Anita Baker’s Full Statement:
While the other shareholders are focussed on solving the problems at Wellington Water to cut out the overspend and ensure value for rates, Wellington’s mayor and council are off campaigning for re-election.
This proposed Kangaroo Court is a disgrace, bypassing the proper regional processes to pursue a vendetta against [Wellington Water] board members and deflect blame for their own part in creating this mess.
Fixing the crisis at Wellington Water requires serious leadership, focus on what’s important, and true accountability from everyone concerned. Wellington City’s proposed show trial fails on all three fronts.
When Wellington City Councillors convene a Kangaroo Court or make legal threats when the Council itself failed to provide oversight as the biggest shareholder, ask yourself: who in their right mind would put their hand up to serve on the board of a public entity?
If Wellington City Councillors were held to the same standard they’re applying to Nick Leggett, there would be a mass exodus.
If we agree to the political fix proposed by WCC, we would leave Wellington Water in worse shape than it is today. They would be stranded with only two directors. Positive reforms would be stalled. Wellington City may be willing to sacrifice progress for a few headlines, but we are not.
They need to stop focussing on the wrong things and and stop with the political game playing because that’s exactly how we got in this mess to begin with.
Yes, there were oversight failures by the Board but all this has only come to light because of investigations carried out by the current [chief executive] and chair who inherited these broken systems. They have already made important changes with more to come. We should be supporting them in their efforts, not attacking and threatening them which only makes it harder to make the improvements that need to be made.
They owe it to ratepayers to start acting like grown-ups. Because ratepayers understand, even if some of their representatives do not, that responsibility for the oversight failures here extends well beyond the board of Wellington Water.
