Napier City Council chief executive Wayne Jack reported to be 'negotiating exit package close to $1m'

Wayne Jack is two years into his second five-year contract as Napier City Council CEO, worth about $360,000 a year. Photo / File

The Napier City Council is reportedly close to cutting its ties with chief executive Wayne Jack.

The possibility was being reported by Stuff, saying it is understood the Council and Jack are negotiating an exit package that amounts to close to $1 million.

Stuff reported it will be discussed as a public-excluded item at Thursday's council Sustainable Napier Committee meeting, which in its open-meeting agenda will also consider the business case study for the proposed redevelopment of the National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier.

Jack, reported to be currently in Australia, was unavailable for comment, while new Mayor Kirsten Wise declined to comment.

Jack, who grew up in Napier and took up the job in 2013 upon returning to New Zealand after several years in Australia, is two years into his second five-year contract, worth about $360,000 a year.

Coming from a role as corporate services manager of the Lake McQuarrie City Council in New South Wales, Jack replaced former long-serving CEO Neil Taylor, who was stepping-down after 20 years in the job.

It coincided with Barbara Arnott's retirement from the mayoralty after 12 years in the role, and the 2013 election of new mayor Bill Dalton.

Jack had as a 14-year-old at Tamatea High School swum Cook Strait, and water and sporting issues have been a big feature of his time in the city's management, including controversial high-priced swimming pool, aquarium and velodrome proposals.

He oversaw the controversial and unpopular restructuring of council services, and has been involved with a number of other more public issues.

They include ongoing water supply difficulties, council dog pound problems, shortage of space for the region's museum collection after the redevelopment of the museum now known as the MTG, a War Memorial Centre revamp without apparent plans for maintaining the memorial itself, and recently complaints of using council resources to look at councillor Facebook pages.

The period has also included the sudden need to relocate staff of the council and Public Library after its buildings were evacuated as potential earthquake risks.