Two Northland Regional (NRC) councillors have given their apologies for not attending a meeting:
From Tui Shortland (Maori ward
councillor and Deputy Chair), 25 January 2025:
"My apologies for the
meeting. I am currently at the International Indigenous Women’s Symposium on
Environmental Violence in Guatemala. Noho ora mai, Tui Shortland.”
From Peter-Lucas Jones (Maori ward councillor), 26 January 2025:
“Kia ora tatou. Please accept
my apologies for missing this meeting. I am currently in Davos, Switzerland,
where I had the honour of being an invited speaker in a number of sessions at
the World Economic Forum. Next, I will be heading to the United Nations Office
in Geneva to attend the Global Dialogue on AI for Developing Nations. The
discussions around advancing AI sit at the heart of critical global economic,
technological, and environmental conversations. Ngā manaakitanga, nā
Peter-Lucas Jones.”
Letterbox asked the NRC the following questions:
I make the following requests under section 10 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
Cr Tui Shortland recently attended an International Indigenous Women’s Symposium on Environmental Violence in Guatemala. Please advise if the Northland Regional Council incurred any cost, either directly or indirectly, as a result of Cr Shortland attending that symposium, and if so, please state how much and the expense details.
Cr Jones recently attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and Global Dialogue on AI for Developing Nations in Geneva. Please advise if the Northland Regional Council incurred any cost, either directly or indirectly, as a result of Cr Jones attending these meetings, and if so, please state how much and the expense details.
The NRC has replied (4/2/25) as follows:
The Council does not hold any information relevant to either of your requests.
Ngā mihi
Bruce Howse
Pou Taumatua – Group Manager Corporate Services
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Northland Regional Council » Te Kaunihera ā rohe o Te Taitokerau
From this reply we can say ratepayers did not incur any cost as a result of the councillors attending the events.