New chief executive ‘right person for the job’
The new boss of the O¯ torohanga District Council is the woman embroiled in a botched $7 million Westland sewerage contract fiasco.
Tanya Winter will begin her role as O¯ torohanga District Council’s chief in February. Winter quit her role as chief executive for the Westland District Council (WDC) in April 2017, following her suspension for failing to inform council that one of its managers was being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is investigating WDC’s assets manager Vivek Goel after he commissioned an Auckland cake decorator’s firm to build a $7 million sewage plant in Franz Josef, despite the company’s sole director and shareholder having no experience in waste management or construction services.
But Otorohanga ¯ District Mayor Max Baxter said Winter had been cleared of any wrongdoing and she was the right person for the job.
She took out a personal grievance against the Westland council and received an $85,000 payout.
Goel was hired in 2010 as operations manager by former WDC chief executive Robin Reeves. However, Winter axed his position when she was appointed to the top job in
2012, and rehired him as her assets manager. Winter – who had had concerns about his employment since October
2016 – alerted the SFO about Goel in January 2017, triggering an investigation. She was later suspended for not alerting council to her concerns. The investigation into Goel ongoing.
Winter was chosen for the role over two other ‘‘very strong candidates’’ through a thorough recruitment process, Baxter said.
For the last 18 months Winter has worked for the Otago Regional Council. is