Shadbolt says he won’t resign

Press, 12 April 1989, Page 8

Shadbolt says he won’t resign

PA Wellington The Mayor of Waitemata, Mr Tim Shadbolt, was last evening unrepentant after an AuditorGeneral’s report criticised his administration for abuse of privilege and poor managerial control. The report, tabled in Parliament yesterday, accused Mr Shadbolt of failing to follow accepted procedures of accountability and failing to account for money he spent in the council’s name. Without gaining council approval, he hired vehicles, took overseas trips and ignored standard tendering procedures, the report said. In turn, the loyalty of many councillors to Mr Shadbolt meant they often did not challenge his actions or exercise the stewardship ratepayers were entitled to expect.

When interviewed on the “Holmes" programme yesterday, Mr Shadbolt

said he would not resign in the light of the report.

He was critical of the cost of the audit report, saying: “They spent $120,000 producing the first draft report and we found over 1000 errors and now they’ve come out with this final report — it took another two months — so they’ve spent half a million.” Mr Shadbolt said the problems were not with the running of the council but were political. He suggested political differences with council colleagues were behind the move to bring in the Audit Office.

“The people who launched this inquiry; you’ve got to look at who they are, what caused it. And this report was caused by Gary Taylor (Mr Shadbolt’s former deputy). The Audit Office itself says that he was the cause of this investigation.” Mr Shadbolt defended

his council’s performance and said Waitemata was the fastest-growing city in the country. “You’d expect if you read this Audit Office report to see columns of refugees charging down the motorway,” he said. “In fact, we can’t keep up with the growth of our city. We are highly successful and I believe... the motive for Gary Taylor and others criticising us was political and I think the Audit Office is being used as part of people’s election campaigns.” When asked by Holmes if he “put people down” when they criticised him, Mr Shadbolt said: “Sure I do, I give them a real hard time and people give me a hard time back and that’s what democracy’s all about. “I don’t need... I don’t know what the final bill will be, I estimate it will be a third-of-a-million, to tell me I’ve got faults.”