King's spending eclipsed by Steve Parry

Invercargill City Council chief executive Richard King isn't the biggest spender after all.

Gore District Council chief executive Steve Parry spent much more than him in 2008-09.

The Herald on Sunday reported at the weekend that Mr King spent $25,000 on his council credit card in the 2008-09 financial year – more than any other unelected local body chief executive in the country.

However, it appears Mr King's decision not to reveal any details of his spending, citing privacy reasons, might have confused the issue.

Gore District Council chief executive Steve Parry revealed yesterday that he had spent $38,884 on his chief executive's credit card – nearly $14,000 more than Mr King.

Mr Parry said when the Sunday paper asked him to provide details of his chief executive credit card spending he provided it with two figures – the first was the $3011 he had spent on chief executive matters and the second was the $35,873 relating to other types of council expenditure, ranging from paying for accommodation for staff on council business to buying library books, he said.

"I would presume they (the Herald on Sunday) only took into account my $3000 figure, he said.

In contrast, a spokesman for Mr King said it had released his total chief executive credit card expenditure of $25,000 without breaking it down, as it had not been asked to do so.

Mr King's spending consisted of only about $3500 for chief executive matters, while the balance was spent on a range of other council expenses such as paying for the mayor, deputy mayor and senior councillors to go to conferences, the spokesman said.

It was yesterday unclear what figures the remaining chief executives in New Zealand had given the Herald on Sunday, or even whether Mr Parry was now considered the highest spending chief executive.

A spokeswoman for Waitakere City chief executive Vijaya Vaidyanath, who was ranked second on the Sunday paper's list with a $17,558 bill on her credit card, said yesterday the amount, like Mr King's, consisted of both her chief executive expenditure and other council-related spending.

Clutha District Council chief executive Alan Dickson, who said yesterday his credit card bill was $10,713, also confirmed a mixture of spending types was included.

A spokeswoman for Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Duncan Field said he did not have a council credit card.

evan.harding@stl.co.nz

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