Bonfire of the vanities
Few political events are more predictable than promises to slash regulations. Just like clockwork, National has promised a “bonfire” of unnecessary and downright stupid rules. Funnily enough, while in government they did just that with the “Rules Reduction Taskforce”, which spent $750,000 touring the country to collect reports of out of date, petty, inefficient and pointless regulations. After all that work they produced The Loopy Rules Report:
New Zealanders Tell Their Stories. One of its main findings was that many of the rules complained about did not actually exist.
Hugs all round
“Hold the lift,” shouted the brightly attired woman. The occupants did, and in she bustled: the mother of the Mother of all Budgets, former Finance Minister Ruth Richardson. She turned and asked: “who here works for Bank of China?” “I do,” replied one young woman. “I’m Ruth Richardson and I’m on your board — big hug!” And she clasped the surprised lass to her bosom. “Me too,” said another woman. “Big hug,” Richardson replied, and duly obliged. It all seemed uncontrived and terribly sweet. Another hug was offered to the older man sharing the lift. He demurred.
Wine, cheese, top jobs . . .
Good things take time, they say. If so, the State Services Commission must be cooking up some great appointments to chief executives’ positions. The commission has just advertised for a chief executive at the Department of Corrections, with applications closing on September 22. Christine Stevenson has been acting in the role since February 19, and her predecessor’s departure was well signalled as the commission transferred him to another role. Did they forget about the department until it hit the headlines? Stevenson’s move also left Customs with an acting CEO. Others with acting bosses are the Ministry of Ma¯ ori Development/Te Puni Ko¯ kiri and the Office for Ma¯ ori Crown Relations/Te Arawhiti. Then there’s the Treasury, where the departure of Gabriel Makhlouf this year had been known about well beforehand.
Capitalism gone wrong
Parliament this week debated legislation setting up the new Venture Capital Fund, which aims to help NZ businesses with money to expand internationally. Many bemoaned, and had different theories on, the fact that so many successful businesses fail to make the leap offshore without being taken over by foreign competitors. With dead-pan ex-cop humour, Labour’s Greg O’Connor said MPs should consider the lessons of the Mr Asia syndicate. “It was true venture capital, a true market where a group of New Zealanders not only cornered the heroin market in New Zealand, they cornered the heroin market in Australia, and they then went on to attempt to corner the heroin market in the United Kingdom . . . [it] ended up with one of them, the protagonist, lying upside down in a quarry in Chorley in northern England, minus his hands and his head. Perhaps there are those who argue that’s a much cleaner way of doing business . . . I know it’s a long way from the New Zealand Venture Capital Fund Bill which we are discussing today, but I think I’d like to build a picture of what we’re trying to achieve here . . . [with] venture capital — what it does mean is that was purely a market where people did go, and they fell apart. Perhaps if . . . had been better invested along the way, things might have been different.”
Changing horses
Green Party co-leader James Shaw has lost hardworking press secretary Peter Stevens to fast-rising Minister for Many Things, including broadcasting, Kris Faafoi. Stevens will be a loss for Shaw, but the parting appears to have been amicable and a good opportunity for Stevens, whose many years as a producer for TV3 news crews has made him a savvy and good-natured operator in a sometimes patchy government press secretary corps.
Migratory MPs
Confirmation that Clare Curran will not seek re-election means her safe Dunedin South seat is up for grabs. People were quick to speculate who might be keen to put their hands up, and during a debate on conservation issues National MP Scott Simpson compared it to the behaviour of migratory birds. He reckoned Invercargill based list MP Liz Craig (above) was preparing for “her electoral migratory transformation . . . I’m sure that it won’t be long before she takes flight from her current habitat and decides that the attraction and lure of Dunedin South is far too compelling, and her migratory flight will be complete in a few months’ time”. However, there are a few more candidates the party might try to lure south. Meanwhile, others are flocking around the Christchurch electorate of Ilam, hoping Gerry Brownlee will call it a day and hand them a safe nest.