A new code of conduct has been approved at Invercargill City Council in hopes it will slow down escalations. On Tuesday, councillors voted to replace the existing code with a draft version from the Government which aims for earlier intervention and resolution. “This is quite a significant step forward and will enable council to hopefully resolve issues short of having to engage an independent investigator each time,” council manager Michael Morris said. The decision comes on the heels of a recent $33,000 investigation into deputy mayor Grant Dermody, the findings of which were ultimately rejected by the council. Councillors have rejected the findings of the investigation which found deputy mayor Grant Dermody said “you f…ing d..k” or “you’re a d…head” and breached the council's code of conduct. Following that investigation, mayor Tom Campbell posted on social media that its “ridiculous” cost should have been avoided, and said council staff had been asked to work on a modified code of conduct.…