Palmerston North resumes face-to-face international connections

After grounding Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith’s plans to travel overseas just after the local body elections, city councillors have given their blessing to a rescheduled tour next year.

Smith will be part of a delegation travelling to sister city Missoula in the United States in June to mark a 40-year relationship, then on to Wageningen in the Netherlands.

International relations manager Gabrielle Nguyen said the main reason for the trip was to reconnect in person, the last three years having demonstrated some shortcomings with “digital diplomacy”.

The visit to Wageningen would provide an opportunity to formalise and sign a city-to-city partnership.

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Massey University already had an educational partnership there with Wageningen University and Research, and Fonterra had its first wholly owned and operated ingredients plant in the Netherlands.

The Central Economic Development Agency was invited to join the delegation to deepen relationships, building a joint food strategy.

The most contentious issue of the trip this time was whether ratepayers should pay the airfares for Mayoress Michelle Smith to travel with the mayor.

Cr Billy Meehan said the mayoress should not have to pay for her own travel when her presence on the trip would add value to relationships.

He said councillors should respect the role she was expected to play, which was a job she had not asked for.

While staff proposed the council only cover her accommodation and meal costs, about $1000, the majority of councillors supported boosting that budget to $5000, so she would not have to pay for her own travel costs.

Three councillors, Lorna Johnson, Karen Naylor and William Wood, opposed the extra spending.

“Having turned down the mayor’s request to travel in November, it would be churlish to do it again,” Johnson said.

“But I am going to question the value of expecting the spouse of the mayor to accompany.”

She said it was a bit out-of-date to expect partners to have to help “grease the wheels of diplomacy”.

Naylor said she thought the timing of the trip was, once again, unfortunate.

It would mean the mayor was away between two critical meetings that would set the rates rise for the 2023/24 year.

She said community views about the mayor being away on an overseas trip while the council was imposing a rates rise would not be favourable, and she voted against approving his travel.