“That’s really for Craig to speak to, but it is a resignation, which we’ve accepted as council,” Bech told the Waikato Herald.
“Traditionally there is a five-year fixed term appointment around CEs … so [the resignation] is partway through a term, which is slightly unusual, I guess.
“I would make the point that these are quite unusual times, as well. The reform tsunami that’s hit us from central Government has been actually unprecedented.”
The council had an emergency meeting on Friday, from which the public was excluded.
The council told the Waikato Herald at the time the emergency meeting was called to seek input from the wider group of elected members before Monday’s Chief Executive Performance Review Committee meeting.
The agenda for the public-excluded performance review meeting included a report on the “chief executive’s key performance indicators (KPIs) – approval of 2026/27 KPIs and review of 2025/26″.
Patterson and Bech said the resignation was discussed at Friday’s meeting.
“If you were to sort of try and think of a timeline, it absolutely demonstrates that these discussions were underway,” Bech said.
He said Hobbs’ resignation came as the review of the council’s organisational structure concluded.
“That [review] actually lands today, and that’s a major milestone, and having achieved that, Craig’s felt that this was a right time to step aside.”
Bech said there will be an all-staff meeting this afternoon to inform them about the restructure.
Waikato District Mayor Aksel Bech.
He would not say how many people would lose their jobs.
“The announcement to staff is this afternoon, and I think it’s fair that they hear that first and hear it directly.
“But I think it’s fair to say that the majority of change has actually already occurred.”
He said as the restructure progressed, “people already made their decisions” ahead of the announcement and confirmed there were voluntary redundancies a few months back.
Bech said he did not know exactly how many people had already left this year, though it was “in excess of 50″.
He said the council initially had 490 staff.
“It will be a fairly small number that actually get affected this afternoon.”
Hobbs started as chief executive in February last year.
He took over from Gavin Ion, who held the job for 20 years.
At his pōwhiri, Hobbs told Ion: “I promise I won’t break your legacy, and we [council] will carry on and grow”.
In today’s statement announcing Hobbs’ departure, the council said he arrived with “a clear mandate for change”.
He instigated a full review of the council’s operating model and “established ways of working”, aiming to strengthen the organisation.
He also realised “significant” contract savings and achieved an operating surplus of more than $26 million, the council said.
It achieved 91% of its key performance indicators for 2025-26.
“I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved together,” Hobbs said in the statement.
Bech commended Hobbs’ commitment to his work.
“Craig has achieved several important milestones, taken great care of our council whaanau and our communities and it’s a shame to see him go,” Bech said in the statement.
The council said Hobbs would step down at the end of this month.
He was previously the chief executive of Paralympics New Zealand, chief executive of the National Maritime Museum, chief executive of South Waikato District Council, and a member of the executive leadership team and director of regulatory services at Auckland Council.
Waikato District Council said on its website that its offices, libraries and pounds will be closed from 1.45pm today, reopening as normal tomorrow.
Waikato Herald has requested further comment from the council and Hobbs about his resignation, and about the restructure outcomes.
Danielle Zollickhofer is the Waikato news director and a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.