40 candidates put name in hat for CEO council role

OAMARU

THERE has been ‘‘good interest’’ from candidates within New Zealand and internationally vying to replace outgoing Waitaki District Council chief executive Fergus Power, Mayor Gary Kircher says.

Mr Kircher confirmed there had been about 40 applications for the top operational chair at the council, and the recruitment process was entering its next stage.

In July last year, Mr Power announced he would step down as chief executive — a post he has held since September 2017 — in June this year, just shy of four years into his fiveyear contract.

Petone recruitment consultancy Equip has been helping Mr Kircher and Waitaki district councillors to find his replacement. Applications for the role closed yesterday.

‘‘There’s been good interest, and the feedback so far from the recruitment agent is that there is definitely some good quality in there, and also a mix of people with local government and private sector experience,’’ Mr Kircher said.

Shortlisted candidates would be interviewed by Mr Kircher and councillors next month and they hoped to make a decision by April.

‘‘Councillors and I are committed to make sure we get the best possible chief executive we can.

‘‘If we don’t feel that they’re within this group of applicants, then we’ll go out again, but fingers crossed we’ll find the perfect person amongst them.’’

When Mr Power announced his intention to leave the council, he said he planned to move to Thailand with his wife, Tri. They wanted to be closer to her family in Thailand, as the Covid19 pandemic had disrupted international travel.

Assets group manager and deputy chief executive Neil Jorgensen finished in his role at the council last week, and heritage, planning and regulatory group manager Lichelle Guyan will step down next month.

They would not be replaced until the new chief executive had started.

‘‘It gives [the new chief executive] a chance to check out the lie of the land, see how they want to structure their management team and either recruit internally or externally,’’ Mr Kircher said.

It also gave existing staff members the opportunity to step up and work with greater responsibility in acting roles in the interim, he said.

People and culture group manager Lisa Baillie is the interim deputy chief executive.