Man who says he was 'bullied' by Gore council CEO has applied for his job

Tuesday, 14 November 2023

A man who says he was bullied by Gore District Council chief executive Stephen Parry has now applied for Parry’s job.

But Doug Walker, who currently lives in the UK, says his application is not an act of revenge.

Walker served as the council’s chief financial officer from 2004 to 2006 and says he was bullied by Parry while employed there.

“I probably have no chance due to me not being a Mr Parry fan, but [it’s] worth a go,’’ he said.

”I hope my application doesn't come across as being an act of revenge as it would automatically make my application unsuccessful. The council would never take me on or even interview me if they thought there was even a smidgen chance of revenge being my motivation and I wouldn't blame them,’’ he said.

Parry has previously said that the allegations of bullying had been ‘’extremely hurtful and stressful’’.

Walker said: ‘’I just think there is a lot that needs to be done to steer the ship in the right direction. For me, the motivation is the challenge to turn things around and give the mayor the support he needs as he has had such a challenging first year as mayor, but despite it all, he has survived through his resilience, professionalism and maturity.’’

Walkers’ covering letter says he has never been a chief executive, and he proposes improving the council’s financial management, and ‘’undertaking a full and independent audit of staff departures over the past 20 years”.

Parry tendered his resignation in September after 22 years in the role, and he was due to leave the council at the end of October. The council voted to retain him as its interim chief executive until his replacement can be found.

The candidate briefing pack for the position has a long list of attributes for the ideal candidate, including holding the community at the heart of decision-making, leading and nurturing a team while fostering a strong culture, and experience in community engagement and understanding the importance of promoting a positive image for the council.

Walker has sent Stuff details of the issues he had with Parry while he was employed at the council, which resulted in him taking stress leave, engaging a lawyer, and attending mediation.

He says it took a toll on his mental health, and he resigned and left New Zealand.

But his issues did not end there – Parry turned up unannounced at his home in London and threatened him with expulsion from the New Zealand Accountants' Society if he did not retract public statements about the financial management of the council.

Parry was at the centre of a public falling-out with Gore district mayor Ben Bell and a month into Bell’s tenure the pair were already in mediation and no longer speaking.

In June, Bell issued a statement apologising to Parry, saying the media attention had caused “significant disruption, distress and hurt to the chief executive, staff, and councillors’’.

At a policy and regulatory committee meeting in October, he said the bullying card was played too often in the workplace environment.

“Because I think too often now the card is played, and it is performance management related and it’s not bullying. It is just a function of ensuring that a employee is operating at the expected level,’’ he said.

Later this month the council will consider a second petition calling for Parry’s resignation.