WCC arrogance

The Herald reports:

Hundreds of pages of highly confidential Wellington City Council documents – including termination agreements, a sexual harassment claim, and staff pay details – ended up in the hands of a local man who bought an old mayoral office desk at a dump.

The council has launched an investigation and notified the Privacy Commissioner after being alerted to the situation by the Herald, while a former mayor is demanding answers from officials. 

“It’s appalling, I’m appalled,” Dame Fran Wilde said.

Fellow former Wellington mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast said it is a “diabolical situation on a number of fronts”.

The failure to check the desk was empty is bad, and embarrassing. But what really gets me is this part:

When first contacted by the Herald about Morgan’s post, a council spokesman said officials did not believe it to be legitimate, saying it was likely social media “mischief”, and encouraged the Herald to come back when it had found evidence.

The Herald then tracked down Morgan, who provided our newsroom with the confidential cache.

The officials should be ashamed. Rather than immediately reaching out to Morgan (who had actually contacted the Council), they dismissed it and told the Herald to do their job, and get proof.