Civil Aviation Authority says the worker had misinterpreted the message. Photo / NZME
Civil Aviation Authority says the worker had misinterpreted the message. Photo / NZME
Transport Minister expects CAA board and management to address workplace culture issues
New CAA board chair is “disappointed” staff raised concerns with the Herald
The Herald has been leaked staff survey results which support claims made by insiders
A Civil Aviation Authority employee has labelled an email sent to all staff by the agency’s director as “disgusting” and “tone deaf”.
However, a spokesman for the agency suggested the worker had misinterpreted the message.
The email was written by CAA director Keith Manch after seven sources, comprisingcurrent and former staff, spoke to the Herald about a “toxic undercurrent” at the agency and concerns about the regulator putting a greater focus on enforcement and successful prosecutions.
Another CAA employee - not one of the Herald’s original insiders - said they felt compelled to commentafter reading an email which was sent to all staff after the Herald published its investigation into alleged dysfunction at the agency on Monday.
In the email, director Keith Manch said the allegations were not fair.
“Allegations made anonymously, and lacking specificity do not afford those singled out a proper opportunity to deal with or respond to them,” Manch said in the email.
“I am heartened by how those singled out in the story are managing this difficult situation, and they have my support as they face these anonymous and personal attacks through the media,” he said.
The CAA staff member said they were “shocked” by what was written and believed it was an attempt to defend those alleged to have behaved poorly.
“The email paints the bullies as the victims and completely ignores the actual victims,” they said.
The staff member described the email as “tone-deaf”.
“You can see what we’ve been dealing with - a director who doesn’t listen to concerns, gaslights those who raise concerns, and sides with the bullies,” they said.
However, the CAA said the email was about highlighting the need for fairness.
In his message, Manch also encouraged staff not to speculate about who may have spoken to the Herald.
“That would be unhelpful and equally unfair if anyone is singled out or anyone is treated in a way that is contrary to our values.”
Keith Manch is the director and chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority. Photo / Supplied
Following questions from the Herald, the CAA said the email from the director was “supportive of all staff”.
“It balances support to our people as they are facing anonymous personal attacks through the media, just as it equally emphasises the need to avoid speculation about who might be making these statements,” a spokesman said.
“It would be a fundamental misinterpretation of this message to say it dismisses the concerns that have been expressed by some staff or that the message is defending any inappropriate behaviours,” he said.
‘Smoke and mirrors’
Another former CAA staff member has backed up claims by the Herald’s original group of whistleblowers, saying he didn’t believe management always acted when staff raised concerns.
The former worker told the Herald he left the CAA six months ago for this reason.
“Multiple of my ex-colleagues and I reported issues that we were facing day to day and concerns that we had with the organisation.”
He said this related to “severe understaffing” and long work hours. He said he raised the issue during a group meeting with Manch.
“They preach on about how they look after staff and all that sort of nonsense, but the reality is you report it, and it just gets swept under the rug.”
He said he raised his concerns about inaction with the Transport Minister Simeon Brown.
The Herald has seen emails he sent to the minister’s office.
“I said I had just left the CAA and don’t want to come off as a bleating ex-employee with an axe to grind. That’s not the case. I have a genuine concern for the aviation industry and the travelling public.”
He said the minster’s advisers did contact him, but he felt the issues he raised didn’t have a tangible impact.
“Certainly, I haven’t heard of any changes internally at the CAA that have come from anything that I have discussed with them.”
In 2019, after another group of whistleblowers raised concerns about bullying, harassment and complaints not being dealt with, the CAA introduced Te Kakano - a project aimed at providing a safe and inclusive work environment.
The Herald’s source felt that had pretty much “fizzled out”.
“My te reo is not very good, but I assume Te Kakano must stand for smoke and mirrors because nothing has changed.”
In a statement, director Keith Manch said the aviation industry is facing “turbulent times” in terms of demand, capacity, change and resources and acknowledged some CAA staff did work long hours.
He said the CAA had “exceptional” staff but there were pressure points.
“I am aware of the tension in keeping pace with industry demand and enabling a safe and secure aviation system. Our people are committed to ensuring safety, while also being aware of the need to respond in a timely way, as much as they can.”
“Trying to achieve this can sometimes result in long hours,” he said.
He said a number of initiatives are under way to improve the situation including shifting resources to help in areas under the most pressure, providing employees and their families assistance programmes, and reviewing processes to better manage certification workloads.
“I acknowledge the challenges, and do not take people’s hard work for granted. I am taking a number of steps to support staff health and wellbeing,” he said.
Minister and board chairman respond
Transport Minister Simeon Brown said he takes issues of culture at the CAA "seriously". Photo / Laura Smith
Transport Minister Simeon Brown met with the recently appointed CAA board chairman, Mark Darrow, on Tuesday.
On August 7, before the Herald published concerns about culture and direction at the CAA, Brown announced a “refresh” of the board which included appointing a new chairman and deputy chairman.
At the time, Brown said the refresh was to address delays in aircraft certifications and speed up queues at airport security screening.
He told the Herald he spoke to Darrow about his expectations around culture and outcomes at the CAA.
“I’ve got very clear expectations around making sure it’s an efficient operator that is upholding its statutory obligations around safety and that it’s a place which people can work at and feel great about working there.”
He expected the board to get to “their feet under the table” over the next couple of months and take action.
“I expect the CAA’s management and board to take all reasonable steps to resolve these issues.”
Mark Darrow is the new chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority board.
Photo / Supplied
In a statement, Darrow said he would assess issues raised publicly with “fresh eyes”.
“This will enable the board to engage positively with staff and ensure any remaining culture issues are addressed.”
However, he said he was “personally disappointed” about the media attention.
“It is disappointing that a small number of staff feel strongly enough to raise issues and leak internal information through the media rather than using normal channels and protocols that are in place to protect them,” he said.
He said recent media commentary had been “unfair” in publicly criticising managers by name using unnamed sources.
However, he said, he wanted the CAA to be a place where staff felt safe enough to escalate concerns and the “buck stops” with the board to provide that.
Darrow said the board was excited about the future and looked forward to hearing from aviation operators about how the CAA can improve and promote their business activities.
The leaked staff survey
The Herald has been leaked extracts of a recent staff survey from workers at the CAA and Aviation Secuity Service (AVSEC).
The information is part of a summary of feedback from staff that was provided to workers in April.
Of the people who made comments, 33% gave feedback about “values, culture and behaviours”.
A summary of the themes said some at CAA believe managers always promote safety and wellbeing.
“Enjoy working here” and “my concerns are always treated in a respectful manner” were comments listed as some of the feedback given.
But the survey also highlighted that other staff felt there were staff, including leaders, who displayed poor behaviour.
“Bullying behaviours are allowed to happen in their team or local area. Some leaders’ behaviours are ‘below the line’ (undesirable) and are not being addressed by higher management,” the summary document said.
It went on to state that a “blame culture is reinforced by some managers” and that some staff felt their concerns were not acted on.
“Some people feel that if they do raise issues those issues are dismissed or even ‘swept under the rug’ by their manager or upper management.”
Comments about leadership were also summarised in the leaked document.
It said while some people consider their managers to be “supportive, caring and competent”, others said their leaders didn’t listen to them, don’t take complaints seriously and fail to address team issues or health and safety concerns properly.
CAA director Manch said the information helps the organisation address culture and behaviour issues.
“These surveys will continue to help us shape initiatives and programmes to support the authority to be a respectful, safe and inclusive place to work. This work is never over,” he said
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won the best coverage of a major news event at the 2024 Voyager NZ Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.
