Last week, Shadbolt told Local Democracy Reporting he had spent the past two years asking the council for a new phone because his iPhone 7 of five years was "very slow". "I soldier on with my very old and barely functional phone," Shadbolt said. The comments came in response to a question about Shadbolt's spending for his current term in office, after data was obtained on all Southland mayors. Shadbolt claims he never received it, and the council would neither confirm or deny if he did. Shadbolt also took aim at Hadley, saying she made things difficult when it came to getting purchases approved.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 17, 2021 19:21 UTC