Given that the Rotorua District Council doesn't think it fair to blame an individual staff member for the cock-up that has cost ratepayers $115,000 - the findings of a comprehensive internal audit into council iwi consultation procedures will be of particular interest.
The situation has come about after the EnvironmentCourt slammed the council for misleading the court and local iwi over a resource-consent process and ordered it to pay court costs to two Te Arawa hapu.
As we reported this week, the court's decision stated the council had committed one of "the most serious breaches of council's obligations brought to this division's attention".
The decision was particularly critical of senior council planner Mark Buckley.
But council chief executive Peter Guerin said the council didn't think the judge's criticism should have focused on an individual. He told the Rotorua Daily Post Mr Buckley retained the council's confidence, and for the Environment Court judge to identify him was "unfortunate and unnecessary", given he was doing his council job under direction.
The key question to arise from this is: where, then, did that direction come from? The answer will be at the heart of the audit's findings.
It's vital in a community so strongly steeped in Maori culture and links with the land we live on that relations between local government and iwi run smoothly. The best thing to come out of this current mess will be the scrutiny now being placed on that relationship, and the vital improvement that should come about as a result.
