Ratepayer criticises council restructure as ‘lazy’ and ‘weak’

Tuesday, 8 April 2025

A “disgusted” Timaru ratepayer has labelled the district council’s restructure plan to axe 52 jobs as lazy and weak decision-making.

Dr Phil Driver, an internationally recognised and published strategist who has worked for central government, territorial authorities and global companies in New Zealand and overseas, sent an email to council chief executive Nigel Trainor, mayor Nigel Bowen and councillors challenging them to reconsider the restructure.

Driver told them the council was proposing to throw 52 “loyal staff into the small Timaru employment market” and accused Trainor of “cruelly labelling some of those who get laid off as ‘low scorers’”.

Trainor announced the proposal to staff on March 23. It was hoped the move, which could lead to 71 roles being cut and 19 created, would save the council about $4 million.

Driver said the council claimed to have made a “hard decision”, but to him it appeared they decided to keep their own jobs, keep two big $40m “vanity projects” that have driven up rates, and chuck employees onto the scrap heap.

He also said the council had unfairly targeted staff to cover for its own financial mismanagement.

He has shared the email with The Timaru Herald.

“The CEO is quoted as saying that ‘employment costs rose over the last three years’.

“Naughty, naughty employment costs doing that – they need to be held accountable, so we’ll simultaneously chuck 52 staff on the scrap heap.”

Driver also highlighted those who had been responsible for controlling staff costs. They were “the CEO, for financial management, and the mayor and councillors, for financial governance”, he said.

“Given their high pay, it is reasonable to expect excellent performance with no major mistakes. I question whether or not both individuals have failed on both counts.

“Is it reasonable to infer that the current financial fiasco is due to failed financial management and governance by the council?”

Driver said he struggled with Trainor’s statement that “lowest scoring” employees would be selected to have their roles disestablished.

“That’s going to look great on the CVs of the staff who are being chucked on the scrap heap. Don’t just chuck them on the scrap heap but also label them as being ‘low scoring’.

“As a ratepayer I did not vote for this level of brutal callousness towards council staff by council’s decision makers.

“There are recognised, professional and compassionate ways of advising people that they have not been successful with their job applications.”

Driver questioned whether “questionable financial and staff management” would in fact make Trainor “the lowest scoring employee”.

He asked if council meetings chaired by the mayor had approved unsustainable Long Term Plans and annual budgets, and added unfunded expenditure to already unsustainable budgets.

He also asked whether, despite knowing the council was in financial strife, they had approved $40m in expenditure of ratepayer money on two “vanity projects” – the Theatre Royal upgrade and Aorangi Park stadium redevelopment.

Driver claimed the two projects had hugely increased debt and rates, saying the council had refused to accept responsibility or hold themselves accountable for what seemed to be failed financial management and governance.

He wanted the council to get professional advice on combining the restructuring with performance management, condemn and terminate the restructure proposal.

The chief executive, mayor and councillors should, according to Driver, reconsider their positions and consider resigning or not standing in this year’s elections.

Trainor told The Timaru Herald that “we completely rejected Driver’s characterisation of the process”.

“I have committed to staff that we will run this process in a legal, open and fair way, and have done so throughout.

“[With] respect for the staff who are currently engaging with this process in a productive way it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.”