5 March 2019

The Office of the Auditor General has released their report to Parliament on the inquiry into procurement of works by Westland District Council to carry out works at Franz Josef. The works were judged necessary to address an imminent flood risk to the wastewater treatment plant.

We welcome the final report that gives the public confidence that a thorough review has been conducted into the process. Council acknowledges that decisions were made in haste at the time and that the process was compromised due to some mitigating circumstances. On 23 August 2018 Council adopted a Procurement Policy that outlines the procedure that must be followed when Council is procuring works, goods or services, which goes some way to addressing the concerns set out in the report.

The Council’s current Chief Executive, the new Executive team, and council staff are working hard on ensuring policies and procedures are legal, robust and are followed. Council is also working effectively with the West Coast Regional Council to ensure that further issues of this nature do not occur.

ENDS

© Scoop Media