Pink Shirt Day annually encourages people to speak out about bullying.
Pink Shirt Day annually encourages people to speak out about bullying.
No one would dispute that bullying is an all-too-common problem in New Zealand. It's why children, healthcare providers and workers across the country will be donning pink on Friday to symbolise a stand against bullying (Pink Shirt Day).
While most organisations can work to create safe working environments for their staff using internal culture and policy, what happens when the bullying is perpetrated by people outside the organisation?
It is this very question that has inspired 17 councils from around New Zealand to come together on Pink Shirt Day 2021 to share some of the abuse that staff are subjected to.
Hastings District councillor Wendy Schollum.
The video that has been shared online is well worth a watch, but I warn you, the real-life language and threats described in it are highly offensive.
As politicians, we are elected to make challenging decisions and accept the praise or criticism that follows – that's the job.
Rather, I'm talking about the everyday members of our community who work to consult on or implement the decisions made at the council table. Be that as a parking warden, customer service representative, environment manager or council social media manager.
Imagine coming to work each day, with a genuine desire to do your best for your community, and receiving emails, social media posts, phone calls and even in person confrontations calling you "incompetent", "lazy", "useless", "ugly", "a Nazi" … all appended with a list of creative expletives.
This is the daily life of many New Zealand council workers.
It is unhelpful. It is unnecessary. It is unacceptable.
Councillors and council staff genuinely value hearing the views of our community.
It's why we spend so much time and effort trying to convince people to have input into the decision-making process.
Whether it's seeking opinions on the Long-Term Plan, Maori Wards or Reserve Management Plans, every single submission is collated, read, valued and addressed before any decisions are made.
The more views we get, the better we can shape those decisions to reflect the wishes of our community.
A submission or social media post disagreeing with a council proposal, or asking for more information, is helpful. A message telling council to "go f**k yourself" or personally attacking a staff member is not. This type of abusive bullying is unfortunately all too common.
If you disagree with a council proposal, please tell us. But please be constructive. Play the ball, not the man. Comments should be related to the issue and not become personal attacks on council staff.
Council workers live in our community. Just like you, they get caught in the same traffic, drink the same water, and take their families to the same parks. They turn up to work every day to do their best for their employer … you.
Hastings District councillor Eileen Lawson.
Sometimes they make mistakes or must implement policy that they themselves may not necessarily agree with, but those are real people behind those social media accounts, email addresses and on the other end of that phone.
By all means, tell them or one of your elected officials if you're unhappy with a service, proposal or facility, but please keep it focused on the issue and not the attributes of the person trying to serve you.
If there is a proposal, policy or issue that you are passionate about, I encourage you to send us an email through our website (www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/contact-us), call our passionate customer service team and councillors (06 871 5000), drop in and see us or send us a message on social media.
Speak up. Stand together. Stop bullying.
Wendy Schollum, Sophie Siers and Eileen Lawson are Hastings District councillors
