Minister hears concerns of former CTOS trustees

Finance Minister Grant Robertson is set to investigate the Community Trust of Southland and its treatment of former chief executive John Prendergast, say a group of former trustees who met the minister yesterday.

The meeting was held in Roberton’s Beehive office in Wellington.

The delegation that met with Robertson comprised former Community Trust chairs Alison Broad and Robin Campbell, former trust deputy chair Peter Redpath and former trustee Gwen Neave.

It is understood they expressed their concerns with happenings at the trust and how former chief executive Prendergast was treated by current trustees.

Redpath, speaking after the meeting, said it was a constructive meeting and they had outlined all their concerns to the minister.

‘‘The minister is working out a process to take matters forward, and he does wish to follow matters through,’’ Redpath said. ‘‘We have taken out of the meeting that he will investigate what went on.’’

Robertson, also after the meeting, said: ‘‘It was a constructive meeting, and we are now considering the next steps in the process’’.

The former trustees initially raised their concerns in July, when they wrote to then-associate finance minister Amy Adams asking her to urgently investigate the Community Trust and the way Prendergast had been treated.

Prendergast was the trust’s chief executive for nearly 20 years before he resigned in June. He later said members of the trust had resolved unanimously that they had wanted him to resign without giving him a reason.

The current trust’s treatment of Prendergast upset the group of former trustees, who took action.

They said it was astonishing the current trustees appeared to have decided Prendergast must exit his position, and described the process as most irregular.

Their initial letter to Adams said the happenings at the Community Trust of Southland were causing the former trustees grave concern for the integrity of the trust and for the impact on, and implications for, the wider Southland community.

‘‘Questions need to be asked about whether these recent events arise from any personal views and sense of grievance held by any current trustees, including as a result of events involving them prior to their appointment as trustees,’’ their letter to Adams says.