TDC boss Lindsay McKenzie calls time

Tasman District Council chief executive Lindsay McKenzie has resigned.

The 65-year-old long-time local government man had no other employment lined up but said he was not calling it retirement and would be staying in the district.

‘‘I’m intending to make myself useful,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t quite know what that will be. There’s nothing on the horizon.’’

However, he was not contemplating a role ‘‘as big as this one’’.

McKenzie stressed it would be ‘‘pedal to the metal’’ until he left the top job.

Some key projects that he hoped were completed before his departure included the Long Term Plan 2018-28 along with the ‘‘most critical’’ decisions around the proposed Waimea dam.

‘‘There’s a truckload of things do to,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve given an undertaking to the mayor ... it’s full noise.’’

McKenzie joined TDC in May 2012 from Gisborne District Council on a fiveyear contract. Before that, he worked in local government at Southland. His con- tract with TDC was renewed for a further two years in August 2016, giving him the job as boss until May 2019.

When that renewal was signed, McKenzie said he indicated he might finish earlier.

‘‘The timing is right,’’ he said of his planned departure date. ‘‘It’s a good time for the council; they would have had 18 months, it’s halfway through the term.’’

He has a nominal finishing date of May 11, 2018. McKenzie said he also hoped to see his successor in place before he left and had offered to finish early or stay a few weeks later than May 11, if needed.

‘‘I’ll stay on or go early, depending on the needs of the business,’’ he said.

Mayor Richard Kempthorne told a public meeting at Mapua on Monday evening that McKenzie had done a ‘‘tremendous job for us’’ around the dam project. At the time McKenzie’s contract was renewed, the mayor said a ‘‘great deal’’ of the success of the council since 2012 was directly attributable to the chief executive’s leadership of the staff and his relationship with the elected members.

Kempthorne said he intended to put a report to councillors this week, suggesting the council use an independent agency to help find the replacement for McKenzie.