SPCA Wairarapa inspector quits

Inspector Ben Lakomy was a "very good inspector and a hell of a nice guy".

Wairarapa's SPCA animal welfare inspector Ben Lakomy has resigned and will return to work in Wellington.

News of his departure comes a day after a stormy meeting in Masterton on Thursday night.

Chief executive Ric Odom, RNZ SPCA, said the Wairarapa branch could no longer afford to pay Mr Lakomy, who has been rehired by the Wellington branch.

Mr Odom said the national office was coming up with a plan to provide inspectorate coverage for the Wairarapa region.

"It could be a slightly lower level of service but emergencies will always be responded to."

Mr Odom said Mr Lakomy was a "very good inspector and a hell of a nice guy" and was disappointed some people were taking their frustrations out on him.

Lesley Gibson, who was an SPCA inspector for Wairarapa for four years, said Mr Lakomy was a brilliant inspector and would be a loss to the community.

She said she was angry with the Wairarapa committee who "led Mr Lakomy up the garden path. The committee knew they were in financial strife and they still hired him and then jumped ship.

"He moved all the way here with his family and I feel really stink about this."

When Mrs Gibson resigned from her job at the SPCA in March this year she had "no idea the SPCA was about to fold. Wairarapa is a really good area to run, it has a really good centre with all the facilities and everything that you need.

"All it's lacking is finance."

She said national office "could only do so much to help" and were not to blame for the centre's closure. "They're trying to reopen it, but if there's no money then how can they?"

Mrs Gibson understood that Mr Lakomy would be leaving the centre at the end of the month. Mr Lakomy could not be reached for comment.