Failure of governance leads to ... a large payout. Gulp!

The failure of governance that I commented on a couple of months ago has now provided the ratepayers of Christchurch with an unwanted headache. Reports have emerged today that outgoing CEO, Tony Maryatt, will leave the Christchurch City Council today with a large severance payout estimated to be in the order of $400,000. The severance payout will have been triggered by provisions in Mr Maryatt's employment contract, no doubt. 

While the media, ratepayers and members of the public will raise their collective arms in horror at the scale of the severance payment, another less visible—but arguably more significant—factor actually merits more attention; that of accountability. Councillors need to think more carefully about their motivations and their actions. The common good must prevail over personal or party agendas.

With the local body elections upon us, voters would be well-advised to quiz candidates carefully, to satisfy themselves that each candidate understands governance; is committed to a creating a strong and effective team of leaders; and ultimately, is focussed on working productively towards the common goal of rebuilding the city of Christchurch.