diff --git a/pkg/controller/add_cluster.go b/pkg/controller/add_cluster.go
index 26032082..b3660026 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/add_cluster.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/add_cluster.go
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import (
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	kerrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 
+	pkgerrors "github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 )
 
@@ -53,7 +54,7 @@ func (c *Controller) EnsurePlacement(cluster *myspec.M3DBCluster) error {
 	// Get placement
 	plClient := c.adminClient.placementClientForCluster(cluster)
 	_, err := plClient.Get()
-	if err == m3admin.ErrNotFound {
+	if pkgerrors.Cause(err) == m3admin.ErrNotFound {
 		placementInitRequest := &admin.PlacementInitRequest{
 			NumShards:         cluster.Spec.NumberOfShards,
 			ReplicationFactor: cluster.Spec.ReplicationFactor,
diff --git a/pkg/controller/add_cluster_test.go b/pkg/controller/add_cluster_test.go
index 19cd68e6..6ced10d1 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/add_cluster_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/add_cluster_test.go
@@ -22,12 +22,18 @@ package controller
 
 import (
 	"archive/zip"
+	"errors"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/m3db/m3db-operator/pkg/m3admin"
+
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 
+	"github.com/golang/mock/gomock"
 	"github.com/kubernetes/utils/pointer"
+	pkgerrors "github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/rakyll/statik/fs"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
@@ -55,6 +61,35 @@ func registerValidConfigMap() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func TestEnsurePlacement(t *testing.T) {
+	cluster := getFixture("cluster-3-zones.yaml", t)
+	deps := newTestDeps(t, &testOpts{
+		crdObjects: []runtime.Object{cluster},
+	})
+	k8sops, err := newFakeK8sops()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	placementMock := deps.placementClient
+	defer deps.cleanup()
+
+	controller := deps.newController()
+	controller.k8sclient = k8sops
+
+	placementMock.EXPECT().Get().Return(nil, pkgerrors.WithMessage(m3admin.ErrNotFound, "foo"))
+	placementMock.EXPECT().Init(gomock.Any())
+
+	err = controller.EnsurePlacement(cluster)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	placementMock.EXPECT().Get()
+	err = controller.EnsurePlacement(cluster)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	placementMock.EXPECT().Get().Return(nil, errors.New("placement client not available"))
+	err = controller.EnsurePlacement(cluster)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
+
 func TestEnsureService_Base(t *testing.T) {
 	cluster := getFixture("cluster-simple.yaml", t)
 	k8sops, err := newFakeK8sops()
diff --git a/pkg/controller/update_cluster.go b/pkg/controller/update_cluster.go
index 2635c105..6aaea5d4 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/update_cluster.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/update_cluster.go
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ import (
 	klabels "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/runtime"
 
+	pkgerrors "github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 )
 
@@ -109,7 +110,7 @@ func (c *Controller) pruneNamespaces(cluster *myspec.M3DBCluster, registry *dbns
 			continue
 		}
 
-		if err == m3admin.ErrNotFound {
+		if pkgerrors.Cause(err) == m3admin.ErrNotFound {
 			c.logger.Info("namespace has already been deleted", zap.String("namespace", ns))
 			continue
 		}
@@ -165,7 +166,7 @@ func (c *Controller) validatePlacementWithStatus(cluster *myspec.M3DBCluster) (*
 		return cluster, nil
 	}
 
-	if err != m3admin.ErrNotFound {
+	if pkgerrors.Cause(err) != m3admin.ErrNotFound {
 		err := fmt.Errorf("error from m3admin placement get: %v", err)
 		c.logger.Error(err.Error())
 		runtime.HandleError(err)
diff --git a/pkg/controller/update_cluster_test.go b/pkg/controller/update_cluster_test.go
index f071ca5a..745ed5fb 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/update_cluster_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/update_cluster_test.go
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/clock"
 
 	"github.com/golang/mock/gomock"
+	pkgerrors "github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ func TestReconcileNamespaces(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
-func TestCleanupNamespaces(t *testing.T) {
+func TestPruneNamespaces(t *testing.T) {
 	cluster := getFixture("cluster-simple.yaml", t)
 	cluster.Spec.Namespaces = []myspec.Namespace{}
 
@@ -111,7 +112,7 @@ func TestCleanupNamespaces(t *testing.T) {
 	err := controller.pruneNamespaces(cluster, registry)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
-	nsMock.EXPECT().Delete("foo").Return(m3admin.ErrNotFound)
+	nsMock.EXPECT().Delete("foo").Return(pkgerrors.WithMessage(m3admin.ErrNotFound, "foo"))
 	err = controller.pruneNamespaces(cluster, registry)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
@@ -542,7 +543,6 @@ func podWithName(name string) *corev1.Pod {
 }
 
 func TestValidatePlacementWithStatus(t *testing.T) {
-
 	cluster := getFixture("cluster-3-zones.yaml", t)
 	deps := newTestDeps(t, &testOpts{
 		crdObjects: []runtime.Object{cluster},
@@ -552,7 +552,6 @@ func TestValidatePlacementWithStatus(t *testing.T) {
 	defer deps.cleanup()
 
 	controller := deps.newController()
-	//idProvider := deps.idProvider
 
 	placementMock.EXPECT().Get().AnyTimes()
 
@@ -562,6 +561,26 @@ func TestValidatePlacementWithStatus(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NotNil(t, clusterReturn)
 }
 
+func TestValidatePlacementWithStatus_ErrNotFound(t *testing.T) {
+	cluster := getFixture("cluster-3-zones.yaml", t)
+	deps := newTestDeps(t, &testOpts{
+		crdObjects: []runtime.Object{cluster},
+	})
+
+	placementMock := deps.placementClient
+	defer deps.cleanup()
+
+	controller := deps.newController()
+
+	placementMock.EXPECT().Get().Return(nil, pkgerrors.Wrap(m3admin.ErrNotFound, "foo"))
+	placementMock.EXPECT().Init(gomock.Any())
+
+	clusterReturn, err := controller.validatePlacementWithStatus(cluster)
+
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, clusterReturn)
+}
+
 func TestSortPodID(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, test := range []struct {
 		podIDs []podID