Council credit cards revealed

Invercargill City Council chief executive Richard King's council credit card included $120 for oysters. Photo / Supplied

Details of spending by the council boss with the highest credit card bill have been revealed - including more than $4000 on restaurant meals and Asian takeaways and $120 on oysters for a council meeting.

Spending on Invercargill City Council chief executive Richard King's ratepayer-funded card totalled $25,411 for the year ended June 2009.

Over three years, the credit card bills totalled $73,285.

The statements were released to the Herald on Sunday after a complaint to the Ombudsman over the council's refusal to make details public.

The council had denied a request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act citing privacy reasons.

The statements revealed a charge of $120 at Barnes Oysters in April 2009 - an amount Barnes said would cover six dozen fresh Bluff oysters.

King said the oysters were bought for a council subcommittee meeting, but did not respond to further questions about the purchase.

Statements also showed $167 was spent at liquor stores on three occasions - during an Auckland jobs expo attended by King and Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt, and twice for a Japanese delegation's farm visit.

In November 2008, costs of $296 allocated to travel included $258 spent at Wellington's Shed 5 restaurant, and a $38 cab fare.

King couldn't remember the occasion but said it was likely to have been a local government meeting.

"It's under my credit card, but it might have been for the mayor or other councillors," he said.

Staff and elected members were entitled to charge back meals and taxi fares while away at conferences or workshops, he said.

In Invercargill, meals charged to the card would have been provided for lunch meetings, often Chinese takeaways.

The chief executive also has a Koru Club membership, at a cost of $495.

Spending on sister city costs totalled $4251, which King said related to visiting delegations from Kumagaya in Japan, or purchase of yen for staff travelling to Japan.

The costs were within his annual sister city budget of $35,000.

King said $833 in private expenses - such as spouse's travel or personal charges incurred while staying at a hotel - had been reimbursed.

The Herald on Sunday last year requested credit card statements from the chief executives of New Zealand's 67 city and district councils.

Of those allocated a card primarily for their own use, King's total was the highest, followed by bosses at Waitakere, Rangitikei, Manukau and Palmerston North Councils.

Shadbolt has also had difficulty with his council-provided credit card, after the Southland Times revealed he had charged $43,000 in personal expenses.

The money had been reimbursed, but Shadbolt handed in his card after a recommendation from the auditor-general's office that his private and council expenses be kept separate.

The office of the auditor general said the council had been contacted in 2008 regarding concerns over credit cards being used for private purposes.

The office noted in its 2009 audit that a new policy had been applied and was generally adhered to.

Shadbolt did not return calls.

Deputy mayor Neil Boniface said he couldn't comment on King's purchases because he didn't know the details.

heather.mccracken@hos.co.nz