Council CEO gave cricket go-ahead
Nelson City Council’s chief executive told Central Districts Cricket to sign a hosting agreement for international matches before councillors had agreed to an alcohol advertising exemption.
Emails released to the Nelson Mail show that on October 20 council chief executive NigelPhilpottadvisedCentralDistrictsCricket chief executive Lance Hamilton to sign a contract allowing the three international games planned for the 2023/24 summer to go ahead. That was despite a council vote the previous day against an exemption.
Mayor Nick Smith has labelled the move by Philpott a “calculated risk” to save the matches – but also said it was not ideal.
Rules for Saxton Oval prohibit alcohol advertising, but Central Districts had requested an exemption to allow a Black Caps one day match in December and two White Ferns T20 matches next week to go ahead.
New Zealand Cricket has a sponsorship deal with Asahi Beverages NZ, including the right to advertise alcohol at venues.
The December match marked the return of international cricket to Saxton Oval after a five year absence.
The council eventually voted on the matter again a week later, on October 26, and reversed its decision.
The Tasman District Council also had to approve the exemption, voting 11 to one in favour of it on October 26.
But, emails released under the Local Government Meetings and Official Information Act show that Philpott received an email from Hamilton on October 20, asking if Nelson City Council was “happy for me to sign the Venue Hosting Agreement and return this to New Zealand Cricket”.
Philpott replied: “As discussed Lance, I am happy for you to sign and we very much look forward to hosting the games.
“I look forward to sitting down with you in the good faith we have discussed to see what we can do to be sympathetic to the alcohol advertising policy in place, but please rest assured that these games are very important to us and the wider community and therefore I am happy for you to sign in advance of those discussions.”
Questions about the timing of the advice, including whether it was appropriate to tell Hamilton to sign before the second-vote, were sent to the council, requesting a response from the chief executive.
Smith responded instead, and backed the timing of Philpott’s advice to Central Districts Cricket, saying it was necessary to keep the games in Nelson.
“The situation that developed around hosting international cricket at Saxton Oval was not ideal and there are lessons to be learnt, but the chief executive did a great job of rescuing the games and protecting Nelson’s reputation as a reliable host for major events.”
But, he acknowledged Philpott took a risk in advising Hamilton to sign the contract before the second vote.
“The chief executive had to make a difficult decision to approve the contract being signed before Council had formally reconsidered the exemption, but he was assured of majority Council support before making this call. The alternative was forthe games to be cancelled,” Smith said.
“It was a calculated risk on the basis of the discussions he’d had with councillors and how they had revised their views. The chief executive and I agree this was not ideal, but he was making the best of a bad situation.”
It would have been a “disaster” if the games had been cancelled or relocated, he said.
Smith said the situation was not helped by his absence from the meetings, as he was out of the country at the time.
“I am grateful for the way the chief executive and deputy mayor worked to clean up this messy situation to save the games.”
In the end, Central Districts Cricket informed the Nelson City Council of New Zealand Cricket’s plans to manage alcohol advertising at the matches by limiting advertising to on-field signs, on December 12.
Central Districts declined to comment or confirm when the contract was signed.
Meanwhile, a further email revealed that councillor Aaron Stallard questioned the process around the second vote.
In an email sent to Philpott on October 29, he stated that “shortly before the vote regarding the alcohol policy you gave councillors a private update on the issue and asked ... councillors to reverse the decision of last week”.
Stallard wrote that “no meaningful new information “was provided and requested there be better processes around decision making ”to maintain the distinction between management and governance“.
Speaking to the Nelson Mail, Stallard said he was not sure of the circumstances of Philpott’s advice to Central Districts about signing the contract, but he didn’t believe it was appropriate that councillors were asked to vote again “without any meaningful new information”.
The council’s policies and “principles” had led to the outcome of the first vote, but they were asked to vote again under pressure of losing the games, he said.
“As discussed Lance, I am happy for you to sign and we very much look forward to hosting the games.”
Nelson City Council chief executive Nigel Philpott