Councillors variously claim she is leading the council as an extension of central Government and due process is not being followed in the haste to implement environmental plans.
A letter signed by nine of the 12 councillors has resulted in a special meeting on July 8 to discuss her removal.
Cr Andrew Noone says Hobbs angered councillors on March 29 when she wrote to Environment Minister David Parker asking him to appoint a commissioner to run the council if she lost crucial votes on water management plans and the regional policy statement.
The correspondence was discovered only through an Official Information Act request.
Hobbs was Environment Minister in Helen Clark’s Government and first term councillor Noone says there is a view that she is too close to the Government.
“The fundamental difference is that Marian Hobbs’ view is that we are more directly connected to central government than simply a local government organisation.
“That is contrary to the view of the majority of councillors.”
On March 26 seven councillors wrote to her seeking a review of the council’s policy and finances, water plan changes and its regional policy statement.
Cr Kevin Malcolm signed the letter because of the uncertainty caused by covid-19.
Hobbs responded by accusing the group of being hijacked by farming and irrigation interests and of wanting to delay addressing environmental issues, an accusation Malcom rejects.
“The letter had nothing to do with me wanting to stop the process. The letter was about covid-19.
“There is no pressure being put on me by irrigators, no pressure being put on me by farmers.”
Malcolm, who represents the Moeraki ward, says he feels Hobbs is rushing the implementation of plans at the expense of consultation and constituent buy-in.
It was only after pressure from councillors that the public was consulted on Plan Change Seven – held on January 7.
The final version of the document, which sets a six-year deadline for water consents, was given to councillors only days before the vote.
“A six-year consent timeframe will not encourage environmental improvement. It is not enough time for communities or their backers to invest.”
Hobbs used her casting vote to adopt the plan when the council vote was evenly split.
Malcolm says consensus is needed.
“It is a critical time in the environmental programme of Otago so why would a good chairman not sit us all down in a room and thrash it out.”
It is a similar story for Plan Change 8, which deals with water discharge.
“Every time we tried to go through the consultation process we were told we did not have time.
“My answer to that is simple. Do you want to take the time or have constituents end up in court?”
Hobbs has accused Federated Farmers of fuelling dissent and of wanting to stymie water quality policy, an accusation she expressed to Parker in correspondence seen by the federation’s Otago president Simon Davies. Federated Farmers is accused of being disruptive and dominating meetings to try to stop water planning and policy, an accusation Davies rejects.
He says councillors have sought Federated Farmers’ opinion on proposed water plans fearing the sector has not been adequately consulted.
The day before the country went into level four lockdown the council held a roadshow in Balclutha to discuss its regional plan. It four Federated Farmers representatives, three councillors, five council staff and five other people.
“I told Marian Hobbs that this was a shambles, that you can’t consider this public consultation.
“I am keen to see all stakeholders in Otago get involved in an inclusive, robust programme to advance water policy, planning and management in timely manner.”
In her report to this week’s council meeting Hobbs set out her position and her refusal to resign ahead of the vote.
“If I had gone quietly the many citizens hoping for environmental improvements in Otago would have been told in whispers that I was too old, too stressed.
“I prefer that people understand that this is yet another attempt by Otago to ignore national policy statements and reviews of its poor planning.”
