Twizel petition unlikely to upset forced retirement

Press, 18 December 1982, Page 3

Twizel petition unlikely to upset forced retirement

Parliamentary reporter A petition from Twizel residents is unlikely to lead to a reconsideration of the decision that has forced the early retirement of Mr Max Smith, the Upper Waitaki project engineer. Mr Smith, who is known in Twizel as the township’s "emperor” has been forced to retire early for authorising the spending of $130,000 on a rowing pavilion at Lake Ruataniwha. Mr Smith, who has been awarded the Queen’s Service Medal, has said that the rowing pavilion was built under contract to the Rowing Association, in the same way as the Ministry of Works takes on contracts for a lot of work.

The original quotation for the work was $75,000, but 'the job ended up costing nearly $130,000. The Rowing Association has paid $lO,OOO so far, and expects to finance the balance in two or three years. The association would have to pay only the $75,000 originally quoted, Mr Smith has said. Seven months after the pavilion opened on April 24, the Ministry of Works accused Mr Smith of building it without authority. It gave him the choice of accepting early retirement or facing charges laid under the State Services Act.

The official opening

of the pavilion was attended by the then Minister of Works and Development, Mr Derek Quigley, and the Minister of Lands, Mr Elworthy. Mr Smith, who has worked for the Ministry for 18 years and who had been project engineer at the Upper Waitaki project for 12% years, has chosen to retire in February. He had been considering retiring early in June. Twizel residents who felt Mr Smith had been unfairly treated by the Ministry, drew up a petition as a protest. The petition attracted 952 signatures, although they were not sent to Wellington because some people said they feared retribution from the Ministry if their names were known. The Commissioner ot Works, Mr J. J. Chesterman, said yesterday that the petition was received this week. The reply was being prepared and would be sent to the Twizel residents early next week. Mr Chesterman said the petition had asked why Mr Smith could not serve out the time left until his retirement in June and asked if the decision to ask for Mr Smith’s resignation was his alone.

The petition did not ask whether that decision could be changed, he said.

Mr Chesterman did not wish to reveal the contents of his reply. However, he

repeated his previous public statement that he was not able to comment publicly on matters affecting the personal business of a staff member.

Several questions were asked in Parliament yesterday about the resignation. Mr M. A. Connelly (Lab., Yaldhurst) asked the Minister of Works, Mr Friedlander, if the Cabinet would review the decision in view ot its circumstances, up to Iper cent of the cost of a hydro-electric project could be used for community developments and the Ministry had a “general knowledge” that such work was being done, he said.

Mr Friedlander said that the permanent head of a department had responsibility for making decisions affecting staff. As the Minister, he was not involved in the decision. In this case Mr Chesterman had consulted the State Services Commission and the

Auditor-General. The matter had been very carefully considered before a decision was reached.

Asked if “natural justice” had been done, Mr Friedlander said that all public servants knew they were not entitled to spend more money than had been authorised.

Mr Smith had been given the right to have charges laid against him, but he had chosen to accept an early retirement.