Black mark for Hayley Wain
Wellington city councillors' end-of-term report
BY JIM CHIPP
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The Wellingtonian
The Wellingtonian's end-of-term appraisal of Wellington city councillors has clearly identified the movers and shakers, and the inert.
Wellington City Council's poorest performer is two-term councillor Hayley Wain.
Ms Wain, who was elected in 2004 at the age of 18, draws a salary of $86,000 a year, but is struggling to make an impact on Wellington.
We set out to see which city councillors had served residents and ratepayers well in the past three years. With a local body election looming in October, we have up-dated the mid-term appraisal we carried out last year.
The 2009 panel identified four hard-working high-fliers: mayor Kerry Prendergast, Green party councillors Celia Wade-Brown and Iona Pannett, and deputy mayor Ian McKinnon. A completely new panel agreed.
The two panels also agreed on the lowest performer: Northern ward councillor Ms Wain.
She was unknown to three panellists, but those who were aware of her work were unanimous that she was inaccessible, ineffective, did not have a strong work ethic, was not pro-active and was unresponsive to their concerns.
Ms Wain said she had not met or had anything to do with many of the panel, and questioned whether the nine people selected were representative of Wellington residents.
"It would be interesting to do it [the poll] ward-by-ward and see what the results were."
Much of her work, she said, was representing the interests of people who phoned her needing help with issues such as blocked drains or resource consent difficulties, or with youth organisations such as Zeal and the Boys' and Girls' Institute, rather than "pressure or high-profile groups".
Was she satisfied that she had served residents well?
"I think so," Ms Wain said. "Ultimately it's the call of the electorate in terms of how people think we have performed."
Our new nine-member panel was drawn from the fields of business, social services, sport, the arts and community leaders.
The mayor, deputy mayor and Ray Ahipene-Mercer were the best known. Ms Prendergast and Mr McKinnon were both well-regarded, though Ms Prendergast was considered to be more pro-active.
Green Party councillors Celia Wade-Brown, first elected in 1994, and first-termer Iona Pannett were the highest-rated councillors.
Two councillors, John Morrison and Ngaire Best, polarised the panel, and were rated very highly by some and poorly by others.
The rest rated evenly, receiving average or below average assessments across the board.
THE PANEL
The Wellingtonian asked a panel of nine to appraise the performance of their employees – the city councillors.
They came from the fields of sport, business, the arts, social services and the community and were chosen for having had some interaction with city councillors.
They also came from every hue of the political and economic spectrums.
The panel was: John Dow: Business and sports leader.Lililucia Schmidt-Uili: Leader of Wellington YWCA's Discover leadership programme.Mike Leon: Wellington Night Shelter manager.Chris Parkin: Former city councillor, Museum Hotel owner, St James Theatre trustee.Hilary Beaton: Downstage Theatre chief executive.Ruth Paul: Author, Makara-Ohariu Community Board chairwoman.Mike Egan: Wellington restaurateur. Jim Candiliotis: Federation of Wellington Progressive and Residents' associations, CouncilWatch. Grant Robertson: Labour MP for Wellington Central.
The panellists were asked these questions about each councillor:
Accessibility – Are they readily available to talk to you?
Effectiveness – Does their council work make a difference?
Work ethic – Do they get about among their community and are they diligent in being informed about community issues?
Active or reactive – Do they initiate things or react to events and circumstances?Responsiveness – Do they listen to concerns and take notice?
RAY AHIPENE-MERCER
First elected in 2000 in the Eastern ward.
Responsibilities: Portfolio leader for climate change, and for engagement and cultural wellbeing, Wellington Waterfront Limited director.
Total salary: $105,656
Panel verdict
Accessibility – excellent
Effectiveness – moderate
Work ethic – very good
Active or reactive – very reactive
Responsiveness – very unresponsive
The best-known councillor to the panel, other than the mayor and deputy mayor. He was the panel's Mr-Middle-of-the-Road – accessible, but average.
NGAIRE BEST
First elected in 2001 in the Northern ward, lost her seat in 2004 to Hayley Wain. Re-elected in 2007.
Responsibilities: Social portfolio leader.
Total salary: $86,456
Panel verdict
Accessibility – moderate
Effectiveness – very poor
Work ethic – moderate
Active or reactive – very reactive
Responsiveness – moderately responsive
A struggler, well-regarded in her own north Wellington community, but less so elsewhere. Neither of the panellists who worked in the social area knew her, despite her social portfolio role.
STEPHANIE COOK
First elected in 1995 in the Lambton ward.
