Phil Twyford: Civil Aviation Authority internal problems widespread - inquiry ordered

Phil Twyford is under scrutiny for what he knew about sexual harassment claims at CAA. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Cabinet Minister Phil Twyford faces growing difficulties in another of his portfolios with problems escalating in the Civil Aviation Authority, which is under his watch as transport minister.

Twyford lost oversight of troubled KiwiBuild in the June cabinet reshuffle and acknowledged today that there are widespread concerns with internal culture at the CAA which now faces a Ministry of Transport inquiry which will also look at its regulatory performance.

There are signs of an increasingly tense relationship with the authority's chairman, Nigel Gould who the minister criticised for publicly questioning the ''motives'' of whistleblowers among staff who have raised concerns about bullying and sexual harassment.''

"I think that would be a step too far but those comments were inappropriate - if you're going to invite people to come forward to air concerns and raise issues modern public service organisations have got to be open to criticism from within and without,'' Twyford said. ''So you can't go around questioning people's motives,'' he said.

Gould has been chairman of the authority since 2011 but asked whether he should resign, Twyford said ''that would be a step too far.''

Twyford himself is under scrutiny for how much he knew about sexual harassment claims at the CAA raised with his office by the chairman last year.

He says while he was aware of a case of it, he was not aware of a culture of such behaviour at the country's aviation safety regulator when asked about it two months ago.
The specifics of the complaint were dealt with by staff last year.

''At that time my staff quite correctly didn't refer it to me as it was a staff and employment matter but sent it to board and asked for a response. But reporting in recent times bought out into the open a number of allegations and concerns,'' said Twyford.

''It's now clear that there is now widespread concern about the organisation's internal culture.''

Twyford said his performance would be judged by the public and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The prime minister has echoed the sequence of events outlined by Twyford.

He today told the Aviation NZ conference in Auckland that within the transport portfolio, aviation was the area he had to learn most about in the last 18 months.

Asked whether he was on top of it he said: ''I'm doing the best job I can.''

In June the Herald reported alarm within the aviation community over regulatory inconsistency and resourcing as staff told Newshub of a toxic work culture at the authority and claimed bullying and sexual harassment.

"I want you to know that our government takes seriously allegations of bullying and harassment - all employees are entitled to a safe environment and I expect all agencies that I'm responsible for to adhere to this,'' he said.

Following the reports he said he had called in Gould for a ''please explain'' meeting.
The safety and security of New Zealand's civil aviation system was paramount and a poor work culture would not be tolerated.

CAA chairman Nigel Gould is under pressure from Phil Twyford. Photo / Supplied

Twyford released some details of a Ministry of Transport inquiry which he had ordered into the CAA. He said it would be an ''honest and robust'' assessment of the authority and independent external experts would help with the inquiry.

''I'm going to hold the board of the CAA to account and ensure that they we are doing everything we can to support them to move in the right direction and lift performance,'' said Twyford.

It was a delicate balance between holding the authority to account while still supporting good people who worked there.

Asked whether it was right for the authority's parent organisation to run an inquiry he said: "The Ministry of Transport is independent of the CAA so it's absolutely appropriate that they do this work.''

The Alpine Adventures helicopter crash at Fox Glacier claimed seven lives in 2015. Photo / Supplied

Since January last year 61 of around 280 staff had left the authority. Three of these were through disciplinary processes.

Twyford said the CAA is very different to the one that had admitted it was unsure of its regulatory powers and owned up to shortcomings before the 2015 Fox and Franz Heli Services cash which killed seven people.

The minister had a rough introduction to overseeing the CAA, fined and temporarily sidelined from the role last year for using a cellphone on a plane when he shouldn't have.

A response to Twyford's comments have been sought from Gould and the CAA.

An aviation consultant, Irene King, said there were many examples of CAA personnel behaving in the manner now the subject of complaints.

''The problem is not the people or the culture it's the framework - the Civil Aviation Act which gives employees of the authority the power to behave like demigods,'' she said.