Contracts rewritten to recover removal costs

Paula Tyler

Controversy surrounding outgoing Child, Youth and Family chief executive Paula Tyler has resulted in changes to state contracts.

State Services Commissioner Mark Prebble said a proportional repayment clause would be included in future contracts after Ms Tyler resigned her three-year contract after just 18 months. The Government spent $70,000 relocating her and husband Peter Kruselnicki from Canada.

National's Gerry Brownlee said the situation should never have arisen and the commission should dump the recruitment agency which gave it such bad advice.

State Services Minister Annette King asked for a report into recruitment and employment arrangements for Ms Tyler, which she released yesterday.

In it, Mr Prebble says the overall cost of recruiting a chief executive for CYF was $134,417.

Mr Brownlee said the commission spent significant money on external recruitment agencies and it should not have agreed to obligation-free relocation costs.

"Who was the agency [in this case] and why didn't they give them that advice in the first place?" he asked. "I would certainly hope that agency is no longer considered in future dealings."

Mr Prebble said Ms Tyler was donating goods, purchased for her as part of the relocation deal, to charity.

Mr Brownlee said that was trying to put a "gloss" on the donation of household effects. "She'd have to spend a fortune to get the stuff out of the country. There's no great generosity there at all."

Ms King said the circumstances of Ms Tyler's early resignation were unique and the commission had successfully appointed and relocated nine chief executives from overseas since 1998, when the State Sector Act took effect.

"The Government does not object to the payment of relocation costs where it is fair and reasonable in helping a new chief executive to take up their position in another country or city," she said.

But a clause requiring some moving costs to be recovered when an executive left early was needed.

- NZPA