Watchdog to monitor council
New Zealand’s top watchdog will keep a close eye on Christchurch City Council to make sure it follows through with changes to improve openness and transparency.
The leadership and culture at the organisation was slammed by Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier in a damning report, released on Thursday.
Former council chief executive Karleen Edwards, who left in June, was heavily criticised for failing to take ‘‘appropriate and adequate action’’ after staff raised concerns that some members of her executive leadership team (ELT) were hiding information.
Staff alleged some members of the ELT manipulated reports and deliberately kept negative information secret.
Boshier made 39 recommendations for change. New chief executive Dawn Baxendale has accepted all of them and about 12 have already been implemented.
However, Boshier said yesterday his office would be in contact regularly with the council this financial year to seek updates on the implementation of his recommendations.
The report comes seven years after a review of the council’s communications, by public relations consultants Felicity Price and Wilma Falconer, that slammed the council’s bunker mentality and called for a change in culture.
Edwards, who could not be reached for comment, told Boshier she had taken staff concerns about the leadership team ‘‘very seriously’’ and believed she had dealt with them ‘‘effectively’’.
However, Boshier said the chief executive was ‘‘ultimately accountable for staff’s perceptions of openness and transparency, the culture within the ELT and for the culture of the council more broadly’’.
‘‘The effectiveness of any chief executive depends on enlightened and conscientious leadership.’’
After reading the draft report, Edwards told Boshier she had no knowledge of some of the issues
Former Christchurch City Council chief executive Karleen Edwards believes it was unfortunate the behaviour of only a few members of her leadership team may have tainted the perception of the entire team. staff raised with his investigators. Edwards said it was unfortunate the behaviours of only a few members of her leadership team may have tainted the perception of the entire team.
The report has not named individuals and does not talk about specific reports or situations.
Boshier said yesterday it was not appropriate for him to name individual members of the ELT that staff raised concerns about.
‘‘Ombudsman investigations are conducted in private, and the ombudsman and staff must maintain secrecy.’’
Baxendale and mayor Lianne Dalziel said on Thursday they did not know which members of the ELT the report referred to.
Baxendale planned to ask for names of the senior staff the report referred to when she met with Boshier later this month.
The senior leadership team at the time the investigation was launched in October 2018 were: Mary Richardson, David Adamson, Leonie Rae, Brendan Anstiss, Carol Bellette, Anne Columbus, Helen Beaumont and Murray Dickson. Columbus and Dickson no longer work for the council but the other six remain.
Richardson, who was acting chief executive from June to October and the only member of the team to speak publicly about the report, said trust and confidence in the council had been damaged.
She was not aware the situation was that bad until she read the report.
Adamson, Rae, Anstiss, Bellette could not be reached for comment and requests made through the council’s media team for interviews were denied and any questions directed to Baxendale.