Christchurch City Council paid $55,000 to recruitment firm to help find new CEO
Friday, 30 August 2019
A private firm was paid $55,000 by the Christchurch City Council to help recruit its new chief executive.
The appointment of outgoing Birmingham City Council boss Dawn Baxendale was announced in July, along with her annual salary of $495,000 and $30,000 towards relocation costs from the UK.
At the time, it was confirmed Wellington-based JacksonStone and Partners had been contracted to undertake the recruitment process, but the council would not reveal how much the company had been paid. That decision was overturned when Stuff complained to the Ombudsman.
Aaron Keown, who was one of four councillors to vote against Baxendale's salary, said the figure paid to JacksonStone was 'an obscene amount of money'.
'That's some people's entire salary,' he said.
**READ MORE:
* New Christchurch council boss still seeking work visa
* Incoming Christchurch City council chief executive's salary divides councillors
* Christchurch City Council chief executive's salary just higher than PM's**
Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel said the $55,000 paid to JacksonStone was 'considerably lower than other quotes received'.
A council spokeswoman the company carried out 'search and assessment activities to build a pool of suitably qualified and experienced candidates' as well as providing 'expert recruitment advice and administrative support throughout the process'.
The vacancy was advertised in The Press, The Dominion Post, New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM), Stuff Digital (Carousel), SEEK, LinkedIn and JacksonStone and Partners' website.
In July, Baxendale told Stuff her husband Scott came across an online advert for the Christchurch job and it had been their 'long-term ambition' since about 2011 to work in New Zealand.
It is not the first time CCC has employed the services of JacksonStone, in 2014 the company was contracted to recruit former chief executive Karleen Edwards, at a cost of $43,500.
JacksonStone has been a member of the All-of-Government Recruitment and Consulting panel, which allows companies to pitch for specialist contracts, since 2012.
It is working on the recruitment of Wellington City Council's new chief executive and was involved in hiring the Government's new chief technology officer and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's chief press secretary last year.
JacksonStone founding director Lindsay Jackson said she could not give specific information about the services provided to the Christchurch City Council, but it is understood the firm produced a report on the short-listed candidates; which included their cover letters, CVs, interview notes, salary expectations and availability to start.
'Given this report contains a considerable amount of personal and evaluative material, it would breach the privacy of all candidates involved if this report were disclosed,' the council spokeswoman said.
The council offered five 'executive search companies' the chance to tender for the work.
'All five confirmed their interest and intention to submit a proposal, however, only two companies did. JacksonStone & Partners and another company, who proposed a flat fee that was $42,000 more than JacksonStone,' the spokeswoman said.
New Zealand Taxpayers' Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke said in principle, there was nothing wrong with using a recruitment firm when searching internationally for a top-level official.
He said, more concerning was Christchurch City Council 'yet again' using commercial sensitivity as an excuse to refuse the release of information, 'forcing the overworked Ombudsman to intervene just as he did in the case of the library's $1.3 million touch wall'.
'It speaks to a culture of secrecy that [Dawn] Baxendale needs to change.'