Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson has announced he is leaving the council-owned company. Photo / Doug Sherring
Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson has announced he is leaving the council-owned company. Photo / Doug Sherring
Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson has cited damaging personal attacks for his sudden resignation today.
In a statement, Gibson said the attacks on him had been damaging to the company and the great people he works with.
He will step down at the end of the June.
The controversial businessman is leaving his role without a single kind word from Mayor Phil Goff, and the Maritime Union has labelled his 10-year reign as "negative".
But Auckland Chamber of Commerce boss Michael Barnett said the resignation was about political and union bullying.
"My expectation is that the new chief executive, once appointed, will move to deliver the port's automation project as quickly as possible and implement the recommendations of the independent health and safety review," he said.
Mayor Phil Goff did not have a single nice word to say about Tony Gibson on learning of his departure. Photo / Michael Craig
The review was prompted by two port workers losing their lives due to accidents on the wharves and a speeding pilot boat accidentally striking and killing an ocean swimmer over a three-year period.
At the time of the review's release in March, Gibson said he would stay in the job as long as the board had confidence in him.
Goff has privately let it be known he had no confidence in Gibson and the Maritime Union called for him to go in March.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison said Gibson's reign had been negative.
"As chief executive Mr Gibson had engaged in an anti-union agenda, had failed to provide a safe workplace, and was responsible for an automation project that was now years behind schedule," he said.
Barnett said the resignation is about political and union bullying, not health and safety or modernisation.
"There are no winners from this but I will wear my pink shirt for him tomorrow," said Barnett.
Gibson said over the past few months there had been persistent and sometimes personal attacks on him as chief executive.
"I feel that this focus on me is damaging to the company and to the great people that I work with. It is taking our focus off what is really important – delivering change. I can't let that continue, so for the sake of our people and the good work that they do, I have decided to step down.
"As I go, I want to pay tribute to the people of Ports of Auckland. This is a company which is often in the media in a bad way, over port expansion, port location or more recently over safety and congestion. Sadly, there is little media attention on the great things our people have achieved in the last 10 years.
"Our people have transformed the business from one which couldn't afford to invest in necessary infrastructure to one which has earned hundreds of millions of dollars for Aucklanders. They have successfully delivered multiple projects such as the new deep-water container wharf, a new car handling building and three container handling cranes," Gibson said in a statement.
The Ports of Auckland automation project has been delayed. Photo / Michael Craig
Ports of Auckland board chairman Bill Osborne said: "Tony has been a transformational CEO for Ports of Auckland over the last 10 years. His vision, drive, skills, and leadership have been essential in delivering the change that was desperately needed when he started in 2011.
"I am sad to lose someone of his calibre, especially at a time when the company is again going through major change. However, I understand and accept his reasons and wish him well."
Deputy chief executive and chief finance officer Wayne Thompson will be interim chief executive until a new chief is appointed.
