Who will be Wellington City Council’s Crown observer?

Twenty-four hours after the Government moved to place a Crown observer at Wellington City Council, several names have been floated as potential candidates to sort out the “shambles”.

Prominent names include former Ōhāriu MP Peter Dunne, former Wellington Mayor Dame Fran Wilde and former chairwoman of the commission that took over Tauranga City Council, Anne Tolley.

Asked whether he had an idea who he might appoint, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said he was waiting for advice from officials.

“There’s been people putting their names forward but in terms of the official process, we’re going through the Department of Internal Affairs.”

Newstalk ZB host Nick Mills speculated former High Commissioner to Australia and former minister Dame Annette King could be suitable for the job but he said she was apparently not keen. Mills also floated Peter Dunne as a possible candidate.

Dunne said he had not been approached about the job and would not speculate as to whether he was interested.

“This is clearly a financial management issue and it needs someone who’s highly skilled in that area and has an established background there.

“The person will also need to have some understanding of the wider political environment, although I think that trying to resolve the council’s political problem might be beyond one human being.”

Dunne said any candidate would also need the time to do it.

“I suspect this is going to become a somewhat neverending task.”

Wilde, who is also a former minister, said she had not been approached and she was not interested in the role.

She agreed with Dunne the observer needed to understand how local government worked and be across the financials.

“Coming in cold without any knowledge whatsoever would be quite difficult. They don’t need to be ex-local government, they just need to have some understanding.”

Wilde thought Government intervention had come as a welcome move.

“It might settle down the council, which needs settling down.”

Tolley has just completed more than three years as the chairwoman of the commission overseeing Tauranga City Council.

However, she does not have her sights on sorting out another council’s problems.

“No, I’m retired,” she said when asked if she would be interested in the Crown observer role in Wellington.

Former Wellington Mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast told Newstalk ZB she didn’t think she had the skillset the Government was looking for.

“They’ll be looking for someone who is maybe an accountant, a financial expert.”

Newstalk ZB host Heather du Plessis-Allan told Brown she understood the Government needed “a lefty who can understand books”.

She suggested a list of potential candidates, including Wilde, Dunne as well as former Pharmac board chairman and former minister Steve Mahary and former Te Whatu Ora chairman Rob Campbell.

“Those are all good names, we appreciate the feedback,” Brown said.

In the letter Brown sent to Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau notifying her of Government intervention, he said a Crown observer’s role was to assist the council in addressing its problems, monitor progress and recommend further action.

“The role of the Crown observer is to provide guidance and advice to elected council members, collectively and individually on matters of governance and financial strategy and planning.

“The Crown observer may also provide advice and guidance to the council chief executive and senior management team on how best to support elected council members.”

Brown stressed the observer does not have a decision-making role.

“The decision-makers are the democratically elected mayors and councillors.”

The draft terms of reference said the observer may attend all council and committee meetings as well as meet individually with the mayor and councillors.

They will report monthly to Brown before providing an interim report in February and then a final report after their term ends.

The observer’s term is proposed to end in July unless otherwise advised by Brown. The council will foot the bill for the observer’s remuneration.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.