

A whistleblower from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has told Newshub dysfunction and distrust at the CAA is putting the public at risk.

The employee says he decided to speak to Newshub's investigations reporter Michael Morrah because, he says, the CAA has repeatedly failed in its regulatory role, and a "toxic work environment" is contributing to the problem.

As a result of information shared with Transport Minister Phil Twyford, he said he wants a senior official from the Transport Ministry to meet with the whistleblower to listen to their concerns and investigate.

A Newshub Official Information Act request has revealed that, in just over three years, 20 formal complaints have been made by staff at CAA about bullying, sexual harassment or inappropriate behaviour.

Those complaints led to three staff members being sacked, while others received formal warnings.

Internal documents obtained by Newshub also suggest some staff want to complain about issues but won't because they "don't trust the process" and have concerns about "incompetent managers".

But the CAA's director Graeme Harris has responded by saying it has "very robust" processes to deal with poor performance and complaints.

The CAA informant who spoke to Newshub has worked at the agency for several years. By his own admission, he was taking a big risk going public - but decided to on behalf of his colleagues and in the interests of Kiwi travellers.

"This is a safety regulator. The CAA's job is to protect the travelling public of New Zealand," he told Newshub.

"How can you assure safety in an organisation that has this level of distrust and dysfunction?"

If you have more information and would like to contact Michael Morrah in confidence, email MichaelMorrah@mediaworks.co.nz



He says the issues largely concern the behaviour of managers, especially those in the helicopter and health and safety units.

"Much of the senior management is simply distrusted by the people who work for them," the worker said.

"There's a lot of internal strife, there's a lot of bullying... there's a lot of toxic atmosphere."

But Harris disputes that, saying the agency has a "very good" culture.

However, when pressed on conflicts between staff, Harris acknowledged he's "never happy with disagreements in the organisation" but felt that sometimes this led to a "useful tension" that can be constructive.