How did the Mayor end up dealing with a stadium employment complaint?

“I’ve had TV, I’ve had Spinoff, I’ve had Radio NZ I’ve had all the major news [outlets] ringing me. I can’t comment because it’s not my place to comment."

Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark hopes to one day explain how he ended up dealing with a complaint aimed at a city councillor in his employment outside of council.

Although in the meantime Clark has declined to answer questions on the matter.

All comment, in regard to Cr Nigel Skelt’s resignation as the stadium’s general manager, needed to come from interim stadium board chair Hayden Rankin, Clark said.

It was revealed on Monday that Clark had liaised with a third party about a complaint of alleged sexual harassment involving Skelt in his role as ILT Stadium Southland’s general manager.

A series of emails were released by the council which highlighted Clark’s correspondence with a person - whose name was redacted - over the complaint in relation to Skelt and the stadium.

Clark stated in one of the emails that the stadium chair Alan Dennis had given him authority to make an offer.

It included the prospect of a $3000 lump sum to cover the cost of lost income, payment to cover counselling, potential redeployment at the stadium, or a possible job with the Invercargill Licensing Trust.

The correspondence also stated Skelt would get a serious warning letter and there would be ongoing monitoring of Skelt at the stadium.

Clark signed off one email as “mayor and stadium trustee”.

He explained in another email that it was “a stadium management issue, not a council matter”, but followed by saying; “I can deal with the matters you raise as I am the ICC representative on the stadium trust”.

Clark is a trustee on the Southland Indoor Leisure Centre Charitable Trust which effectively owns the stadium and oversees the funding for the venue.

Although Clark is not part of the stadium’s management board [Stadium Southland Limited] which deals with the stadium’s operational matters.

The Tribune asked Clark why he was the person tasked with working through a complaint made about the general manager of the stadium, who also happens to be a city councillor.

He was also asked where the money came from to pay the lump sum to the complainant, as well as the counsellor costs.

“I’ve had TV, I’ve had Spinoff, I’ve had Radio NZ I’ve had all the major news [outlets] ringing me. I can’t comment because it’s not my place to comment,” Clark said.

“Maybe at a later stage, I’ll make a comment about why…. But I guess it’s got to be managed by the [stadium board].”

The Stadium Southland Limited board are undertaking an external independent review in relation to the handling of an employment matter.

Current chair Alan Dennis has stood aside until the review is completed.

Similar questions were also put to interim stadium board chair Hayden Rankin as to why Clark ended up dealing with a stadium employment matter, and where the $3000 lump sum and counsellor costs had come from.

“We take employment matters very seriously and so as a board, have agreed to appoint an independent person to review our processes. The Board will then consider what further action is required,” Rankin said. 

There will be no further public comment from the board until the review is complete, Rankin said.

Skelt was the highest-polling councillor at the October election and Clark had handed him the role of taking the lead to get the new museum built by December 2025.

Skelt is still a councillor, although has been an apology at recent meetings.

“He’s currently an apology for a couple of weeks and having some time out. Until he comes back, and I have a discussion with him, I don’t know where his future lies,” Clark said.

“He certainly hasn’t told me he is not coming back [to council].”

One councillor, Peter Kett, has called on Skelt to resign on the back of the sexual harassment allegation and is surprised he has not resigned already.

Kett told The Tribune he personally would not welcome Skelt back to the council table.

On top of his role as a councillor Skelt also holds roles with the Racing Integrity Board and the Badminton World Federation.

He is Badminton New Zealand and Badminton Southland life member. He was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2018 New Year Honours list for services to badminton.