Auckland Council development agency CEO Roger Macdonald on unexplained leave

Friday, 18 October 2019

The Auckland Council Civic Administration Building and surrounding area will undergo an up to $300 million redevelopment.

The chief executive of Auckland Council development agency Panuku is on unexplained leave, and his deputy has stepped-in on an acting basis.

Roger Macdonald was recently in the news over an $80,000 increase in his salary and the introduction of an executive bonus scheme which paid out $451,000 to 38 agency staff, raising the ire of the mayor Phil Goff.

In July he had been in the news over accepting luxury hospitality including a helicopter trip to the Bay of Islands, from the firm which bought the council's former HQ through Panuku.

Roger MacDonald, CEO of the Auckland Council agency Panuku Development

The trip had been flagged in a letter from the Serious Fraud Office, which had found no grounds to investigate a complaint by mayoral candidate John Tamihere over the sale.

**READ MORE:

Precinct Properties Scott Pritchard (left) and Panuku CEO Roger MacDonald (right) at the start of the 10 Madden Street development in Auckland's Wynyard Quarter

* Auckland Council agency Panuku paid $451,000 to staff in bonuses

* Auckland Panuku boss claims 'no memory' of invite for helicopter flight to superyacht

* Serious Fraud Office rejects Auckland Council fraud complaint but flags luxury trip

* Auckland Council's former HQ sold for $3m, sparking SFO complaint

* Heritage Auckland Council HQ on track to be sold and turned into apartments**

The SFO noted the trip 'did risk creating a perception of impropriety', but at the time Panuku said MacDonald had not known it involved a helicopter ride.

MacDonald followed procedures in having the January 2017 trip approved by the previous chair of Panuku, having declared its value as $300-$500.

However correspondence sought from Panuku by Stuff showed two emails to Macdonald in the week leading to the trip had referred to the helicopter.

Panuku's chair Adrienne Young-Cooper told Stuff Macdonald's explanation was that he did not recall the emails.

In a statement to Stuff on Macdonald's absence Young-Cooper said he was on leave.

'During Macdonalds absence Mr David Rankin will have the position of acting CEO of Panuku ,' she said.

'Panuku remains focussed on its mission to regenerate and transform parts of Auckland,' she said.

The agency would provide no other information about the CEO's leave.

MacDonald was recruited from the United Kingdom in late 2016 for the role, and had previously been the CEO of a construction company in Ghana.

In 2018, Macdonald refunded to Panuku $566 claimed for laundry expenses during two 2017 trips to Hong Kong and Shanghai, after they were queried by this journalist.