Clare Hadley: From Council Leadership to Central Otago Water Work

The New Zealand public-sector manager spent about 15 years leading three councils before moving into catchment and water work in Central Otago.

NZ Beat Editorial Team September 10, 2026Last Updated: September 10, 2026

17 7 minutes read

Clare Hadley New Zealand public-sector executive and Manuherekia Catchment Group General Manager

Introduction

Clare Hadley is a New Zealand public-sector executive best known for leading Rangitīkei District Council, Nelson City Council and Invercargill City Council. Since 2024, she has worked as General Manager of the Manuherekia Catchment Group in Central Otago, where her work covers water, landowners and community projects.

Her council career goes back more than 30 years.

Table of Contents

Before becoming a chief executive, Hadley worked across Dunedin, Porirua, Hutt and Palmerston North councils. She later led three councils in succession and served as president of New Zealand’s professional body for local-government managers.

Then her career changed course.

In April 2024, Hadley joined the Manuherekia Catchment Group. Official material published in 2026 still identifies her with the group. (mcg.org.nz)

Quick Facts About Clare Hadley

Fact	Information
Full name	Clare Valerie Hadley
Profession	Public-sector and local-government executive
Latest verified role	General Manager, Manuherekia Catchment Group
Joined MCG	April 2024
Former CEO roles	Rangitīkei District Council, Nelson City Council, Invercargill City Council
Education	Master of Public Policy
University	Victoria University
Graduation year	1999
Earlier council experience	Dunedin, Porirua, Hutt and Palmerston North
Former professional role	President of the Society of Local Government Managers
Publicly discussed interests	Cycling, mountain biking and trail biking

Who Is Clare Hadley?

Clare Hadley is a long-serving New Zealand public-sector manager.

She is best known for holding chief executive positions at three councils.

Those were:

Rangitīkei District Council
Nelson City Council
Invercargill City Council

Her years at chief executive level covered roughly 15 years. Before that, she built experience through several other local authorities.

That long council record is the main reason her name appears across New Zealand local-government records.

What Does Clare Hadley Do Now?

Hadley joined the Manuherekia Catchment Group as General Manager in April 2024.

The group works across the Manuherekia catchment in Central Otago.

Its work includes water issues, environmental projects, landowner involvement and community activity. Hadley’s job includes working with farmers, water users, councils and other groups connected with the catchment.

An Otago Regional Council agenda published on 25 February 2026 still identifies her as General Manager of the Manuherekia Catchment Group. (orc.govt.nz)

So, as of the latest strong public records found, she remains connected with that role.

Where Did Clare Hadley Study?

Hadley completed a Master of Public Policy at Victoria University in 1999.

A professional profile published by the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators records both the degree and graduation year.

Her later career stayed closely linked with public administration, council planning and government work.

How Did Clare Hadley’s Career Start?

Hadley’s local-government career began decades before she became a council CEO.

Her earlier council experience included:

Dunedin City Council
Porirua City Council
Hutt City Council
Palmerston North City Council

At Hutt City Council, she worked as Economic Initiatives Manager from 1997 until mid-2002.

That job involved working with local businesses and economic projects. Her professional profile links her with work around the Wellington Region Gold Awards and a study that led to Positively Wellington Business.

Then came a senior move.

What Did Clare Hadley Do at Palmerston North City Council?

Hadley spent about five years at Palmerston North City Council.

She first worked as General Manager, City Future.

Her work covered council planning, district planning and oversight of council-controlled organisations.

She later became General Manager, Community & Commercial Services.

That period put her firmly into senior local-government management.

Her first chief executive job followed.

When Did Clare Hadley Become a Council Chief Executive?

Hadley became Chief Executive of Rangitīkei District Council in 2007.

Official council records from that period list her as chief executive.

The job became the first of three council CEO positions she would hold.

During her Rangitīkei years, she also took on a national professional role.

Was Clare Hadley President of SOLGM?

Yes.

Hadley was elected president of the New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers, commonly known as SOLGM, in 2010.

New Zealand Government speeches from 2010 and 2011 directly identify her as the organisation’s president.

Her later professional profile places her presidency across 2010 to 2012.

That job put her in contact with local-government managers across New Zealand while she was still running Rangitīkei District Council.

When Did Clare Hadley Join Nelson City Council?

Hadley moved to Nelson City Council in December 2012.

Nelson City Council’s official annual report records that she took up the chief executive job that month.

She stayed for around five years.

Her time there included council planning, public projects and management of a unitary authority.

Projects linked with her Nelson years included the Trafalgar Centre redevelopment and work involving regional council services.

By early 2018, another role had opened.

When Did Clare Hadley Join Invercargill City Council?

