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BRADEN FASTIER / STUFF
Alan Dennis had voluntarily stood aside as chairman of the Stadium Southland Limited board when an external independent review was announced.
Alan Dennis has resigned from his position on the Stadium Southland Limited board.
The resignation comes after Stadium Southland general manager Nigel Skelt resigned last month.
Skelt, who had also since resigned as an Invercargill city councillor, was the subject of a quietly-handled complaint of inappropriate conduct towards a young female staff member before his departure.
Details of the resolution, brokered by Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark at the behest of the stadium trust’s then chairman Alan Dennis, were kept from the public and Skelt’s fellow councillors.
The stadium board was now undertaking an external independent review of how the matter was handled.
Dennis had voluntarily stepped aside as chairman when the review was announced, with Hayden Rankin stepping in as interim chairman.
A statement from the board on Wednesday said Dennis had been involved with Stadium Southland since its inception, working tirelessly to maintain and improve the venue and opportunities for the community.
“Alan and the board remain committed to the external review process previously announced.
“The SSL board thanks Alan for his many years of service and commitment to the venue.
“Hayden Rankin will continue as interim chairman.”
Earlier this month, Clark also stepped aside from his role on the Stadium Southland trust.
Clark, who was the council’s representative on the trust which owns the stadium but was not on the board of directors, which sits under it, had quietly negotiated a settlement after being contacted by a family representative of the young staff member in February.
It involved a $3000 payment to the teenager, who had left her job in distress. Skelt was put on a warning and under monitoring, directed to psychological counselling, and all parties were put under a confidentiality agreement.
Clark said it was his role, as mayor, to determine who sits on committees and he had decided deputy mayor Tom Campbell would take his place as a stadium trustee.
At that time, Clark said the reason was “absolutely not’’ an admission that he had done anything wrong.
The timing was appropriate, given his role in the handling of a complaint of harassment against Skelt, he said.
Clark said that, given his involvement, it was better he was not among the trustees when the stadium board reported back to them.
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