Denials come thick and fast from Wintringham

By AUDREY YOUNG

It was a day of denials by State Services Commissioner Michael Wintringham as he took the stand for a second day in Christine Rankin's lawsuit against him for failing to reappoint her as Winz chief executive.

Mr Wintringham denied that Prime Minister Helen Clark and State Services Minister Trevor Mallard had directed him not to reappoint her.

He denied telling Mrs Rankin he would later deny in court having said such a thing. And he denied she had been denied natural justice in his decision not to reappoint her.

He did say she had been given a formal final warning in August 1999, shortly after the Wairakei charter plane incident.

He had considered her dismissal after the student loans debacle of early 2000.

Mr Wintringham did not deny saying at a meeting on May 24 last year that he was "celibate" and would visit her in Australia on a platonic basis.

But much of the day's cross-examination of Mr Wintringham by Mrs Rankin's lawyer, Michael Quigg, centred on disputed versions of the same meeting at which Mrs Rankin was said to be in tears.

Mrs Rankin is suing Mr Wintringham for $818,000 for his failure to reappoint her to her $250,000 job.

Mr Wintringham called the May 24 talks a catch-up meeting after a series of events, including the release of the report by Don Hunn into the department, and to raise issues of "career transition" with her.

She had asked him about her prospects of reappointment and he had told her honestly that it was unlikely, and that even if he were to recommend her, the Government would be likely to reject his recommendation.

Mr Quigg disagreed. There was clear evidence from Mrs Rankin that he had told her that the Prime Minister and Mr Mallard had been absolutely clear that there was no way she should be reappointed.

Mr Wintringham: "No minister has said that to me. Ministers of this Government have been scrupulous in not attempting to direct me in the discharge of my statutory responsibilities."

Mr Wintringham rejected Mr Quigg's claim that Helen Clark had referred to Mrs Rankin as "that woman." "That is not the way in which the Prime Minister talks to me about chief executive matters."

Mr Quigg took issue with the intent of a letter Mr Wintringham had sent Mrs Rankin on August 2, 1999 [during the National Government], after the Wairakei charter plane scandal.

Mr Wintringham said it was a formal and final warning; she had failed to meet performance standards as a chief executive and "there cannot be a second chance."

Mr Quigg said Mrs Rankin did not know her job was threatened and had been encouraged to keep going.

Mr Wintringham: "If I had been a public service chief executive, if I had received a letter like this from the State Services Commissioner, I would have been deeply disturbed about my prospects for continuing the job."