Leadership vacuum after council boss quits 11 months before contract expires

Tuesday, 21 November 2023

Christchurch City Council chief executive Dawn Baxendale has resigned amid scrutiny of her position, leaving a void in an already severely depleted executive leadership team at a critical time for the organisation.

It is understood Baxendale tendered her resignation during the early stages of a council-commissioned independent review into her performance.

Westlake Governance was appointed earlier this year to help the council decide whether to offer Baxendale another contract once her five-year term expired next October.

Councillors had until April to decide whether to ask her to stay for another five years or to look for a new chief executive.

While it is understood the final report has not been completed, preliminary results of a survey with a range of people, including staff, had been received.

It is understood those results were not favourable to Baxendale.

Pressure has been mounting on Baxendale for some time as she grappled with low staff morale, poor resident satisfaction and high staff turnover.

The council announced at midday on Monday that Baxendale tendered her resignation two weeks ago, on November 6.

Mauger said it was Baxendale’s decision to resign.

The resignation was accepted by councillors last Wednesday during an unexpected closed-doors meeting, which lasted for almost two hours.

Do you know more? Email reporters@press.co.nz

Baxendale was due to have returned from annual leave on Monday but has extended that until November 30, when her resignation takes effect.

On Monday Baxendale was at home, but did not respond when The Press approached for comment.

It is not publicly known if she received a payout as a result of her resignation.

Mauger refused to answer this question, choosing instead to repeat the phrase: “The CE has resigned and I wish her all the best for the future.”

He said the phrase four times during an interview on Monday, using it as a blanket response to questions about Baxendale and her performance review.

In the council’s statement, Baxendale said she was leaving before her contract expired for personal reasons and felt it was timely to do so now because she had decided not to reapply for a further five-year contract at the council.

She said the council was developing its long-term plan (LTP) for the next 10 years and it was appropriate for a new manager to lead the organisation through it.

However, she is leaving at a crucial time in the plan’s development, with the council racing against time to have a draft largely completed next month, before a public release in late February.

Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leeann Watson said businesses would be keen to avoid uncertainty at local government and she hoped the transition process and hiring of a new chief executive would not be to the detriment of delivering core services.

“The chamber will continue to advocate on behalf of businesses for a council that better understands how to enable rather than defaulting to a position as an enforcer.”

Baxendale’s departure also comes as chief financial officer Leah Scales is on sick leave, and just two members of the once five-strong executive leadership team remain at work - Mary Richardson, who is now also interim chief executive and Lynne McClelland, assistant chief executive.

Scales went on sick leave the same week Baxendale tendered her resignation, while former infrastructure, planning and regulatory services general manager Jane Davis left in mysterious circumstances earlier this year, at the same time that three waters boss Helen Beaumont also left.

Richardson has been filling in for Davis, as well as holding her own role as general manager of citizens and community.

In March, the council’s head of people and culture, Jane O’Toole, and chief information officer and head of digital, Symon McHerron, resigned to take up roles in different organisations.

Peter Keegan, the head of human resources, is also on leave. He has only been in the role a few months.

Mauger said Richardson had some ideas about what she wanted to do as interim chief executive and he was going to back her “every step of the way”.

When asked about the gaps in the senior leadership team, Mauger said Richardson was moving quickly to promote people within the organisation.

“There are some fantastic people down there. The ELT (executive leadership team) has been too thin for too long,” he said.

“The rubber band has been stretched so far and it’s broken, or it will break.”

Mauger insisted on Monday that the council was on track to meet the LTP deadlines.

He said McClelland was leading the LTP process and was doing a “really good job”.

“What was happening, in my view, they were so short in ELT, if someone is getting overworked or something there’s no-one there to say, ‘I’ll help you’.

“It’s going to be filled out with more people, to share the load.”

When asked why it took the council two weeks to announce Baxendale’s resignation, Mauger said the council was just working through the process.

The full council had to accept the resignation and last Wednesday was the first opportunity to do so, Mauger said.

In a statement released by the council on Monday, Mauger said Baxendale had overseen “significant decisions” for Christchurch and shepherded the council through challenges including the Covid pandemic and lockdown, the development of Te Kaha and improving the council’s credit rating with Standard and Poors.

“Dawn’s leadership helped us get through these tough times and seize the opportunities.

“I want to note my personal thanks for her service, integrity and hard work during her time here in Christchurch. We wish her and her husband Scott and family all the very best for the next chapter.”

The council will now begin the recruitment process for a replacement, but is not expected to advertise the role until next year.

Mauger said the council first needed to figure out exactly what it was looking for in a chief executive.