ORC chairman says ‘no crisis’ despite exits

The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is not in crisis, despite half of its directors quitting within a few weeks, the council’s chairman says.

Policy, planning and resource management director Tanya Winter will be the latest to leave the ORC after accepting a role as chief executive of the Otorohanga District Council.

Her resignation, announced yesterday, follows that of stakeholder engagement director Sian Sutton and environmental monitoring and operations director Scott MacLean earlier this month.

Winter, who is acting as the ORC’s chief executive while Sarah Gardner is on annual leave, had been in the policy role for 18 months after leaving the troubled Westland District Council.

She quit her role as chief executive of the Westland council after she was suspended and had earlier taken out a personal grievance against the council and received an undisclosed payout.

Questions to Winter were referred to ORC chairman Stephen Woodhead, who rejected any suggestion the organisation was in crisis after losing three of its six directors in several weeks. ‘‘Absolutely not,’’ Woodhead said. ‘‘We have 160 staff and we are delivering our programmes on a daily basis and work will continue as normal.’’

Woodhead said the organisation knew Winter, who had previous chief executive experience, ‘‘wasn’t going to stay around at ORC, as second-tier forever’’.

‘‘I would have liked her to stay for years and years.’’

When asked what message he had for residents, Woodhead said ‘‘often when you get a new chief executives, there can be changes’’. ORC councillor Michael Laws

Gardner, a New Zealander previously based in Australia, was appointed to oversee the ORC a year ago.

‘‘There is no agenda around change, as such,’’ Woodhead said.

‘‘Chief executives will often have a look at the structures and the skills they require to implement the work plan that council has put in place.’’

‘‘This one, Tanya, is just a pure coincidence.’’

He declined to comment on Sutton and MacLean’s departures.

He was unaware if any personal grievance complaints related to any resignations had been filed, saying that was a matter for Gardner. Woodhead, who suffered a stroke earlier this year, said he stood by his chief executive.

Gardner’s appointment came after former ORC chief executive Peter Bodeker’s contract was not renewed in October

2017. Bodeker, who started at the ORC in

2012, was on an annual salary of $305,656 at the time of his departure. Woodhead said consultants had been used to help senior management recently, including one to fill in for MacLean.

ORC councillor Michael Laws said the resignations were not ideal given some of the serious challenges facing the council, such as water quality and use issues, ‘‘but the greater responsibility rests upon the governance team’’.

‘‘Ultimately it’s the policy, not the personnel, that will resolve the outstanding water issues in Otago.’’

Laws said there had been ‘‘poor’’ monitoring of staffing issues at the ORC for several years.

Woodhead said 2018 had been a productive year for the council.

Highlights included the introduction of new pest and biodiversity strategies, flood and drainage schemes, the release of a new rabbit virus, and enhancements to public transport.

‘‘Ultimately it’s the policy, not the personnel, that will resolve the outstanding water issues in Otago.’’