INL Digital Edition Dec 15 2018

04
DECEMBER 15, 2018
Homelink
‘Relief, vindication’ over Maxwell bullying inquiry
Sam Sachdeva and Melanie Reid
Former employees of Retirement
Commissioner Diane Maxwell have
expressed relief and vindication at
the news bullying allegations against
her will be investigated by the State Services
Commission.
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister
Kris Faafoi confirmed the investigation to
Newsroom , following its investigation into
Maxwell and the concerns raised by over a
dozen staff who worked at her Commission
for Financial Capability (CFFC).
Employees relieved
Maxwell, who has denied many of the allegations,
has been placed on leave while the
SSC carries out its inquiry, which Faafoi said
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was expected to report back by February
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Several of the employees who spoke to
Newsroom as part of its original investigation
said they were happy that something
was finally being done to hold Maxwell to
account.
Julia Bockett, a former HR manager at the
commission who said she found it difficult to
raise concerns shared with her about Maxwell’s
behaviour, said she looked forward
to the investigation outcome but questioned
why nothing was done sooner.
Stress and strain
“Why did things have to hit rock bottom
before anything was done? It still astounds
me that no attempt was made to dig deeper
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Diane Maxwell
(Picture from RNZ/Facebook)
into the turnover statistics at
the time they were reported.”
Bockett said the oversight
had caused “untold stress”
to the Commission’s staff, as
well as additional costs to the
taxpayer.
Employee C, a staff member
who worked under Maxwell
for several years, said she
was relieved at the news of a
formal investigation.
“I feel relieved that someone
has managed to do something
and create some real, shall we
say, vindication for those who
have suffered under her.”
Massive gap
She said that the investigation
needed to cover the
“massive gap” in support for
employees at the Commission,
including the lack of an HR
system during her time there,
as well as the governance
processes which helped to
cover up the problems.
“Diane was the board, the
CEO, and the HR person, and
there was nowhere else we
could go.”
Employee G, who worked
under both Maxwell and her
predecessor Diana Crossan,
said the news of the inquiry
was “fantastic,” including the
fact its scope would cover
the Commission’s operating
model.
He felt “a little bit of vindication”
at Faafoi’s decision,
adding the SSC’s work needed
to cover Maxwell’s appointment
process, the recruitment
processes in place, and the
decision to relocate the
commission from Wellington
to Auckland.
Employee K, who quit the
Commission after less than a
year, said she was relieved at
news Maxwell had been stood
down pending the results of
the investigation.
“Now the truth will
hopefully prevail and ex-staff,
existing staff and taxpayers
alike can breathe a sigh of
relief that this behaviour will
not be tolerated.”
PM weighs in
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
weighed in on the issue at
her weekly press conference
on Monday afternoon, saying
the Government needed to
make sure that all workplaces
dealt with bullying allegations
appropriately.
Ardern said the SSC would
be “well-placed” to look
into whether there were any
“systemic issues” with the
unique governance structures
of Crown entities such as the
CFFC.
A written statement provided
by a CFFC spokeswoman
said Maxwell “welcomed the
review” and looked forward
to “providing clarity as part
of a robust and accountable
process.”
“The work of CFFC in
helping New Zealanders
get ahead financially will
continue as usual, led by its
senior leadership team,” the
statement said.
The terms of reference
for the inquiry, as well as
who will lead it, are yet to
be finalised, although Faafoi
said he expected it to cover
complaints from any former
or current staff, as well as the
organisational structure of
the commission.
An SSC spokesman said
State Services Commissioner
Peter Hughes would appoint
somebody soon to carry out
the investigation, with the
investigator’s name, along
with the terms of reference,
to be released “as soon as
practicable”.
Sam Sachdeva is Newsroom’s
Political Editor,
covering Foreign Affairs,
Trade, Defence, and Security
Issues and Melanie Reid
is Newsroom’s Lead Current
Affairs and Investigations
Journalist. The above
article, which appeared
on the Web Edition on
December 4, 2018, has been
reproduced here under a
Special Arrangement.
Read Related Report under
Businesslink and our Leader,
‘Bullying at the top must stop,’
under Viewlink.
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