Mayor removes himself from stadium trust amid investigation

“I just think given there is a review on, and that review will involve what I undertook with the issues that were raised by the complainant, it would be unwise for me to be on the trust.”

Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark has removed himself from the Southland Indoor Centre Charitable Trust.

Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark has removed himself from the Southland Indoor Leisure Centre Charitable Trust board.

It comes as an investigation takes place into the handling of an employment complaint at ILT Stadium Southland which happened to involve one of Clark’s councillors.

The Southland Indoor Leisure Centre Charitable Trust board effectively owns the stadium on behalf of the community and oversees the funding of it.

That board only meets every “two or three” months, according to Clark.

There is also a separate Stadium Southland Limited board which oversees the operational component of the venue.

Clark is not part of that management board.

He was the council representative on the charitable trust but has stood down from that position and has been replaced by deputy mayor Tom Campbell.

Campbell will fill that role for the remainder of the current council term, Clark said.

“I made the call on that,” Clark said about being replaced as a trustee.

“I just think given there is a review on, and that review will involve what I undertook with the issues that were raised by the complainant, it would be unwise for me to be on the trust.”

It was revealed a fortnight ago that Clark had liaised with the family of a complainant about a complaint of alleged sexual harassment involving then councillor Nigel Skelt in his role as ILT Stadium Southland’s general manager.

Skelt has since resigned from both his stadium job and as a councillor.

A series of emails were released by the council - after being requested by media - which highlighted Clark’s correspondence with a person - whose name was redacted - over the complaint.

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.

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”.

Dennis was the chair of both stadium boards, but he has also stood down from the roles while the investigation takes place.

Campbell, who has replaced Clark, has previously told media he did not believe there was any cover-up from Clark during the complaint process.

He instead told website The Spin-off that he felt Clark had “best intentions” in mind. However, the deputy mayor admitted Clark should not have been involved at all.

 “I’m quite happy to say I think it would have been much better if he had asked somebody else to undertake that investigation… preferably a woman,” Campbell told The Spin-off.

“I don’t think that the mayor tried, in any sense, to sweep it under the carpet. In any employment case there is an element of confidentiality.”

“I think it was handled properly, but it was handled by the wrong person.”

An unnamed Christchurch barrister, who specialises in investigations, is conducting the review into the handling of the complaint.

Last week interim Stadium Southland Limited board chair Hayden Rankin said the review was expected to take four to six weeks to complete.

“Our main requirement, however, is that it is thorough and provides a comprehensive, independent view,” Rankin said.

“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.”