Estall: I have had a gutsful

By Vernon Small and Eugene Bingham

Fire Service Commissioner Roger Estall has finally bowed to pressure and resigned, receiving a $68,00 farewell handshake from the Government.

He was cut adrift last night ahead of a report critical of the commission's financial management.

But Mr Estall said the report was not the cause of his resignation, which would take effect tomorrow.

"To be quite blunt, I have had a gutsful. I am sick of being a political football," he said in his resignation letter.

Internal Affairs Minister Jack Elder and Prime Minister Jenny Shipley continued to defend Mr Estall.

"He has my thanks for the job he has done and certainly deserves recognition for what has been achieved to date," Mr Elder said, adding that he regretted the move.

He said Mr Estall had endured unprecedented personal vilification.

"The wonder is that he stood it for so long. Most people wouldn't."

Mr Elder said the $68,000 was "ex gratia" in recognition of Mr Estall's resignation and took account of the intense pressures under which the commission had operated recently and his unstinting efforts in advancing the reforms.

He avoided questions about who suggested that a payment be made.

Mrs Shipley said attacks on Mr Estall were totally unfounded and unjustified.

She said the resignation would allow for a clean break and a new start.

Senior Government advisers were locked in negotiations late into the evening over details of Mr Estall's departure.

It is understood the wording of his resignation letter and the amount of any exit package delayed the announcement.

Mr Estall is paid $137,000 a year and would have stood to receive a payout of about $160,000 if he had been compensated in full for the balance of his term to July 2000.

But the president of the Professional Firefighters' Union, Mike McEnaney, said the union would consider seeking an injunction to prevent any big payout.

"If there's going to be any golden parachute for Roger Estall we believe the money would be better spent on providing smoke alarms and fire safety education," he said.

A select committee report, due to be released on Friday, is expected to be highly critical of Mr Estall.

The Government tried unsuccessfully to amend the report, which had earlier been approved by Government members on the committee.

Labour MP Trevor Mallard accused senior ministers of trying to tone down the report, which was referred to Mr Estall for comment under a requirement for "natural justice."

Despite an Audit New Zealand report critical of the commission's financial management, billed as one of the worst on record, and pressure from both sides of the House for him to go, the Government confirmed Mr Estall in his position last month.

But it put him on notice to hammer out a new restructuring deal.

Since then a series of revelations have embarrassed his Government backers.

The select committee was told that in seven months the commission spent almost $500,000 on public relations, including promoting fire safety, and ran up legal bills of $1.3 million in the 20 months to March.

Mr Estall was appointed by Mr Elder in July 1997 to radically restructure the service.

Former National Party president Neville Young, who was appointed to the commission earlier this year, is seen as Mr Estall's likely successor as chairman. Mrs Shipley said a replacement would be announced as soon as possible.