D-day for West Coast Regional Council chairman Allan Birchfield
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Tomorrow is D-day for West Coast Regional Council chairperson Allan Birchfield as all six of his fellow councillors move to sack him from the role.
An under siege Birchfield has been on leave from the council in December, returning only this week to an extraordinary meeting that seeks to remove him from the chair. The regional council chair is selected around the council table, not at large.
His leave of absence at the time was explained as being due to health reasons.
The formal process to have him replaced as chair was initiated on March 3, signed by every other councillor. It was not publicly disclosed until minutes before the council meeting on March 14. Birchfield did not know about the move until contacted by Local Democracy Reporting.
He did reveal however that council members had previously leaned on him to resign as chairperson.
"There had been some discussion -- they tried to talk me into standing down but I said no," Birchfield said at the time.
However he said he was "definitely not standing down" and the move to remove him was "not clear cut".
On Monday, acting chairperson Peter Haddock said the meeting tomorrow was going ahead as scheduled.
As far as he was aware Birchfield's position had not changed, "unfortunately".
"We haven't heard a word from anyone."
Chief executive Heather Mabin said the matter was for the elected council to oversee.
As of Monday she assumed nothing had changed from the formal motion she had received on March 3 to call an extraordinary meeting to remove Birchfield.
"Any decision that was made on the matter has been done in isolation of the executive and the CEO," Mabin said.
"This is a conversation that the councillors have had themselves. We will respect whatever the outcome is."
However, she said she believed Birchfield had been a significant contributor to the West Coast in his role.
"Allan has contributed incredibly towards this community, and that needs to be acknowledged."
Birchfield's leave of absence followed a turbulent period at the regional council.
This pre-dated his re-election as chairman for a second term following the local body elections last October.
An accusation of conflict of interest emerged almost immediately after the elections about the relationship of Birchfield's company Birchfield Minerals Ltd to the council-owned business unit VCS Ltd.
This was to do with a deal brokered eight years ago by VCS Ltd on behalf of Birchfield Minerals to reconsent and sell Birchfield's Grey Valley gold dredge.
The $157,025 cost of that borne by VCS - and only to be repaid when the dredge eventually sold - has remained on the council balance sheet ever since. It was first highlighted in a Greymouth Star investigation several years ago and then re-emerged after the last elections.
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A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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