GOVERNMENT NEWS ARCHIVE 2003

January

29 January
ACT BOARD CALLS FOR MP's SUSPENSION

The ACT Party governing board has called for ACT list MP Donna Awatere Huata to "make a full public disclosure in answer to the serious allegations against her, or resign" and has asked the ACT caucus to suspend her in the meantime.

Donna Awatere Huata is subject to several investigations following media allegations of misuse of public money.

ACT President Catherine Judd said the Board made judgements or findings of the truth or otherwise of the very serious allegations against the MP but found it unacceptable for an MP to refuse to be fully and publicly accountable for behaviour, especially with regard to the expenditure of taxpayers' money.

Ms Awatere Huata's spokesperson roles have been removed, and they are currently being assumed by ACT Leader
Richard Prebble.

22 January
NEW LOTTERIES COMMISSION CHIEF EXECUTIVE

The New Zealand Lotteries Commission today announced the appointment of Mr Trevor Hall, a former Chief Executive Officer of Totally Wellington, as their new Chief Executive.

Mr Hall said he was delighted to return to New Zealand to work with the Lotto suite of products which are such an integral part of New Zealand society. Interesting challenges were involved and he had great confidence in the future of Lotto.

Mr Hall will take up the new post on 10 February, after returning from Perth.

15 January
FOREIGN AFFAIRS LOSES VALUED DIPLOMAT

New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Malaysia and Brunei, Mac Price, will be hugely missed by his family, friends and colleagues, said Foreign Affairs Minister, Phil Goff. Macalister Price died last week in Adelaide after being ill for some time. He was 54-years-old.

“New Zealand has lost a highly competent and valued diplomat, who has done a superb job for his country in all his postings.

“Mac had a distinguished 30-year career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade after graduating from Auckland University with a Masters Degree in Political Studies.

“In the past ten years he headed three overseas posts – in New Caledonia, Samoa and Malaysia. Prior to that Tokyo, Canberra and Jakarta.

“Mac had a well-earned reputation for his professionalism. He was well informed and respected by both his colleagues and those he dealt with in the countries where he represented New Zealand.

“I extend my deepest condolences to Mac’s wife, Nina Sudiono, his three sons Duncan, Hamish and Andrew and other members of his family,” said Mr Goff.

Mac’s funeral will be held at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity at 9 St Stephens Avenue in Parnell, Auckland on Tuesday 14 January at 1pm.

20 February
ACT MP SUSPENDED

ACT List MP Donna Awatere Huata has been suspended by the party after she announced her intention to remain in Parliament rather than resign. The move means that Mrs Awatere Huata is excluded from the ACT caucus but remains an MP while the allegations against her are investigated. Since the suspension, ACT has not cast the MP’s vote, effectively leaving her with the choice of voting against her party and risking expulsion from Parliament, or remaining in the House without a vote. Voting against ACT could invoke the Electoral Integrity ACT, because the action would ‘disturb the proportionality of Parliament.’ If this occurred it could result in the MP having to resign from Parliament, but Mrs Awatere Huata has said she has no intention of voting against ACT.

31 March
WEATHERTIGHT HOMES RESOLUTION SERVICE ADJUDICATORS ANNOUNCED

Internal Affairs Minister, Hon George Hawkins has announced the appointment of a Chief Adjudicator and a six-person panel as part of the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service.

Mr Paul Skinner, a barrister and former principal Tenancy Tribunal Adjudicator from Auckland has been named as the Chief Adjudicator. The panel comprises Timothy Scott, a barrister and coroner from Taumaranui, David Carden, a barrister from Auckland, David Gatley, an arbitrator and also a senior lecturer at UNITEC, Auckland, George Douglas, a quantity surveyor from Dunedin,John Green an arbitrator and mediator from Auckland and Anthony Dean a lecturer in practical arbitration and alternative dispute resolution from Auckland.

31 March
TVNZ AND TRANSMISSION HOLDINGS LTD BOARDS ANNOUNCED

Broadcasting Minister, Steve Maharey, has announced the members of the boards of Television New Zealand and Transmission Holdings Ltd. These two separate boards will have core roles respective of their company when the Television New Zealand Act comes into effect on 1 July 2003, creating two separate broadcasting and transmission companies: Television New Zealand (TVNZ), a Crown-owned public broadcasting company responsible for delivering against its charter; and Transmission Holdings Limited (THL), a state-owned enterprise responsible for running a national and international transmission business. Each company is governed by a separate board of directors.

The TVNZ Board comprises acting TVNZ Chair, Craig Boyce (Chair), Robert Fenwick (Deputy Chair), existing board members, Dame Anne Hercus, Sarah Reeves, Paul Smith and Trish Stevenson, as well as new member former Reuters senior manager, Philip Melchior.

