May 21, 2021
No sympathy for departing port boss
An Auckland councillor says it was hard to justify Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson staying on.
The embattled port boss yesterday announced he was stepping down at the end of June.
He said the sometimes personal attacks on him had been damaging to the company and the people he works with.
Unions, iwi and Māori community leaders have been calling for Mr Gibson to go after an inquiry found systemic problems with health and safety at the port, where two workers and a swimmer have died in recent years.
Angela Dalton says Mr Gibson gave no indication he was about to pull the plug when he and board chair Bill Osborne made a presentation to council this week, but councillors weren't satisfied with their explanations.
"It's been a very difficult time for everybody down at the ports. We still have concerns over safety and we still have concerns about productivity at the ports, so at some point the buck has to stop somewhere," she says.
Copyright © 2021, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com