Lisa Guy's undeclared conflict could derail QLDC $1 billion water CCO

A crucial vote on moving one billion dollars of QLDC water services to an external Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) could be overturned due to an undeclared piece of advisory work done by Councillor Lisa Guy’s family business consultancy Rationale.

Councillor Guy voted for the move to an external CCO on July 31st this year in spite of 75% of community votes being against the idea. She was dismissive of the public submissions saying they represented only a tiny proportion of the total population.

In the end it took a casting vote from Mayor Glyn Lewers to push through the move to an external CCO. If Councillor Guy was not entitled to vote due to her Rationale advisory work with QLDC on the same subject, then it seems the vote would have to be against the external CCO.

Crux revealed in April 2024 that Councillor Guy has been making contradictory statements about her role with Rationale and her financial interest in the company.

In that same story we published the fact that the Queenstown Lakes District Council had entered into new $30,000 Rationale contract relating to “background work on possible responses and opportunities created by the new government’s three waters review.” Councillor Guy says the work only cost QLDC $8,000.

She obtained special dispensation from the Office of the Auditor-General for the contract to be awarded to Rationale while she was a serving councillor, but that written permission carried an important restriction.

This statement was made to Crux by the Office of the Auditor-General in April 2024.

“Our November 2023 letter to the Council (QLDC) gave approval for the councillor to have an interest in the contract between Rationale and the Council, which is worth up to $30,000 in the current financial year.

“Our letter notes that “the approval does not suspend the normal prohibition on Councillor Guy discussing or voting on matters (including these matters) in which she has a financial interest.”

Whatever the cost of the Rationale consultancy work, it appears to be unavoidably connected to the vote in July this year to take QLDC water services to an external CCO. There is no indication that Councillor Guy declared this conflict and she certainly voted on July 31 in favour of the external CCO.

Councillor Guy’s recent attacks on Crux - and the role of QLDC candidate Stephen Brent.

In recent days Councillor Guy has made a number of unsupported claims against Crux and our reporting of her connection to Rationale. On Friday September 26 (yesterday) she emailed Crux threatening a complaint to the NZ Media Council if we did not remove our references to her family business, Rationale.

We then discovered that since 2007, another candidate in this year’s local body elections - lawyer Stephen Brent - has acted as the sole director and shareholder in EGLG Trustees Ltd. Mr Brent is standing in the Queenstown-Wakatipu ward for councillor.

• Local election candidate Stephen Brent - also sole director and shareholder of a trustee company holding shares in Rationale for Edward and Lisa Guy.

EGLG stands for “Edward Guy Lisa Guy” and the trustee company is listed on the Companies Register as part of the majority share ownership of Rationale. Lisa Guy is also listed as a direct shareholder.

Crux has also discovered multiple changes to the QLDC’s Register of Interests regarding Councillor Guy since her election as councillor three years ago. The Stephen Brent run EGLG Trustees Ltd reference disappears after 2023 even though the Companies Register still shows it being active and holding joint majority shares.

2023.

2024.

2025.

Stephen Brent did not respond to a number of detailed questions from Crux today relating to Rationale, his relationship with Lisa Guy and his apparently close relationship to outgoing CEO Mike Theelen. He did send us this brief statement.

“I am not at my computer today but have seen the email via my phone. I am an independent trustee of the Guy Family Trust via my trustee company and have been since 2007. I have no financial nor beneficial interest in their Trust or the assets that it holds. Stephen Brent.”

Additionally Crux did receive credible information some weeks ago that Mayor Lewers had offered his services to the new external water CCO as a Director.

In response to this Mr Lewers said:

“Sorry to disappoint but no, I have not made myself available, nor would I while serving as Mayor.”

Glyn Lewers August 4, 2025.

Crux will seek a response from QLDC next week as to how the external CCO vote on July 31st will be affected by Councillor Guy’s involvement with Rationale in providing paid advice to the council on “possible responses and opportunities created by the new government’s three waters review.”

Councillor Guy did not respond to Crux questions sent to her earlier today.

Mayor Lewers has given his support to Lisa Guy's online complaints about Crux reporting.