John Banks says his council must be frugal in hard times. Photo / Greg Bowker
Council marketing staff were asked to paint their feelings about their jobs during a ratepayer-funded day at a top Auckland conference venue.
All but four of Auckland City Council's 33 communications and marketing department staff spent last Monday at Sorrento in the Park on a team development day
costing $3700.
During one exercise, staff were given sheets of paper and asked to paint their feelings about their working environment before explaining their efforts to the group.
The day was organised despite an internal review of the department, which is expected to see some of the participants leave the council within a month.
Mayor John Banks lambasted the department for the exercise, which was organised by the acting group manager.
Banks said the exercise was a "totem" for the misuse of ratepayer money.
"It has been a reminder throughout the organisation that this kind of expenditure is simply not warranted, acceptable and will not be tolerated.
"I have made it clear to the administration that these are very difficult times and we must be frugal with the cash of hardworking ratepayers.
"We acknowledge that it was an inappropriate use of public funding and it won't happen again."
Sorrento's website describes it as "one of Auckland's finest conference and business function venues".
Meeting rooms at the Cornwall Park venue cost $250-$450 a day, not including catering or conference equipment.
Council organisation performance general manager Trish Langridge said the total cost included venue hire, the consultant's fee and catering but refused to give a breakdown.
She also refused to let the Herald on Sunday see the finished paintings.
"The paintings are the personal property of the staff and may have been taken home or discarded," she said.
Despite having a mixture of 33 permanent staff and contractors, the communications department would not answer other questions.
They included how many council team-building exercises had been held in the previous six months, how many were planned for the next six months, what the painting exercise was supposed to achieve and even the kind of food provided at Sorrento.
The council is understood to be working hard to identify the employee who leaked details of the event, which was led by David Kayrouz of Creative Pathways.
Kayrouz said it would be inappropriate to comment but invited the Herald on Sunday to "experience" his next "workshop".
His website says the groups explore creative intelligence using art and reflection.
"In expressing themselves through art, in a safe environment, everyone becomes equal and the shared experience broadens how they talk to and interact with each other."
Public relations was among areas of council spending Banks promised to scrutinise after his re-election in 2007 and he confirmed every job in the communications department was being reviewed.
The Herald on Sunday understands a number of people who attended Monday's event will leave the council within a month.
Langridge refused to give specific details about the number of staff leaving the group, but said there had been no redundancies to date. "This team has had a lot of personnel changes recently and this exercise was an opportunity for the team to put that behind them and to look at how they can continue to work effectively and efficiently.
"The team will have a new manager soon and many people have been appointed to new roles so they need to hit the ground running."
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