Buller District Council update on outcomes from forensic audit examining Project Management Office operations

Buller District Council commissioned a review of its Project Management Office (PMO) operations in 2023, following allegations of mismanagement of funds.  

The initial review was conducted by engineering consultancy Morrison Low and led to a subsequent forensic audit by KPMG.   

The outcome of the most recent forensic audit is that while there is no evidence of behaviour, in KPMG’s view, serious enough to prompt a complaint to an enforcement agency, they have pinpointed shortcomings by the council concerning the management of capital projects overseen by the PMO. The shortcomings relate to governance and operational matters. 

Council realises there is significant public interest in this matter and is intending on making further comment on the findings of the report. It is presently considering the appropriate form for public release of the report, noting BDC has obligations as to how it treats information about individuals under the Employment Relations Act 2000, Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 and the Privacy Act 2020. 

Chief Executive Officer Simon Pickford has prepared an action plan and timeline for these items to be completed. The key outcome from the action plan is identification and implementation of process improvement steps to address the matters identified in the KPMG report. Progress on the action plan will be reported to the Risk and Audit Committee. 

 -ENDS- 

For further information please contact: 
Chief Executive Officer  
Simon Pickford 
Simon.Pickford@bdc.govt.nz