Tauranga City Aquatics Limited director, Deputy Mayor David Stewart, has resigned from the board, saying his position has become untenable.

He was appointed a TCAL director by the Tauranga City Council in August 2009 and since then has found himself the 'whipping boy” caught in the middle.

The appointment was at the time said to be able to provide the TCAL board with possible ‘valuable input' in dealing with local government.

Instead, David says his role as a shareholder representative excluded him from aquatic related debate on the board and with the council.

'On the one hand with TCAL it provided some difficulties with the perception that I was representing council's interests on their board, and then going the other way when it came to discussing or debating aquatic strategies and needs, and that sort of thing, there was a perception that I had a conflict of interest or indeed that I was advocating for TCAL,” says David.

In discussion with councillors it was generally agreed that as a council appointee, there was no conflict and David was not excluded from aquatic discussions.

'But nevertheless when it comes to debate sometimes that's thrown up in the air, and I can see there can be a perception that there is a conflict of interest which keeps me out of debate.

'Really the last straw came when we were debating the moveable floor for Baywave, and there is the allegation that I'm advocating for TCAL's interests, so I thought enough is enough.”

What should have been a positive conduit of information, with a council appointed director providing TCAL with a council perspective on things and also being able to provide the council with the TCAL perspective, failed.

'I wasn't able to add value to either organisation in that position,” says David.

'I was the whipping boy for both ends – I was not doing anybody any good, I'm better able to represent the swimming community by being outside of TCAL.”

He doesn't know if he will be replaced. The council is currently reviewing the council controlled organisations and how they operate – it's probably worth going through that process before any decision is made says David.

On the recent events at the Mount Hot Pools where a major leak was discovered, only after a customer persisted in his attempts to draw attention to pool temperatures, David says TCAL should listen to the community.

'I think there are a number of occasions that have arisen over the months where at the end of the day our aquatic facilities are community assets, and I think TCAL is wise to listen to those in the community and what they are saying.

'These are community facilities and community people should have their say about what's going on there and not be brushed off.”