Allegations of inappropriate, aggressive, and threatening behaviour have been levelled at Wellington City Councillors by their own colleagues, with elected officials in the capital more complained about than councillors in any other main centre.

Wellington City Council has recorded six official complaints from staff regarding the behaviour of councillors so far this term, information released to the Herald under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act reveals.

That compares with three complaints from staff regarding the conduct of Christchurch City Councillors, two complaints at Auckland Council, and none at Hamilton City Council or Dunedin City Council.

Wellington City Council would not release details of the complaints or correspondence surrounding the incidents, but provided a “high-level summary” of each of the recorded complaints:

• Inappropriate behaviour by using staff details on social media.
• Inappropriate behaviour by speaking to staff in a demeaning and aggressive way.
• Reported false accusation and defamation of a staff member.
• Reported comments which were interpreted as threatening and bullying.
• Emailed a staff member directly with accusations of repeated behaviour on their behalf, which was not the case.
• Email to staff member was received as condescending and politically intimidating.

The council confirmed the complaints relate to city councillors, not community board members.

Wellington City Councillors meeting at their chambers on The Terrace. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

The council said complaints are handled with “strict confidentiality, ensuring that employees feel supported and empowered to raise concerns without fear of disclosure”.

Further requests for more detail on the complaints, including the names of the councillors involved, was denied by the council because of privacy.

While different authorities record complaints in different ways, Wellington councillors received twice as many complaints as their Christchurch counterparts, the council with the second highest number.

None of the three complaints raised by council officials about elected members at Christchurch City Council this term was escalated further.

Christchurch City Councillors meeting at their premises on Hereford St. Photo / George Heard

“All three of these complaints never made it past notification, with staff choosing not to continue with the formal complaint process before they could be formally investigated and the claims substantiated.”

Christchurch City Council would not provide any detail on the nature of the complaints.

Auckland Council recorded two official complaints initiated by staff, both against local board members.

A complaint was laid against Rodney Local Board member Geoff Upson by an Auckland Transport staff member regarding alleged offensive comments made about staff online.

The council said it was resolved through mediation and no breach of the council’s code of conduct was recorded.

Auckland Council. Photo / Newstalk ZB

Matt Winiata, a Manurewa Local Board member also faced a complaint by a parks staff member regarding alleged “offensive comments in correspondence to staff”, Auckland Council said.

“One aspect of the complaint was upheld and determined to be a non-material breach of the Code.”

Other elements were not upheld as Winiata had already apologised.

“The Conduct Commissioner’s recommendation was directed to the Chief Executive and staff, and no further action was required from the member”, the council said.

Why is Wellington City Council the worst?
Tensions at Wellington City Council reached boiling point last year during a controversial debate on the proposed sale of its 34% share in Wellington airport.

Traditional party voting blocs were broken and the council ultimately voted against a sale – upending the Long Term Plan (LTP).

The Long Term Plan process also saw tensions rise between councillors and staff, with some around the council table questioning the quality of advice supplied by officers.

Former Local Government Minister Simeon Brown intervened with the appointment of Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie. Mayor Tory Whanau said the process had brought out the worst behaviour of council members.

Since his appointment, McKenzie has noted tensions in the relationships between councillors and staff.

Lindsay McKenzie. Photo / Supplied.

In his first report in December last year McKenzie said some elected members were concerned about the quality and timeliness of information they received ahead of making decisions.

He said a few were concerned about biases in officers’ reports and advice.

McKenzie noted the way the council provided information to elected members was “as thorough as one could expect”.

He said his own appointment as a Crown observer had “moderated” much of the conduct that has called the council into question.

Mayor Tory Whanau also said at the time McKenzie’s presence had helped her colleagues work more collaboratively.

Mayor Tory Whanau at a Wellington City Council meeting. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

Responding to the fact her council has recorded the most complaints, Whanau acknowledged she had seen instances of poor conduct from councillors.

“There is no doubt that the conduct by some councillors this term has not been what Wellingtonians would expect. Both to each other and staff”, Whanau said.

Whanau would not say whether she was the subject of any staff complaints.

Reports of anti-social behaviour towards the council’s frontline staff increased by a reported 323% in the past five years, rising from around 400 reports each year pre-covid to almost 1000 annually, the council announced in May.

Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. Ethan can be emailed at [email protected].