Interim chief exec for council

Company director and management consultant David Wright has been appointed interim chief executive for the Palmerston North City Council.

A director of Wellington Water Ltd, Wright will start on the job in the city on Tuesday and spend the rest of the month alongside outgoing chief executive Paddy Clifford.

Clifford, who has been chief executive for nearly a decade, announced in December, on the same day former Prime Minister John Key resigned, that he would not be seeking to renew his contract for another term.

As well as making interim leadership arrangements, the city council is in the final stages of appointing a permanent replacement for Clifford, with an announcement expected within a few weeks.

Wright comes to the council with a string of directorships and management jobs rather than local government experience behind him.

At the moment, he is a director of WEL Networks Ltd and the independent chairman of Air Rescue Group, which represents 11 emergency rescue helicopter community trusts and three private operators in New Zealand.

He is also the interim chairman of the Solomon Islands Airports Corporation, and a former chairman of Australian-based West Coast Energy Pty Ltd.

He has been interim chief executive of the state owned enterprise Asurequality and the Aviation Security Service.

Mayor Grant Smith welcomed the appointment.

He said Wright’s significant leadership experience in New Zealand and overseas would help guide the council through the transition to a new chief executive.

Wright said he was looking forward to the role. ‘‘I know council staff are very committed to the community they serve and I plan to support their efforts.’’