Highest paid, polarising Marryatt leaves at last

City council chief executive Tony Marryatt became one of the most detested public figures in Christchurch.

His departure “on leave” today is the most publicised exit from a public organisation in recent years.

He is the highest-paid local government executive in New Zealand after receiving a salary boost of $68,000 to $538,529 in February 2012.

This prompted thousands of ratepayers to protest outside the city council offices.

In the same year it was revealed that he had taken a personal grievance against councillors who had publicly spoken out against him. The city council was forced to pay his $30,000 legal bill.

His appointment to the job was announced by the then outgoing mayor Garry Moore in February 2007, replacing change manager Lesley McTurk.

Mr Marryatt was warmly regarded by staff after the tumultuous McTurk reign and more warmly regarded earlier this year when it was revealed he had granted all council staff 11 days' paid leave a year without reference to councillors.

$18 million property deal

But public opprobrium had already spilled over in early 2008 when he clinched a deal with now-bankrupt developer Dave Henderson to buy five inner-city properties for $18 million.

When seeking city council approval he split the deal into five different motions for voting – each one below the $5 million threshold that would have required public consultation.

The “strategic” properties have remained vacant ever since, with the exception of one.

Other actions that stuck in the craw of locals included his absence from important council meetings to play golf.

Mr Marryatt’s tenure seemed unstoppable because of the strong reliance mayor Bob Parker and his allied councillors placed on him.

Mr Parker’s “A-team” of favoured councillors generally sprang to his defence. But even one of them – planning committee chairwoman Sue Wells – began to express disquiet last week at failure to tell councillors of the accreditation problems besetting the council.

Remuneration committee reviews seemed unable to pull back on the ever upward scaling of his pay.

Before coming to Christchurch Mr Marryatt was chief executive at Hamilton City Council, where he championed the loss-making Hamilton V8 super car event and became embroiled in clashes with then Hamilton mayor David Braithwaite.

c.hutch@clear.net.nz