Councillor Hayden Evans has resigned from the mixed council joint road safety committee – ahead of the Tauranga City Council meeting on Tuesday where his continued presence on the committee was to be discussed.

Councillor Hayden Evans has resigned from the joint road safety committee.

Councillor Mike Baker challenged Hayden's continued presence on the joint road safety committee at a recent monitoring committee meeting, and has since included the issue as an agenda item for the March 16 city council meeting.
Mike questioned Hayden's continued committee membership following his conviction last month on a drink driving charge.
'It's no secret that councillor Baker, and other like minded and motivated elected
members, have in the past put to one side concern for the effective functioning and integrity of our council in pursuit of his own personal agenda,” says Hayden.
'I have no doubt that councillor Baker's concerns regarding my presence on the joint road safety committee have little to do with public accountability and a lot more to do with councillor Baker's previously referred to agenda.”
The joint road safety committee's mandate is to ensure appropriate investment in road safety initiatives.
To disqualify membership following a traffic infringement would likely disqualify many others with valuable contributions to make, says Hayden.
'It is hardly comparable to a paedophile working in a day care,” says Hayden.
'I can confirm, however, that prior to receipt of your email I had determined not to allow councillor Baker's public muck raking to interfere with the ability of the joint road safety committee to function effectively, or to be distracted from performing it's invaluable tasks, by my continued membership.”
Hayden's resignation from the committee is in response to an email from Mayor Stuart Crosby who 'strongly and respectfully” advised Hayden resign from the committee before the city council meeting to save himself from further embarrassment. In the email to Hayden, Stuart says he had received a complaint about Hayden's behaviour at a joint road safety committee meeting.