City councillors welcome review highlighting poor governance, allegations of bullying, and lack of direction
Thursday, 15 April 2021
An independent review highlighting poor governance, allegations of bullying, political “point-making”, and a lack of leadership at Wellington City Council has been welcomed by councillors.
The draft report, obtained exclusively by Stuff on Wednesday, was called for by mayor Andy Foster in February following a sustained period of tension and disagreements among councillors and council staff.
It found numerous problems including an unfit governance structure, a lack of direction and oversight, and some council staff feeling unsafe in giving free and frank advice.
The report, which was expected to cost ratepayers $75,000, made 12 recommendations, including scrapping councillor portfolios and resetting the council’s committee structure to encourage “collaboration not division”.
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Author Peter Winder said resolving the council’s troublesome internal politics was ultimately the responsibility of councillors, with the “noise, atmospherics and tenor” of some of their debates undermining public trust and confidence.
The report highlighted “concerning” suggestions that council officers felt unsafe when giving free and frank advice to councillors, and did not feel respected by them.
There had also been instances of staff and councillors being publicly criticised, the report said.
However, several councillors spoken to by Stuff on Thursday said the report’s findings were positive and offered a way forward.
Simon Woolf said he had never agreed with the portfolio system.
He had offered to give up his portfolio on three occasions – twice in the previous term and once in the current term, he said. “I thought that the report was very considered and quite well put-together.
“It’s quite obvious that there are [problematic] behaviours, and there’s been a culture that’s been in the organisation … for quite some time. And that’s what we have to consider and rid ourselves of it, so that we are more about the city, for the city.”
Fleur Fitzsimons said she fully supported the recommendations.
“I think that it provides the opportunity to focus the organisation on delivery of major projects, and it also gives a number of councillors the chance to play a leadership role in the committee structures, and I think that’s a really healthy thing.”
She said the changes would provide Foster with the opportunity to be a “champion” for Wellington and not get “lost in the detail”.
The report found Foster had failed to act as champion and chief advocate for the city, partly because of the weight of day-to-day administrative tasks.
Jill Day said the council needed a “step change” in the way it worked, and the report was a positive step forward for the city.
Councillors Sean Rush, Jenny Condie and Teri O’Neill also found the report positive.
Rush said many of the recommendations were positive and constructive, while Condie described the report as excellent.
O’Neill said the report was well-received and the council’s governance needed a “large overhaul”.
The report found the council’s current elected members brought a higher level of political experience “than would normally be expected from a relatively new team”.
However, the group as a whole had more limited governance experience and understanding of local government than many other councils, it said.
Winder interviewed more than 50 people for the review, including councillors, council staff, regional mayors, mana whenua representatives, and members of various other Wellington organisations.
The report will be made public on Monday and discussed by councillors at a meeting next Thursday.
Foster was not available for comment.