Gore council chief executive Stephen Parry resigns

Gore District Council chief executive Stephen Parry has resigned after a tumultuous period at the council.

The long-standing chief executive tendered his resignation on Friday, which will be effective from the beginning of November, as he "starts a new chapter in his career and life."

It comes after Parry's 22-year tenure at the council, and his relationship with Mayor Ben Bell, entered the national spotlight amid allegations of bullying and calls for heads to roll.

In a media release, Bell said "the council was hopeful Mr Parry would assist with the transition to a new chief executive.

"Recruitment for a chief executive would commence immediately.

"The process will take about six months, which means we will be looking to appoint an interim chief executive in due course."

Elected last year, Bell is the country's youngest mayor at 24. He has already battled through a fractured and controversial period at the council.

In an email to his staff today, Parry "expressed his pride in serving as chief executive and the culture that has been forged at the council."

“I leave with no regrets and a fair degree of excitement about what lies ahead.”

Parry said in the media release he plans to take time to reflect and set his priorities and challenges for 2024. He was looking forward to spending more time with his family.

In a statement on behalf of elected officials, "intermediary councillor" Richard McPhail said the council was grateful to Parry for his tremendous work over the years.

“He has been a champion for Gore and its ratepayers and a senior figure on Southland’s local government landscape," he said.

"While the council understands Mr Parry’s decision to start a new chapter in his career and life, it acknowledged his extensive experience and high degree of professionalism would be missed.

“Steve has a wealth of knowledge and is well respected in local government circles."

McPhail said: "He leaves an experienced senior management team and staff, which will be of great assistance for the future."

Parry first joined the Gore District Council in September 2001.

Parry's resignation comes after a fractious period at the council — where he faced calls to resign, including from protesters and a petition with over 5000 signatures.

Allegations, investigated by TVNZ's Sunday, suggested there had been serious concerns about bullying at the council for almost the entire duration of Parry’s tenure.

Sunday spoke to multiple former council staff who alleged Parry had been responsible for a toxic, manipulative culture at the organisation, and that a number of people have been bullied or restructured out of their jobs.

Parry, while pulling out of an on-camera interview, pushed back on accusations he created a toxic workplace environment in a later statement.

"The council can not, nor would it, comment on issues of employment relating to past or present employees. It would also be inappropriate to speculate about the motivation behind recent allegations."

He denied bullying in the workplace, stating: "There is a distinct difference between performance management and systemic bullying in the workplace."

Parry added that no complaints of bullying from former "dissatisfied" staff had been upheld.

"As with any workplace – from small businesses to large corporations – there can be disharmony, even conflict. It would be naive to believe this hasn’t been the case at the council.

"The strength of an organisation is how it learns from these situations to build a cohesive, inclusive workplace."

The issues were blown into the spotlight after apparent disagreements between Parry and the newly-elected mayor Bell, spilled out into the public.

In June, Bell and other district councillors apologised to Parry in a statement released to the media.

"The elected members wish to acknowledge and apologise for the hurt caused to the chief executive," the statement read.

It added that Parry accepted the apology and had "their unreserved confidence".