where to we use it. Could you tick of the Saving Grace [Project]? Could you tick off Rugby Park.
“[The Grace St Project] needs about $2m. Rugby Park needs four or five [million].”
The above is simply scratching the surface in terms of the lengthy list of items on the whiteboard in his mayoral office.
Another item is sorting where to for the future of the council’s HQ and whether the Southland District Council and Environment Southland might like to partner in an office space elsewhere.
Clark said there could be benefits to all parties, such as a shared reception and IT services.
He expects to hear back from SDC and Environment Southland next month on the matter.
Clark campaigned on a city “Southern Lights Walking Trial”, which effectively would be an inner city route lit up with ever changing lighting. Similar to what has previously been in place at Queens Park for Matariki.
That hasn’t made it into the long-term plan, but Clark hasn’t given up hope. He doesn’t believe it would cost a lot but would be effective. He added there was also interest from the private sector in helping with some art work/sculptures for the trail.
Wachner Place redevelopment development is another matter to sort although hotelier Geoff Thomson has taken a lead on that both in terms of picking up a good chuck of the bill and leading the project.
Other items on the list included finding a way forward for the fire-damaged building on Dee St, looking at art gallery options, a Stead St Warf development, housing for homeless, and toilet for Russell Square in south city.
First though, Clark has the small matter of an extraordinary meeting on Friday where a report will be put to his council colleagues stating the Mayor breached the council’s Code of Conduct through his interview with comedian Guy Williams.