This is a challenge to our regional councillors - let the public see your email correspondence.
Yesterday I wrote about my meeting with Ombudsman Leo Donnelly concerning his investigation into whether or not regional councillors' emails should be made public. We discussed an Official Information Act request by former Central Hawke's Bay mayor Peter Butler to regional councillor Tom Belford asking for correspondence he had with third parties about the Ruataniwha dam last year.
Mr Belford refused, so Mr Butler complained to the Ombudsman.
The second OIA request was made by our reporter Victoria White for correspondence between six anti-dam councillors on, among other things, the dam. We also complained to the Ombudsman because the Hawke's Bay Regional Council rejected our request.
The Ombudsman has yet to rule on this and I am hoping he will rule that the councillors must release the emails.
Council chair Rex Graham and Mr Belford don't believe they should have to hand over the correspondence because it would stop people coming forward to tell them things in confidence.