Wellington City Council paid over $100,000 to recruit chief executive

Thursday, 20 March 2025

The recruitment process for Wellington City Council’s new chief executive cost more than $100,000.

Matt Prosser is starting his role as the council’s new chief executive on March 31, taking over from Barbara McKerrow, who finished her five-year term at the end of January.

Prosser has had three decades of experience in local government, and comes to Wellington from a role as chief executive of Dorset Council in England.

Information obtained under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act shows the entire recruitment process cost the council $114,305 excluding GST, which was paid to recruitment company Sheffield Services.

Costs included airfares, an independent liaison, interview room hire, accommodation, advertising, a personality and aptitude test and a probity check.

The council paid $62,500 for recruitment fees alone. David Hammond, executive search lead of Tribe Leadership Executive Search, said this amount was “in the realm of normal” for the size of the job.

In 2019, it cost the council $51,320 to recruit the previous chief executive Barbara McKerrow, which it paid to recruitment company Jackson Stone.

During the recruitment process for her replacement, $10,000 was spent on airfares, with an added $450 on travel expenses and $668 on accommodation.

The Post understands Prosser was flown to New Zealand for an interview in November. Prosser travelled alone in Premium Economy, the documents reveal.

But the airfares were unlikely to be for Prosser alone. Hammond said it was typical for recruitment agencies fly out multiple applicants, with recruiters looking internationally for strong candidates.

“For really serious jobs like this, you honestly need to see people in person and have the candidates front up.”

An independent liaison, who acts as a trusted external adviser to councillors, cost the council $20,000, meanwhile a psychometric assessment, used in the recruitment process to test one's cognitive ability and personality, cost $7500, plus an extra $1800 for the “materials”.

Hammond said it cost $1500 for a single psychometric assessment, meaning five candidates would have been short-listed for the top job.

Other costs included $2850 for organising and running the interview panel, $2073 for the interview room hire and $2549 for office service charges, such as photocopying, international calls and couriers .

Advertising for the job cost $2895, meanwhile a probity check cost $855.

The council said Sheffield Services had a track record of CE recruitment in local government for large metropolitan councils.

Prosser was appointed as council boss on December 5. The recruitment process began on August 20, and interviews were conducted on November 27.

In his previous role as Dorset Council boss, Prosser was responsible for 4500 staff and earned more $400,000 a year.

Chief strategy and finance officer Andrea Reeves has been acting as chief executive since McKerrow left at the end of January. Her contract ended late February but McKerrow elected to take her annual leave later than the council’s summer recess.

Correction: Matt Prosser starts the role on March 31, not April 1 as reported in an earlier version of this story. (Amended: March 20, 2025, 9.50am)