Mary Richardson to stay on as chief executive of Christchurch City Council - with a big pay cut

Thursday, 3 October 2024

Interim chief executive Mary Richardson had ruled out taking on the role permanently, but was persuaded to stay on by mayor Phil Mauger and his councillors. (File photo)

Mary Richardson has been persuaded to stay on as Christchurch City Council’s chief executive, despite previously ruling herself out of the job - and she made having a substantial pay cut a condition of her taking it on.

Richardson was appointed after councillors chose not to employ any of the almost 40 people who applied for the position.

However, she will only be in the role until June 30, 2026, having told the council she does not want to serve a full five-year term.

A proviso she made for her to take the job was having a drastic pay cut, reducing her salary by almost $100,000 from her predecessor Dawn Baxendale’s pay of $548,548 in 2023.

Richardson, whose total remuneration will be $450,000 a year, asked for her salary to be reduced because of the financial pressures on the council and ratepayers.

Her salary for her role as interim chief executive will be released as part of the council’s annual report at the end of the month.

The 62-year-old was general manager of citizens and community for 10 years before stepping in as interim chief executive following Baxendale’s abrupt departure in November last year, despite having 11 months left on her contract.

Baxendale cited personal reasons for her departure, but pressure had been mounting on her for some time as she grappled with low staff morale, poor resident satisfaction and high staff turnover.

Last month it emerged - after a 10-month battle that ended with the Ombudsman ordering the council to release the information - that she had walked away from her job with a $126,000 exit package.

Richardson has a reputation for being popular with staff.

Adrian Mealing, organiser for the Public Service Association, said in December that the improved relationship between council bosses and the union prompted him to ask Richardson to stay in the job permanently.

Mayor Phil Mauger said staff feedback about the announcement of Richardson’s permanent appointment reinforced that councillors had made the right decision.

Thirty-seven people applied to be Baxendale’s replacement. Mauger said he and the councillors interviewed a shortlist of three candidates, but none stood out, and they persuaded Richardson to stay on.

“We really couldn’t make our mind up, so we went and asked her if she would mind applying,” he said.

He said Richardson’s agreeance to continue in the job would get the council through the 2025 local elections until the time it would begin work on its next 10-year plan..

Richardson when she was the Methodist Mission chief executive prior to starting her most recent stint at the council in 2014.

“Mary knows our communities and local government inside out,” Mauger said. “Everyone is very happy.”

Richardson’s ties to the city council date back four decades, but she has also had an eclectic mix of jobs outside the organisation.

She first joined the council in the 1980s, when she co-ordinated the first two SummerTimes festivals, and was involved in the establishment of a youth centre.

She also organised events and promoted musicians including post-punk bands The Fall and The Birthday Party, UK punk poet John Cooper Clarke, Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors, and musician Nick Cave.

Richardson said while promoting bands she got hooked into the needs of young people, which led to her taking on youth advocacy roles.

She was involved in creating the Ministry of Youth Affairs, which took her down the government path.

She also did full-time immersion courses in Te Ao Māori and for a time was chief executive of the National Youth Council.

Richardson returned to the council in 1998, when she held a policy role for six years, and after working as executive director of Christchurch Methodist Mission returned to the council in 2014, initially as director of the office of the chief executive.