BIA: Sacked the victim - kept the bully

I regret that the letter below given to Fiona did nothing to improve things within the BIA Nelson culture.

Once Mena had left the BIA another staff member was sought and Russ Aiton employed without consultation with group members. At first he worked with our Tuesday groups and went also to the group in Blenhiem as facilitator there. After a time it became obvious that this was not a vocation of benefit to all. A new position was created for Russ that including finances and funding, a position never advertised. Previously these activities had been undertaken by Fiona and Mena who were the only two staff. Mena was facilitator for our Tuesday group.

When it was announced that yet another staff member would be employed to work with our group, members asked to have some involvement in the selection process. Three candidates met with members of our Tuesday Nelson group and we all agreed that one of these was the person we most wanted to be our facilitator. This was the first time to my knowledge that the group had any influence in the employment of staff.

Diann was then employed to take over the activities previously undertaken by Russ. Russ was apparently most unhappy at Diann's employment and embarked on a program of harassing and bullying her. The tension within the staff was very apparent to members. Messages given to either Russ or Diann and concerning both were not conveyed to the other. Apparently there was no communication between them. Despite letters to the committee from Diann describing her experience, no effective action was taken to remedy the situation until Diann was "made redundant" some two years after her initial employment. Diann was well liked by all almost all members of the BIA and was clearly a caring and genuine person in the mould of Mena who had previously given her all to the group.

After I had given the letter below to Fiona in March nearly two months followed with no reply and my concerns at the situation with governance issues escalated. I wrote numerous emails and Judith and I met with Fiona and Brett Wall who was then the chair of the BIA committee. Brett agreed to make financial records and funding agreements available to us but later reneged. At the meeting Fiona disclosed that no formal protocol for dealing with sexual harassment or abuse had been implemented.

Finally a reply was sent by Joy Aiton (vice chair and partner of Russ) on behalf of the Committee to me advising that they would not be addressing the concerns raised.

The only response by BIA to these concerns has been a series of formal surveys of the membership with some of these and other concerns obliquely addressed in the monthly newsletter and membership forms. All are very controlling in both their content and absences of serious issues addressed. Where previously matters had been discussed to some extent by the group and aided in the generation of a supportive culture no such activity has been subsequently encouraged.

Financial records of the association provided to meet the requirements of the Charities Act, disclosed for the financial year ending 31 March 2013 that a sum of $1666 was paid under the heading Massey Training Expences. Fiona Price is and was undertaking a degree course there. Attempts to gain details of these and travel expenses of $4742 for the same year have been to no avail. Total income was $87,987 for that period.

Whereas two staff were previously employed with one as facilitator for the weekly groups, two are still employed but neither identified as group facilitator and a call for volunteers has been made. Effectively the position of group facilitator was hijacked by Russ's continued employment in a new position and failure to replace Diann. A student volunteer has been taking group sessions during a 6 month placement. Again a group of vulnerable people have no influence over the people who work with them, are subjected to the instability of volunteers and of value only as a means to ensure the ongoing employment of staff for whom group members have the lowest of priorities.

These and many other serious issues remain. All derive from a lack of effective or strong governance making the organisation vulnerable to exploitation of which the ongoing employment of Russ is an example.

I believe that our group must be accountable to its membership and provide the 'vigilant nurture ' necessary for some of the most vulnerable people in society. The failures of this organisation are shameful and a blemish on Nelsons support community.