Taranaki Electricity Trust trustee censured after code of conduct complaint from fellow trustees

The complaint was purely about process, said TET chairman Mike Davey. Photo / NZME

A Taranaki Electricity Trust (TET) trustee has been stood down from some of his duties for three months after a code of conduct complaint was brought against him.

Alan Jamieson, who has been a trustee for the past six years and is currently standing for re-election, faced a code of conduct complaint in relation to a decision made by him regarding the use of residual funds from the Taranaki Masters Games.

In response to questions from NZME about the meeting, TET chairman Mike Davey said the code of conduct complaint was purely about process.

“There was never any suggestion that any funds were used inappropriately by Mr Jamieson or anyone else. This proceeding was simply about whether Mr Jamieson complied with TET’s internal processes and controls.”

A meeting regarding the complaint was held on April 4 at the Taranaki Electricity Trust offices in Inglewood with lawyers for both the trust and for Jamieson in attendance.

The minutes of the meeting were available on the trust’s website for 11 days before being removed. Davey said they were removed from the website after “an issue arose as to whether the minutes may have breached a confidentiality obligation owed by TET”.

The Code of Conduct complaint was that Jamieson had “permitted Mrs Wood [the Taranaki Masters Games organiser] to have the residual funds from the Taranaki Masters Games without discussing the matter with the other trustees”.

Davey said the amount of funds in question were “less than $8100″.

The meeting minutes note Jamieson’s lawyer, Patrick Mooney, argued Jamieson had an authority to act on behalf of trustees, and “had been asked to sort out TMG and was doing so”.

Davey says of the six trustees on the trust, he was the only trustee without any perceived conflict of interest in the issue.

Jamieson, as the subject of the complaint was conflicted, and the other four trustees (Jono Erwood, Andrew Wood, Melissa Stevenson and Tony Bedford) had either “made the complaint or provided evidence in support of the complaint”.

That left making a determination on the complaint to him as chair.

“[My] determination was that Mr Jamieson was stood down from certain duties for three months and was requested to make an apology, which he did.”

In an emailed response to questions from NZME on the matter, Alan Jamieson said “all questions should be directed to Mike Davey, TET chairman”.