Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell is calling for the council to be more transparent about chief executive Marty Grenfell’s sudden resignation.
By Ayla Yeoman, Local Democracy Reporter
Tauranga City Council and its leadership are refusing to answer questions including Grenfell’s reasons for resigning and whether he will receive a payout.
It released a statement on Tuesday evening announcing Grenfell had resigned and his last day would be tomorrow.
The announcement followed a publicly excluded emergency council meeting about the Davison report that afternoon.
The council-commissioned review into the fatal Mount Maunganui landslide, conducted by retired High Court judge Paul Davison, KC, revealed a litany of council failures leading up to the “preventable” disaster.
The council’s statement did not say whether Grenfell’s departure was related to the Davison review.
Tauranga mayor Mahe Drysdale said he has apologised to the families for the "failings" of his council. (Source: 1News)
On Wednesday, the council refused to give any more information about what was discussed in the emergency meeting.
The agenda gave the only item as “Davison report implications” and said the public would be excluded under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act “to maintain legal professional privilege”.
Grenfell faced public calls to resign after the review was made public on August 19.
It was the first of several reviews into the deaths of six holidaymakers when a landslide hit a council-owned campground on January 22.
Davison found systemic issues within the council meant it missed opportunities over decades to address known landslide risks.
He did not find that any individual’s acts or omissions caused the deaths, and his review did not set out to determine civil, criminal or disciplinary liability.
Davison declined to comment on Wednesday about Grenfell’s resignation.
Uffindell told Local Democracy Reporting Grenfell’s resignation was “a positive step forward”, but it should have happened sooner.
“The honourable thing to do would have been to resign on the 19th of August when the Davidson report came out.”
Uffindell said he had already heard from the community that they were concerned Grenfell would receive a payout.
He said the businesses around Mount Maunganui would “much rather some support or rates relief instead of seeing a golden handshake”.
“I don’t think that the council should be giving him a golden handshake to secure his resignation.”
Uffindell said there needed to be more transparency and accountability.
When asked if he believed Grenfell was asked to resign, he said it was a “dramatic shift in position”.
“On August 19, Grenfell said he was the best person to lead the organisation going forward, so it’s a significant change to go from that to resigning six weeks later.”
Grenfell has been the chief executive of the Tauranga City Council since 2018.
Grenfell was reappointed to the chief executive role in 2023 for five years.
The council’s draft Annual Report for 2025/26 valued his total remuneration at just under $600,000, including salary and benefits.
Unanswered questions
Lisa Maclennan who lost her life in the landslide and her husband Travis desperately tried to warn campground authorities. (Source: 1News)
After Tuesday’s announcement, Local Democracy Reporting approached the council with several further questions regarding Grenfell’s resignation.
The council’s communications office replied within 40 minutes, saying: “Tauranga City Council will not be providing any further comment at this time.” It later also declined to respond to Uffindell’s comments.
Mayor Mahé Drysdale declined to comment further on the resignation, and Local Democracy Reporting was not able to reach Grenfell directly.
Along with questions about Grenfell’s reason for quitting – which were not covered in the prior council statement – and whether he would receive a payout, the council was asked why the notice period for his resignation was so short.
It was also asked whether the mayor or elected members asked Grenfell to resign.
How payouts work – lawyer
Eight months after tragedy struck at the base of Mauao, the beloved institution is preparing to welcome its community back. (Source: Seven Sharp)
Dundas Street partner and employment lawyer Blair Scotland said employees did not need to give a reason for resigning and could be paid out their contractual notice period rather than work it.
He said additional payments could be negotiated as part of a confidential settlement, but this was not standard practice and some employers, including in the public sector, may refuse to pay more than contractual entitlements.
“There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to such matters.”
Scotland said it was impossible to say how large any payout could be or what the suddenness of the departure might indicate.
He said a chief executive had heightened health and safety obligations.
These include to exercise due diligence around the organisation’s health and safety policies and processes.
“The chief executive is the most senior employee of the council and is a person who is an officer under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
“The buck stops with the chief executive, so to speak.”
Investigations ongoing
Independent investigations into the landslide tragedy continue.
Police are investigating and also making inquiries on behalf of the coroner.
A spokesperson said the investigation was active and police could not comment further.
WorkSafe had no update on its investigation into work health and safety at the campground. It has until February to file charges if it decides to prosecute.
The Government’s landslide inquiry report is due in February.
Under the Inquiries Act, it has no power to determine the civil, criminal, or disciplinary liability of any person, but can make findings of fault or recommendations that further steps be taken to determine liability.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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