Councillor draws flak for jail vote

Kaharoa residents march through Rotorua's city centre in protest. Picture / Rotorua Daily Post

A councillor has created uproar in his community after he declined to oppose a proposed youth prison.

Russell Judd stunned Kaharoa residents when he voted against the motion which saw the Rotorua District Council publicly oppose the youth justice facility at Kaharoa.

Mr Judd represents the Kaharoa and Ngongotaha communities.

After a meeting he faced the wrath of residents who said he had let them down and he should not expect their vote in next year's election.

The prison plan has encountered fierce opposition, with people at rallies and protests demanding it be built elsewhere.

Mr Judd and Glenys Searancke voted against publicly stating that Kaharoa was the wrong place for the facility.

Mayor Kevin Winters, Geoff Kenny, Janet Wepa and Maureen Waaka all abstained.

Any councillor who expressed a view publicly on the prison will not be able to sit on a consent hearing, which may ultimately be decided by an independent commissioner.

Mr Judd said his vote should not necessarily be seen as him being in favour of the prison at Kaharoa. He said he would not comment publicly on any site because he didn't believe it was a councillor's place to do so.

Although he was quite happy to vote that the site selection committee should be reconvened, he did not think councillors should go so far as to comment on a specific site.

Until the council received an application for resource consent they should "butt out".

Mr Judd admitted the process used to select the site had been "hugely flawed".

He said the flak he received from Kaharoa residents after the meeting was expected.

"I've put my neck on the line over many things.

"A lot of people hate my guts. You do gain enemies but you gain a lot of friends.

"I'm not about politicking - I'm about trying to achieve things and get them done."

Mr Judd said he thought councillors at the meeting made their decisions "too much on heart strings rather than logic".

Child, Youth and Family has received more than 1100 submissions about the site and they will now be considered by CYF Minister Ruth Dyson.

Rotorua MP Steve Chadwick said she had presented the minister with three alternative sites and two of these were being seriously considered.

- ROTORUA DAILY POST