By Claire Taylor, Local Democracy Reporting
An independent investigation has been launched into Mackenzie Mayor Scott Aronsen after allegations were made against him.
Mackenzie District Council, based in Fairlie, South Canterbury, confirmed the allegations stemmed from an earlier complaint, but declined to say whether it was lodged by a staff member, councillor or member of the public.
“Allegations have been received,” it said today.
It confirmed an investigation into the allegations had begun, with more information to come after a review.
“There is an independent external review under way to consider the allegations raised, and we will not provide any further comment at this stage.”
Aronsen told Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) that he had “no comment at this stage”.
He was elected as mayor at the October 2025 local body elections and was the first Twizel-based mayor to lead the district.
The investigation follows an earlier incident at the council chambers in May involving councillor Frank Hocken. A $29,000 investigation revealed that he had broken the council’s code of conduct.
At the time, Hocken told LDR he was not surprised by the cost of the investigation, having estimated that it would cost “about $30k”.
He was ordered to apologise, which he refused to do. He was also restricted to communicating only through the mayor or his deputy, received a letter of censure, and was told that the matter would be lodged with the council’s health and safety team.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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