NEWS RELEASE
21 August 2001

New Mayoral Complaints Commissioner Appointed

Mayor of Auckland City, Chris Fletcher is pleased to announce the appointment of Hon Derek Quigley to the role of Mayoral Complaints Commissioner.

Mrs Fletcher says, Mr Quigley is ideally suited for the position, which has proved to have an important and effective role in improving Council’s management of complaints.

“Hon Derek Quigley has vast experience in government and law, along with an ability to achieve clear and constructive outcomes to complex issues and inquiries. His appointment will ensure the integrity and independence of the office in reviewing complaints,” she said.

The role of Complaints Commissioner was initiated in 1999 by the Mayor to provide an independent review of serious cases of complaint against Council.

Chris Fletcher said the position has worked well and made a significant improvement to the responsiveness of Council in its handling of complaints.

“It has provided impetus to ensure that processes are robust and that issues are resolved as early in the process as possible.”

Mr Quigley is a qualified Barrister and Solicitor, who has previously been a senior partner in a Christchurch law firm and is now a self employed consultant in Auckland. He has held the role of chairman and managing director of a consulting company and undertaken a number of major reviews

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for the Government. As a Member of Parliament for twelve years he has held several senior cabinet positions and recently was chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee.

Mrs Fletcher says she expects Mr Quigley’s appointment will further enhance the role and status of the Commissioner’s position. She also hopes that any outstanding systemic problems can be identified and improvements made to Auckland City’s processes, particularly in regard to regulatory requirements.

The appointment is effective immediately, however the criteria for cases to be reviewed by the Commissioner include referral from the mayor following an unsatisfactory outcome of the standard council complaint process.

ENDS

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