Despite several major dramas and some vitriolic social media commentary, Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Mike Theelen, who retired yesterday — Friday the 13th — says "it has been a great 10 years in many respects".
It was his first chief executive role after council jobs in Hamilton, Hastings and Christchurch.
"It’s a real privilege to be part of this community. It’s a real privilege to be the chief executive here, but we all know, and history tells us, QLDC’s not an easy gig in local government circles."
Talk about Covid, the cryptosporidium crisis, "road to nowhere" cost overruns, rainfall-induced Bob’s Peak slips, controversy over the Lakeview deal and sewerage plant failures, and Mr Theelen says "it’s my view council as a whole has actually performed really, really well in response to those".
"You know, we had the largest economic loss in the country [from Covid], 25% contraction in our GDP, and look where we are today."
He argues no-one proved there was cryptosporidium in Queenstown’s water supply, "but we’re now just finishing off the last of the UV plants".
Yes, there were some "significant" arterial road cost overruns, "but it was a project the council wanted to do for decades and it never got done, and we did get $75million out of the government — $50m [for this] and then the stuff for the downtown [streetscaping]".
Mr Theelen is happy to defend the Lakeview deal with Australian developers for which he has been heavily criticised, having had the council’s delegated authority for a project involving a huge ratepayer spend on infrastructure for supposedly little return.
"It will be very good for the district, but the council never set out to make a lot of money on this deal," he says.
"The council set out to revitalise an entire area of the city and to bring in a different level of [density] into the town centre and that will be achieved.
"But I think in achieving that, the strategy was to make some front-loaded investments because that would give us the best opportunity for a return.
"And that return is spread over the life of what is a long development cycle, but that’s the nature of commercial development.
"People can potentially see it in a very short-term way, but I’m confident the right decisions were made by council with very sound commercial advice."
Asked if constant criticism had taken a personal toll, he says"I’m sure it does, but it doesn’t keep me awake at night".
"And I’m always heartened by the number of people who will spontaneously say to me, ‘don’t listen to that crap’ or ‘you’re doing a great job’."
You don’t get hissed at at the supermarket?
"Occasionally I get stared at; no-one’s thrown vegetables at me."
Social media, he says, makes it very easy for people to take potshots at councils, government departments, ministers and mayors.
"Anybody in bureaucracy is an easy target for some disaffected people and, you know, you do have to in some respects get a thick skin.
"I don’t think I ever entered this job to be liked, but I think I’ve always endeavoured to make the best decisions possible."
He believes the Queenstown council has been"really high-performing".
"For a small council it’s dealing with some very complex issues. We’re up there competing with the likes of Christchurch and Tauranga when it comes to consents, and we’re literally probably a third of their size.
"I think we’ve got the most fast-track applications of any district council.
"For all the efforts successive councils have made to get ahead of growth, I think growth just keeps accelerating away on us.
"I think QLDC has always hung on to the tail of a tiger, but the tiger seems to have got bigger.
"The other thing we’ve done is we’ve really got on to the government’s agenda.
"Some days we might grizzle and say we’re not seeing the benefits of that yet, but we’ve got a regional deal, right?
"We’re only one of three, none of them have settled yet, but it’s a recognition we’ve got a significant contribution to make."
Mr Theelen says he has no regrets but would have liked to have seen the council housed in one building rather than still being in several.
Personally, he would like civic offices in the CBD for the"national signal" that would create, but was sure they would be"very functional and very successful" in Frankton too.
He also notes how councils are expected to cap rates, yet meet government’s higher standards, making an accommodation levy — a key part of the regional deal — even more imperative.
Mr Theelen — who tips his hat to all the mayors and councillors he has served — says he and his wife Janet decided 10 years in the job would suffice since it took him to the retirement age of 65 last year.
"Ultimately, you need fresh blood, new ideas.
"Whether I can stay retired is a question for myself and Janet — she might not want me to be retired."
In the short term, he will go hiking with friends and visit a daughter in Australia who’s having another baby.
He will remain in Queenstown, though.
As for what he will miss most after tomorrow, it was the staff — "I mean, they’re great people to work with, and they’re a big reason why I come to work."