Responsibilities: Grants committee chairwoman, St James Theatre trustee.
Total salary: $86,425
Panel verdict
Accessibility – excellent
Effectiveness – very poor
Work ethic – very poor
Active or reactive – very reactive
Responsiveness – moderately responsive
Ms Cook was well-known to most of the panel, but had few supporters among them. She was viewed as extremely accessible and very responsive, but rated poorly in other areas.
JO COUGHLAN
First elected in 2007 in the Onslow Western ward.
Responsibilities: Positively Wellington Tourism.
Total salary: $80,114
Panel Verdict
Accessibility – moderate
Effectiveness – moderate
Work ethic – excellent
Active or reactive – very reactive
Responsiveness – moderately responsive
A first-term councillor who has gained some recognition since last year. She is seen as having an excellent work ethic, but is otherwise average.
ANDY FOSTER
First elected in 1992 in the Western ward, now represents the Onslow-Western ward.
Responsibilities: Strategy and policy committee chairman, urban development portfolio leader, council-appointed director of Capacity.
Total salary: $101,456
Panel Verdict
Accessibility – excellent
Effectiveness – moderate
Work ethic – excellent
Active or reactive – moderately active
Responsiveness – very responsive
Mr Foster's accessibility and work ethic were seen as excellent. Overall he rated close to deputy mayor Ian McKinnon – a big advance on last year.
LEONIE GILL
First elected in 1998 in the Eastern ward.
Responsibilities: Regulatory processes committee chairwoman.
Total salary: $83,325
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - moderate
Effectiveness - very poor
Work ethic - moderate
Active or reactive - very reactive
Responsiveness - very unresponsive
Ms Gill has slipped noticeably in the 2010 assessment. The panel said she is not sufficiently in touch with Wellingtonians.
ROB GOULDEN
First elected in 1998 in the Eastern ward.
Responsibilities: None.
Salary: $67,114
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - moderate
Effectiveness - very poor
Work ethic - very poor
Active or reactive - very reactive
Responsiveness - very unresponsive
Mr Goulden was well-known to the panel but was scored highly by one member only. Others struggled to find anything positive to say about his performance.
IAN McKINNON
First elected in 2004 in the Lambton ward.
Responsibilities: Deputy mayor, governance portfolio leader.
Total salary: $106,720
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - excellent
Effectiveness - excellent
Work ethic - excellent
Active or reactive - moderately reactive
Responsiveness - very responsive
Mr McKinnon was seen as a hard-working, useful councillor, and a loyal deputy mayor, but a follower not a leader.
JOHN MORRISON
First elected in 1998 in the Onslow ward, now represents the Onslow-Western ward.
Responsibilities: Economic development and recreation portfolio leader, Basin Reserve trustee, temporary road closures committee chairman.
Total salary: $101,456
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - moderate
Effectiveness - moderate
Work ethic moderate
Active or reactive - very reactive
Responsiveness - moderate
Mr Morrison split the panel. Some rated him very highly, others were unimpressed. His overall rating has slipped slightly.
IONA PANNETT
First elected in 2007 in the Lambton ward.
Responsibilities: Associate social portfolio leader.
Total salary: $73,325
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - excellent
Effectiveness - excellent
Work ethic - excellent
Active or reactive - very active
Responsiveness very responsive
Ms Pannett was the highest rating councillor by a hair from Celia Wade-Brown and Kerry Prendergast. As a first-term councillor, her rating is especially impressive.
BRYAN PEPPERELL
First elected in 1996 in the Southern ward.
Responsibilities: None.
Total salary: $67,114
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - excellent
Effectiveness - very poor
Work ethic - very poor
Active or reactive - very reactive
Responsiveness - moderately responsive
Several panel members rated Mr Pepperell as highly accessible and responsive. His recognition factor hasimproved sharply since last year.
KERRY PRENDERGAST
First elected in 1989, but was already on the Tawa Borough Council.
Responsibilities: Mayor, transport portfolio leader, International Arts Festival trustee, Regional Land Transport
Committee member, Wellington International Airport director, Local Government New Zealand vice-president.
Total salary: $191,160
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - very good
Effectiveness - excellent
Work ethic - excellent
Active or reactive - very active
Responsiveness - very responsive
Ms Prendergast ranked third in a tight cluster of three high performers, an insignificant distance behind Celia Wade-Brown. Her work ethic was described by one panel member as ''enormous''.
HELENE RITCHIE
First elected in 1977 in the Northern ward.
Responsibilities: None.