Invercargill City Council appointed Hadley as chief executive in February 2018.

She started work in March.

Hadley replaced long-serving chief executive Richard King after spending about five years in Nelson.

Her Invercargill years became the most publicly reported period of her career.

What Changed at Invercargill City Council?

Hadley reviewed the council’s management structure after taking the job.

A later independent governance report said councillors generally felt the senior management level had become stronger following changes made under her leadership.

A recruitment case study also records the creation of a new executive leadership team after the council’s structure was changed.

The Invercargill years also brought several difficult public matters.

What Happened With the Don Street Project?

In December 2018, Hadley raised concerns about the council’s Don Street property project.

The project had originally been approved with a construction budget of NZ$11.9 million.

Later figures pointed to a possible construction cost of NZ$16.4 million.

Hadley said earlier reports had recorded increases in scope and cost without giving councillors a clear explanation.

The project dated from before she became chief executive.

That context matters.

What Happened During the 2020 Staff Pay Dispute?

A public disagreement developed during the COVID-19 restrictions in 2020.

The council proposed different pay levels depending on how much work employees could carry out.

The Public Service Association opposed the proposal.

Talks followed.

The council agreed it wouldn’t change PSA members’ employment conditions without agreement from the union. Hadley later said staff would continue receiving full pay at that stage, whether work was available or not.

That later development should be included whenever the dispute is discussed.

What Was the Invercargill Governance Review?

In 2020, concerns were raised about governance at Invercargill City Council.

The Department of Internal Affairs became involved, and an independent review followed.

The review discussed problems involving elected leadership, council relationships and the working relationship between the mayor and chief executive.

It also recorded positive views from councillors about changes Hadley had made to senior management.

The council later worked through a response plan.

Why Did Clare Hadley Leave Invercargill City Council?

Hadley’s fixed chief executive term was due to end in 2023.

Invercargill City Council ran a fresh recruitment process.

It received 33 applications for the position.

Councillors selected Michael Day, who was already working for the council as Group Manager Finance and Assurance.

Mayor Nobby Clark publicly thanked Hadley for her work and said she had guided the council through a period of major change.

Her departure shouldn’t be described as a misconduct dismissal.

Her term was ending, the council recruited again, and another applicant was selected.

Why Did Clare Hadley Move to Central Otago?

The Manuherekia Catchment Group announced Hadley’s appointment in March 2024.

She started on 1 April 2024.

The move also had a personal connection.

Hadley said she had lived in the area as a child and remembered swimming in local waterways and playing hockey there.

She and her husband had also wanted to move back to Central Otago.

What Projects Is Clare Hadley Working On?

Her Manuherekia work has included projects linked with river health, landowners and local communities.

One is Waiora Manuherekia.

Work connected with that programme has included:

willow removal
native planting
wetland work
sediment monitoring
school activities
river-health projects

Hadley wrote about the programme after its first year and discussed work completed around the catchment.

She has also discussed the group’s broader water work in a 2025 interview with Irrigation Leader.

What Is Known About Clare Hadley’s Personal Life?

Public professional material refers to Hadley as married.

Her husband has been mentioned in career profiles and in the Manuherekia Catchment Group’s 2024 announcement.

Hadley has also spoken publicly about enjoying:

road cycling
trail biking
mountain biking
riding as a passenger on her husband’s motorbike

These interests appear in public professional material.

Weakly sourced claims about her age, birthday or other family details are best left out.

What Was Clare Hadley’s Invercargill Salary?

A public financial figure is available from her Invercargill council years.

During recruitment for the next chief executive in 2023, the Otago Daily Times reported that public documents put Hadley’s annual salary at about NZ$365,000. (odt.co.nz)

That was a historical salary figure.

It shouldn’t be treated as her current income.

There is also no strong public record that supports a personal net-worth figure.

What Is Clare Hadley Best Known For?

Hadley’s record can be summed up quite simply.

She spent years working through New Zealand councils.

Then she became a chief executive.

She led Rangitīkei first.

Nelson came next.

Invercargill followed.

After that, she moved into catchment work in Central Otago.

That mix of council management and environmental work now defines her public career.

Final Thought

Clare Hadley’s career has covered more than three decades of New Zealand public work.

She spent about 15 years leading three councils, held a national professional role through SOLGM and later moved into water and catchment management.

Since 2024, her work has centred on the Manuherekia Catchment Group in Central Otago.

That’s the clearest answer today.

Her job has changed.

Her connection with public work hasn’t.

FAQs About Clare Hadley

Who is Clare Hadley?

Clare Hadley is a New Zealand public-sector executive who led Rangitīkei, Nelson and Invercargill councils before joining the Manuherekia Catchment Group.