QLDC to release public statement on CEO performance review

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has agreed to release a public statement that will detail the outcome of an annual review of chief executive Mike Theelen’s performance.

Mayor Jim Boult (right) is on the committee that reviews CEO Theelen's annual performance.

The annual review so far has been carried out in a public excluded workshop and in a meeting of the CEO Performance Review Committee composed of Mayor Jim Boult, Deputy Mayor Calum MacLeod and Councillor Penny Clark.

In a statement to Crux this afternoon (August 9) QLDC said:

“The Chief Executive Performance and Salary Review has been included on the agenda for Thursday’s QLDC meeting as a public excluded item under Section 7 (2)(a) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, which protects personal privacy.

“It would be inappropriate to discuss an individual’s employment in public. However, a media statement will be released following the event setting out in brief terms the outcome.

Crux also asked about the widespread use by the QLDC of workshops where no records or minutes are recorded, following an announcement by the ombudsman of an investigation into this practice.

Here’s the QLDC’s response:

“No decisions are made during workshops and no minutes are taken, but we have recently taken the step of publishing on the QLDC website when workshops occur and the subjects considered.”

Councillor Niki Gladding - believes performance criteria need re-visiting

Crux has confirmed the listing of workshops on the QLDC website. The listings include the topics involved and who attended, but no detail of the discussions that took place.

Councillor Niki Gladding welcomed the listing of workshops and the news that a public statement regarding Mr Theelen’s performance review would be released by the QLDC.

“However, I’d like to see the measures of the CEO’s performance changed,” Councillor Gladding told Crux today. “A performance review is only effective if the right questions and performance measures are being applied.”

Crux has published extensive coverage that has called into question Mr Theelen’s handling of a number of key public issues, including the billion-dollar Lakeview development deal, the “jobs for mates” procurement scandal and his involvement with proposed Wānaka airport expansion.

Read: Editorial. How Mike Theelen lied to Crux over "jobs for mates"

Read: Councillors asked to trust CEO Theelen in spite of $42 million Lakeview land fiasco.

Read: CEO Theelen writes political speeches and supports community-opposed Wānaka airport expansion.