Second senior council manager resigns after mysterious absence

Tuesday, 5 September 2023

A second senior Christchurch City Council manager has resigned after mysteriously being away from work since February.

Jane Davis, the council’s general manager of infrastructure, planning and regulatory services, resigned in July, chief executive Dawn Baxendale confirmed to The Press on Monday.

The resignation took effect from September 1, Baxendale said.

Davis stopped going to work at the council in February, the same time as three waters boss Helen Beaumont. Beaumont also resigned in July, but unlike Davis’ resignation, Baxendale released this information in July.

Baxendale has repeatedly refused to numerous questions on the issue including why the pair were off work for months.

Just two weeks ago she told The Press, Davis was still employed by the council, but did not mention David had actually resigned at least a month earlier.

A council spokesperson said on Monday, the council had no further comment.

But in an email to staff, sent on Thursday last week, Baxendale said Davis had led her team through a busy time and she wished her well for the future.

“The group that Jane managed faced some significantly challenging issues including the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant fire in November (2021), the Covid protests in Cranmer Sq and record numbers of applications for building and resource consents,” Baxendale told staff in the email.

Baxendale would also not say if Beaumont or Davis had received a payout, if they had been on full pay before resigning or if Davis had been receiving full pay before her resignation took effect.

The pair’s exact salaries are not publicly known, but based on the salary bands in the council’s 2022 annual report, Beaumont’s annual wage was likely to be at least $200,000, and Davis’ $220,000.

Based on that, the council could have paid out at least $195,000 to the pair while they were not at work.

The council has also spent $302,485 on an external review, commissioned by Baxendale, into “staffing numbers” within the Three Waters unit.

Baxendale said in August, the report also looked at “the council’s related processes, procedures and controls” - exactly what that means is unclear.

The council has refused to release the report under four sections of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act. It has cited the need to protect people’s privacy, to maintain legal privilege, and to enable the council to carry on negotiations.

Baxendale said the council would release a public version of the report, but she would not say when.

Davis was one of five people on the executive leadership team headed by Baxendale, and joined the council in mid-2021. She was previously the chief executive of the Carterton District Council.