Sutton Quits ... The sorry saga of CERA ... further comment ...

Sutton quits ... Kiwiblog

http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2014/11/sutton_quits.html

Hugh Pavletich (281 comments) says:
November 17th, 2014 at 11:41 pm

When the hired hands get out of hand …

President Harry Truman fires General Douglas MacArthur …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5EEtFLk6ig

…the follow-up melodramatic speech by General MacArthur to Congress (Part 4 of 4) …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M87s_I-c-Xw

President Truman described the MacArthur speech as horses..t. History has been kind to Truman on this issue.

Roger Sutton of CERA resigns, with interesting melodrama …

‘I want him to go': Roger Sutton’s wife tearful following resignation – TV News Video | TVNZ

https://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/i-want-him-go-roger-sutton-s-wife-tearful-following-resignation-video-6133279

So Sutton called some women sweetie and honey and hugged her / them … and following a complaint, is resigning on that basis.

Really ?

Is that all there is to it ?

Hugh Pavletich (281 comments) says:
November 18th, 2014 at 7:59 am

I outlined some … just some … of the Christchurch problems back in April this year with CHRISTCHURCH FAILURE – THE LONG HISTORY …

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1404/S00200/christchurch-failure-the-long-history-hugh-pavletich.htm

… noting briefly within it …

“Central Government intervention was inevitable … and generally not helpful. Layering bureaucracy on bureaucracy was an unworkable substitute for dealing with the Councils structural and systemic problems head on.”

PM John Key, Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and CERA CE Roger Sutton have much explaining to do. There is a huge story here.

Roger Suttons experience had only been in the public sector at local level, starting with Southpower, under the control of the CCC.

John Gray (a former Army guy), the then CCC CE was very much Suttons mentor and indeed promoter through the early years.

Without hardened experience as a CEO of a substantial firm in a competitive market, Sutton was always at a massive disadvantage to head up CERA. His strength is as a public communicator.

The lack of hardened commercial and development experience was again illustrated early 2012, with Sutton’s extraordinary report to Parliaments Finance & Expenditure Committee at the time … as explained in the NBR with 26,000 CHRISTCHURCH SECTIONS COMING ON MARKET (during 2012 / 13) …

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/6000-christchurch-sections-coming-market-cera-ck-112040

“Twenty six thousand sections within the greater Christchurch region are available for development,” he said. “Hopefully by next year we will have those properties on market.”

The tensions between Brownlee and Sutton have yet to be explained in the public arena. Unbelievably Brownlee loaded CERA with redundant policy wonks out of Wellington and a huge number of public relations people. Brownlee very much dominating Sutton (reminding one of the John Gray days at the CCC).

Dispassionate and robust analysis and reporting of the sorry saga of CERA sure would be appreciated.

ends

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