Hastings mayoral candidate requests council clear his name over water museum leak

Designs submitted to Hastings District Council on what a proposed multi-million dollar water museum called 'Water Central' could possibly look like. Photo / Supplied

A Hastings mayoral candidate has written a formal letter to incumbent Sandra Hazlehurst requesting she clears his name after she was told last week he wasn't responsible for leaking the information.

Damon Harvey said both Hazlehurst and the acting chief executive, Bruce Allen had been made aware for "over a week" that it wasn't him nor anyone associated with his campaign who gave information to Hawke's Bay Today about a multi-million dollar proposal called Water Central.

They had "chosen to withhold this information", he said.

"This is reckless and unjust ... This is irresponsible," he added.

"The mayor is also misleading the community into how much work has gone into what she says is only an 'idea'. It's actually far from it. There's concept drawings, costings, potential funding sources as well as discussions with Ngati Kahungunu. That to me seems far from just being an idea."

Hazlehurst said she had received a lot of information "most of which is hearsay".

She confirmed she did not know where the leaked information came from and had not accused Harvey of being the source.

At an extraordinary meeting due to be held on Friday, a decision will be made on whether to ask the chief executive to carry out an independent investigation into how the Public Excluded Agenda got into the public domain.

"If the investigation goes ahead all information will be provided to the investigator," Hazlehurst said.

At an emergency meeting called last Friday evening, councillors in attendance were unanimous in their decision to request the chief executive to prepare a declaration that they may sign to state they have no involvement with the unauthorised disclosure of confidential information.

However, signing of the declaration is on a voluntary basis.