CEO leaves Families Commission after only five months

The chief executive of the Families Commission has left the job after just five months because of differences over the way she and the commissioners thought the operation should be run.

It is understood that chief executive Claire Austin left the job on Monday.

Chief commissioner Ragen Prasad said the commissioners' expectations of governance operations "did not align" with those of Ms Austin.

For her to go was "the best option to take".

Dr Prasad told National Radio that a committee of the board plus outside experts had interviewed Ms Austin for the job.

The commissioners' expectations and those of the chief executive were discussed at that time "but clearly they now don't line up," he said.

Governance and operations should be "pretty well understood" but the commissioners and Ms Austin had differed on how things should run.

Dr Prasad would not discuss the details of a confidential settlement reached with Ms Austin.

It had taken six months to find the chief executive, Dr Prasad said.

Someone would fill in immediately and the hunt would begin for a replacement.

Ms Austin was chief executive of the Royal College of General Practitioners before taking up the position at the commission.

The establishment of the Families Commission was a key condition of the United Future Party's support agreement with the Government.

The commission was given $28 million over four years to carry out its work.

Its mission is to advocate for families, fund research into family issues and parenting support programmes, and contribute to policy development.

National welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins said she had been looking at how the Families Commission had been spending taxpayer dollars and believed it was a "politically motivated commission".

It was spending just under $750,000 on an advertising campaign for a survey "asking what makes families tick" which most families would be too busy to fill out and send in.

The commission was doing this in the lead-up to a general election, "casting into serious doubt just how independent this Families Commission is".

It also smacked of "hypocrisy" that Ms Austin was getting a confidential payout after only a few months in the job when the Government had opposed golden handshakes to public servants.

Social Development Minister Steve Maharey said through a spokesman that arrangements surrounding Ms Austin's departure were confidential and a matter for the board and commissioners.

- NZPA