WELLINGTON WOMAN WITH THERMOS ATTENDS ATAWHAI SCHOOL MEETING, HAS NOT LEFT SINCE TUESDAY
She brought her own biscuits. She brought a folder. She brought opinions about the drop-off zone despite living 600km away.
An Atawhai Primary board meeting scheduled to run 90 minutes on Tuesday evening has entered its fourth day. The cause is a visiting parent from Island Bay who brought a two-litre thermos and a laminated agenda no-one asked for.
The woman introduced herself as Fenella. She is understood to be staying with her sister on Iwa Road. She arrived at 6.55pm with the thermos, a keep-cup, a spare keep-cup, and what one witness called "the energy of someone who's done a Kāpiti Coast submission before".
Board chair Diane Woollaston had hoped to get home for MasterChef. She said Fenella raised concerns about the pickup lane, the sausage sizzle supplier ("why Hellers and not something local"), and the phonics programme. Fenella has no child enrolled at the school. "She kept saying 'in Island Bay we've found' and I nearly said something my late husband Gerald would've been ashamed of."
By Wednesday morning Fenella had produced a second thermos from a tote bag. She began taking her own minutes and distributing them via a QR code. Two parents left. One came back with a muffin for her, which this reporter considers unforgivable.
STATEMENT FROM THE ATAWHAI PRIMARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Board is aware of community concerns regarding the duration of the Tuesday general meeting, which remains, at time of writing, ongoing.
A range of matters have been raised by attendees, both enrolled and non-enrolled. These matters are being worked through in a considered manner. The Board acknowledges the contributions of all present, including those who have travelled from outside the Nelson-Tasman region.
It has been suggested in some quarters that the meeting should be brought to a close. The Board notes that Standing Orders do not currently provide a mechanism for the removal of a participant on the grounds of thermos capacity alone. Legal advice is being sought.
A review of meeting procedures will be undertaken in due course. In the interim, refreshments continue to be provided on a self-service basis. The school hall will remain open until such time as the matter is resolved.
The Board thanks the community for its patience.
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Reader Letters
★ Trev_Hornby
You'd think she'd have better things to do!
★ Garry (Halswell)
This is what happens when you let outsiders meddle in local affairs. Wouldn't have happened back in 1982, I tell you. Standards then were ironclad.
sympathy_sam
Just let her have her say. She'll be done eventually and we can all move on, no harm done.
★ JoannePetone
Honestly, as a mum from the Hutt, it’s a bit of a concern they can't handle one opinionated visitor. They're buggered if another one shows up.
★ Garry (Halswell)
The Board should have a cutoff time for these things. In my day, no one overstayed their welcome without being shown the door.
Nelson_Nick
Is it really that hard to end a meeting? Just unplug her thermos and call it a day.
green_kiwi
She must have a massive thermos or she's got a secret stash. Either way, it's a piss-take on community patience.
quick_comment
Bloody thermos marathon!
sip_coffee
Mate, the poor Board members must be absolutely over it by now. You'd think there'd be rules about over-eager guests!
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