Inquiries made by the Herald earlier this year revealed Foster was completing an Institute for Strategic Leadership course at the Millbrook Resort in March. Photo / Mark Mitchell.
Inquiries made by the Herald earlier this year revealed Foster was completing an Institute for Strategic Leadership course at the Millbrook Resort in March. Photo / Mark Mitchell.
What did Wellington mayor Andy Foster learn on a $30,000 leadership course he attended earlier this year at a luxury five-star Queenstown resort?
Ratepayers may never know, as Foster has refused to answer questions about what he learned.
An official information request asking for a copy of a report on what Foster learned on the course has also proved fruitless, as such a report does not exist.
The course, hosted at a resort that boasts a 27-hole championship golf course, an award-winning day spa, and a health and fitness centre, was paid for from the ratepayers' purse.
A brochure said the course cost almost $30,000, which included programme fees, transfers, meals, accommodation, and post-programme coaching.
Foster made assurances at the time that ratepayers would be getting value for money.
"It's like any form of educational training, the cost is immediate, but the benefits, some of them may be quite quick and some of them may take a bit longer."
In response last week to a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request, Wellington City Council advised a report on what Foster learned on the course was information it did not hold.
The course was hosted at Millbrook Resort. Photo / Supplied.
The response noted Foster returned from the course on March 23, the same day Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the country would be going into lockdown in 48 hours.
"The Mayor's report-back to councillors on the leadership course was not a priority at that time given we needed to prepare to operate only essential services under the Covid-19 lockdown.
"The Mayor's office has advised that any feedback on the training will happen at a later date. This is likely to be by way of a presentation and verbal update to councillors."
The money for the course came out of the Mayor's Office Budget and not the professional development training budget for elected members, which had $50,000 in its kitty that financial year.
Neither former mayors Justin Lester or Celia Wade-Brown attended the same course, but did attend leadership training run by other organisations.
Wade-Brown's course was not paid for by the council.
This week the Herald emailed Foster a series of questions about what he learned from the course, but he declined to comment.
The query included questions regarding the key skills Foster learned on the course and examples of when he has subsequently demonstrated them, how the course prepared him for Covid-19, how he would rate his leadership out of 10, and what he'd like to improve on.
The majority of his councillors on the other hand swifty provided a breakdown of how much money was going to which community groups and charities, including the exact date of their first payment.
Some went as far as providing screen shots of their payments.
Foster did not reply to questions about why he found that request to be intrusive.
