Reading leak inquiry: Secret ‘whistleblower’ revealed

Monday, 2 September 2024

Mayor Tory Whanau’s chief of staff Nadine Walker, pictured right.

Mayor Tory Whanau’s chief of staff was the anonymous source that helped spark a ratepayer-funded investigation into five councillors over the Reading Cinema deal.

An email seen by The Post reveals Nadine Walker was the Wellington City Council staff member who allegedly overheard councillor Tony Randle say he planned to go public about a secret deal to buy land under the quake-prone complex. That claim was then used as part of a code of conduct complaint laid against the councillors.

Walker’s identity was kept secret during a weeks-long probe by lawyer Linda Clark, which cost ratepayers $43,000.

Clark never identified the source of the leak to journalists, but found the councillors had breached the council’s code of conduct.

Nadine Walker, far left, was a former chief press secretary to the Green Party at Parliament.

The councillors ‒ Randle, Diane Calvert, Ray Chung, Nicola Young and Iona Pannett ‒ have always maintained the inquiry was a politically motivated attack.

Clark, a partner at Dentons Kensington Swan, was hired by the council to investigate a complaint by deputy mayor Laurie Foon.

The complaint centred on a closed-door meeting in October, when elected members voted in favour of council staff negotiating the deal.

Four Wellington City councillors — Tony Randle, Nicola Young, Diane Calvert and Ray Chung — refused to co-operate with a probe into a complaint about leaked information.

According to Clark’s report, Foon alleged Randle said he was going to publicly release details about the item.

That claim was based on Walker’s account. Randle denies he made the comment.

Randle said the claim should never have been included in the complaint.

“This complaint from a Green Party councillor to a Green Party mayor included a claim from a staff member who is a Green Party member.

“That this ‘evidence’ was accepted … from a staff member who was a political appointment chosen by the mayor is simply appalling.

“More importantly this proves the whole complaint process was an attempt by those in power to shut down criticism from their political opponents.

“I am glad the public can now see the problem Wellington City has with a party-dominated council determined to avoid democratic scrutiny by independent councillors.”

Calvert wanted a public apology.

“We were targeted by the mayor, through her proxies, because we didn’t agree [Reading] a good deal for residents. And it wasn’t,” she said.

“This is the culture of attacking dissent we’ve been confronted with this term. We need not agree but to be attacked so publicly for not agreeing was dishonourable, divisive and devious.”

Young said: “This proves our allegation that the code of conduct [inquiry] was a political attack by the Greens, costing the equivalent of the average annual rates for 50 houses.”

Chung said Walker’s involvement “emphasises that this whole [investigation] was politically motivated and had less to do with any claimed infringement or leaking of information than a vexatious and litigious action by the mayor and deputy mayor to discredit us independent councillors.”

Pannett declined to comment.

But Whanau said staff should feel “empowered” to raise concerns or complaints.

“To suggest there is political interference is not only untrue, but raises a chilling potential for staff to feel unsafe raising issues or behaviour that may bring the council into disrepute,” she said.

“I implore all councillors to take lessons from these findings and not continue this concerning pattern of politicising staff. Staff, unlike elected officials are unable to defend themselves in the media which is an imbalance of power.”