Auckland mayor Len Brown is confident he can rebuild relationships with his councillors, who have taken the rare move of publicly censuring him for breaching a code of conduct.
Mr Brown was spared a vote of no-confidence on Thursday when three quarters of the councillors opted instead to censure him and vowed to work with him when they return from a summer break.
The three-hour debate was at times harsh, with Councillor Dick Quax referring to the stench of a rotting political corpse.
But the 15 councillors who opted not to hold a no-confidence vote spanned the political divide.
Mr Brown accepted the censure. He has told Radio New Zealand News that changes to be put in place will include regular briefings with councillors, which did not occur during the first term.
North Shore ward Councillor George Wood said the mayor needs to do a lot of fence-mending to regain the confidence and respect of his councillors, the council organisation, local boards and the people of Auckland.
Mr Brown told Morning Report he's been severely reprimanded and it's critical the issue now moves on. He said he will be focused on rebuilding relationships and spending more time with councillors in the New Year.
