Much progress has been made at the Invercargill City Council since a critical report was released late last year, the council's chief executive, Clare Hadley, says.
The Thomson Report last year said that Invercargill Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt was increasingly unable to carry out his duties. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
The council is planning a six-month review of progress since the Thomson Report was released.
The report found a leadership void at the council, with Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt increasingly unable to carry out his duties.
Hadley said everyone had put a great effort into improving things over the last six months, including putting in place an action plan which involved monitoring and measuring progress along the way and the impact of the two external appointees who the council put in place.
"This is an important piece of work for our council as a whole. We have all put a lot of effort into improving our processes, systems and relationships over the last six months in order to better serve our community," she said.
"Seeking an external review of work to date will help us keep on track and deliver the outcomes Invercargill people need.
"The intention is to have Richard Thomson, author of the original report, carry out the six-month review and gauge progress to date. In particular we want feedback on how our action plan has been implemented, whether it covered the key issues raised in his original report, any comments on progress and suggestions for future improvements."
The council would consider the details of the review at next week's council meeting.
It was expected to be completed by the end of July and would consider the steps the council had taken to address governance matters raised in late 2020 in response to concerns raised by the Department of Internal Affairs.
Council unanimously adopted the findings of the Thomson Report and an action plan to address the issues raised in November last year.
However, Sir Tim immediately hit back at the report's findings, saying the report was scapegoating him for the failings of the council.
"Anyone who has any faith in this report with its glowing praises and singularly-directed criticisms, is also likely to believe we will soon see Auckland Island pigs flying over Queens Park," he said at the time.
A rift between Sir Tim and his deputy, Nobby Clark, had also developed in recent months.
But external appointee and project governance group chair Jeff Grant said there had been a lot of work done over the past six months.
"We've put a lot of new processes and policies in place to support the organisation and I have seen marked improvements in the way meetings are run and decisions are made.
"There has also been a focus on building relationships between elected members themselves and also with staff at various levels. This work is ongoing, however, and we recognise it takes time to embed real change and make changes in behaviours.
"The six-month point is timely to take stock of progress and seek an independent appraisal of what needs to happen next," Grant said.