Total salary: $67,114
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - very good
Effectiveness - very poor
Work ethic - moderate
Active or reactive - very reactive
Responsiveness - moderately responsive
Though Ms Ritchie was known to most panellists, she was rated as a poor performer overall, with the exception of a single member.
CELIA WADE-BROWN
First elected in 1994 in the Southern ward.
Responsibilities: Environment committee chair, Wellington Zoo trustee.
Total salary: $99,456
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - excellent
Effectiveness - very good
Work ethic - excellent
Active or reactive - extremely active
Responsiveness - very responsive
Ms Wade-Brown was a very close second overall. Her high rating makes her forthcoming bid for the mayoralty all the more interesting.
HAYLEY WAIN
First elected in 2004 in the Northern ward.
Responsibilities: Urban development and transport associate portfolio leader.
Total salary: $86,325
Panel Verdict
Accessibility - very poor
Effectiveness - very poor
Work ethic - very poor
Active or reactive - very reactive
Responsiveness - very poor
Not one panel member rated Ms Wain positively on any measure. She was among the cellar-dwellers last time, but is now on her own.
- The Wellingtonian
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I agree with Clare. I also received a letter concerning the Town Centre Plan in Kilbirnie asking for my thoughts. This is a councillor that often is in touch for our views and lets us know what is going on in Council. Councillor Gill is the only Councillor who has ever sent a hand written Xmas Card year after year telling us that if we have problems to contact her. Did any of your panel actually know her or what she does. I think not!
This makes for interesting reading. I live in Hataitai and for the last few years we've been fighting a development - with little support from the council. Recently, the residents group thought we should seek help from an elected member and Councillor Leonie Gill came to our assistance at very short notice. I was surprised at your assessment. She was very effective in outlining the options, worked very hard for us on liaising with council staff and continues to be highly responsive on the work-in-progress. In addition to this, I also received a letter from the same councillor about the future of the Kilbirnie Community Centre that was handwritten, signed and promptly responded to. Her personalised level of service is outstanding! The Councillor Leonie Gill you refer to is not the one I know.
Wellington deserves better from its main weekly give away paper. Reading the comments above have confirmed my opinion that your paper needs a good shake up.
I feel sorry for young Hayley Wain; she is just too young and those much older are in envy of her achievement. Remember the voters are never wrong. The most important Panel delivers its verdict on Election Day every three years. I am really much more interested in how our Councillors vote to spend our hard earned money than on who are regularly seen on the cocktail circuit. For this reason Councillor Bryan Pepperell has my continued support.
I notice that among your panel is a property developer, Chris Parkin, and a low polling candidate, Jim Candiliotis (who has stood several times unsuccessfully for Council). Hardly a panel free of conflicts with. Lofty Surridge
I believe this is more of a personal vengeance against Ms Wains than an article written based on facts. I am extremely disappointed in a community based paper - The Wellingtonian to be promoting criticism without facts on personal level. This sort of humiliation is the same as bullying which I find is very disheartening.
Gotta agree about Hayley Wain. She did a lot in her first term but no buggar all! Looks like she may be down the road!
Stephanie Cook. All concern and "I will look into it" when approached about an issue but absolutely zilch by way of feedback or follow-up since. I object to paying people to represent me when they simply don't.
Agree with the assessment of Celia. I'll be voting for her as our Mayor. I was interested to see that Bryan has been on council since 1996 - I've never met him and I've lived in Newtown all my life. Two weekends ago, a guy called Paul Eagle knocked on my door and he was onto it. He'll be getting my vote this year.
@ Richard and Half Man Half Amazing.....LOVE YOUR WORK! AGREE ON EVERY FRONT! @ The Wellingtonian - are we likely to see a retraction or at least an apology for allowing this negligent piece of journalistic rubbish to ever go to print? How about an accurate report instead?
I really have seen it all now, if Chippo is thinking that his article is some sort of brilliant piece of work then he is sadly mistaken.
I have seen Chippo write the same articles over and over and yet all it shows is he has an issue with Ms Wain.
If you wanted a true reflection of how each councillor is rated, go and visit their wards and ask the people. The people of each ward put these councillors into office so ask them....at the end of the day its the people's voice that matters...
Hayley Wain is proactive, a hard worker and an excellent communicator at all levels. I don't believe she was given a fair shake and if we had invested her for another term, I believe the experience she would have taken from going in at a young age would have held her in good stead for an excellent career to help her fellow wellingtonians.
If she ran again, she would definitely get my vote! Celia has done a great job also.
I also question the criteria of who was on this panel.