A Dunedin councillor has been suspended from all committees and subcommittees for nine months because of concerns about his behaviour.
By Tess Brunton of RNZ
Benedict Ong faced a code of conduct complaint after revealing details about a potential hotel development at Forsyth Barr Stadium to reporters in April.
A preliminary assessment report found it appeared likely he was deliberately and repeatedly leaking information that could potentially jeopardise the council's commercial interests.
The Dunedin City Council held a public-excluded meeting to discuss the complaint on Monday afternoon.
Mayor Sophie Barker said the suspension was a result of councillors accepting the findings of a code of conduct report by independent investigator Steph Dyhrberg.
"Councillor Ong - despite his statements to the contrary - was welcome to participate in full in today's process, but declined to do so. He was also provided with a hard copy of the investigator's report ahead of the meeting in order to help him prepare and participate fully," she said.
"It's extremely disappointing that councillor Ong continues to conduct himself in this way and to misrepresent the nature of the arrangements that are in place.
"While he is now barred from participating in committees and subcommittees, I need to be very clear that this does not prevent him from attending and participating in full council meetings, whether they are held in public or non-public. Any statement to the contrary misrepresents what has been decided today.
"It is hugely frustrating that councillor Ong's behaviour is distracting from the great work that is underway in the city.
"I would once again urge councillor Ong to review his recent conduct and to live up to the oath he swore upon becoming a councillor, or to consider resigning."
When Ong arrived at the meeting, he declared to reporters that he would not resign even if asked to by his colleagues.
"It's becoming a cliché - Never. I have been asked many times, I'm going to be asked again. I think it's just too clichéd. I should have t-shirt that just says 'never'," he said.
Ong promised to speak "very concisely" to reporters outside the meeting, where he spent 10 minutes denying responsibility for the complaints about his conduct, dismissing concerns his leaks could jeopardise projects in the city and claiming a silent majority was supporting him.
Ong remained outside the room, saying he was barred for public excluded meetings.
When council staff invited him in to speak, he declined.
Ong was asked to resign in March for a separate code of conduct breach, when he read extracts from Franz Kafka's novel The Trial during his right of reply.
Earlier this month council chief executive Sandy Graham restricted Ong's access to confidential information and prevented him from attending non-public workshops after a series of leaks to reporters.
He was still allowed to attend public excluded council meetings but would be given a hard copy of the agenda or supporting papers.
The council had previously declined to comments further about Ong's behaviour, with mayor Sophie Barker saying it only encouraged him to continue his "appalling behaviour".
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