Wayne Brown has been appointed as chair of Transmission Holdings Limited (THL). His Deputy will be Russell Hewitt and the members, Tony Baird, Wendy Brandon, Taari Nicholas, Brian Oliver and Janine Smith.

28 March
NEW CHIEF OF STAFF FOR NATIONAL

National Party leader, Bill English, has announced the appointment of Richard Long, former editor of The Dominion, as the Chief of Staff for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr Long has spent 20 years in the Parliamentary Press Gallery and had a wide knowledge of Parliament and its procedures.

25 March
BIA CHIEF EXECUTIVE RESIGNS

The Building Industry Authority Chief Executive Dr Bill Porteous has resigned a day before a parliamentary committee released a report highly critical of his and the BIA ‘s performance over the leaky homes issue.

The Government administration select committee report said Dr Porteous of showed a lack of leadership in dealing with the crisis.
A majority of MPs on the committee blamed Dr Porteous, saying his management style and a "structural problem that has existed undetected for a number of years" were at fault.

National, New Zealand First and United Future MPs on the committee went much further, saying that “the seriousness of the deficiencies in the chief executive's performance over the weathertightness issue, coupled with the extent of the damage suffered by thousands of New Zealand homeowners, should have led to the immediate tendering and acceptance of resignation when the issues came to the public's attention in mid-2002."

In response, Dr Porteous rejected the criticisms saying his leadership style is one of careful consideration and rational responses. “I am not a creature of the media; I am a building scientist with particular interest in building failure. I make no apology for that," he said.

Dr Porteous is to continue working for the BIA as a technical advisor.

24 March
LONG-SERVING SUPER FUND CHAIR TO RETIRE

Finance Minister Michael Cullen today announced that David Wale CBE would retire as chair of the National Provident Fund Board of Trustees on 31 March, this year.

“David has provided strong leadership and direction to the Board since his appointment in June 1991.

“Under his stewardship the 92 year old $2 billion fund has moved from being a government department to a modern financial institution and has achieved a significant reduction in overhead costs while greatly improving the services to its 60,000 members and pensioners.

“His experience and skills, and the rigour he brought to bear during this important process have been greatly valued,” Dr Cullen said.

Mr Wale was formerly Chair of the New Zealand Stock Exchange and is currently Chair of Jarden Morgan Investment Services and the Life Education Trust New Zealand.

He will be succeeded by Sue Sheldon who takes up her position on 1 April 2003.

Mrs Sheldon is the principal of accounting practice Sue Sheldon Advisory, Deputy Chair of Meridian Energy Limited and Christchurch International Airport Limited, a Director of Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation Limited and a former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand.

24 March
MINISTRY OF WOMEN'S AFFAIRS CHIEF EXECUTIVE RESIGNS

The Chief Executive of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Judy Lawrence, has resigned to take up the position of Director of the Climate Change Office in the Ministry for Environment.

Ms Lawrence has been Chief Executive of the Ministry of Women's Affairs (MWA) since 1995. Prior to this she was the Environment Strategy Manager, NZ Dairy Research Institute (seconded to the NZ Dairy Board) and held various management roles at the Ministry for the Environment.

Ms Lawrence will step down from the chief executive's position in mid April. State Services Commissioner Michael Wintringham announced that he has asked Anne Carter, the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, to be the acting Chief Executive of the Ministry of Women's Affairs. Ms Carter will retain her role as Chief Executive of the Ministry of Youth Affairs.

State Services Minister Trevor Mallard's recently announced that Cabinet has agreed to reviews of several smaller Ministries, including the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Ministry of Youth Affairs.

24 March
NEW CHIEF OMBUDSMAN

The former chair of the Commerce Commission, John Belgrave, has been appointed as the new
Chief Ombudsman.

Mr Belgrave replaces Sir Brian Elwood, who is to retire next month.

Mr Belgrave is also a former Chief Executive of the Justice Ministry, and has worked at the State Services Commission.

19 March
NEW TRADE ORGANISATION NAME AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCED

Tim Gibson has been appointed as the Chief Executive of New Zealand Trade and Enterprises, the new name of the Establishment Board created from the merging of Trade New Zealand and Industry New Zealand.

Mr Gibson is currently the Managing Director of Kapiti Cheeses Limited, and was chosen for the Chief Executive role because "he brings a wealth of experience in managing, exporting, manufacturing and international marketing," Establishment Board Chair Phil Lough said yesterday.

Mr Giibson will take up his appointment on 7 April and continue on as CE of the new organisation when it is fully established on 1 July. Current Chief Executive of Industry New Zealand, Neil Mackay will step down on 27 March.

18 March
REVIEWS OF POPULATION MINISTRIES, EDUCATION IT

State Services Minister Trevor Mallard has announced that Cabinet has agreed to reviews of the smaller population ministries particularly the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and to a review of information communication technology across the education sector.

"The reviews will recommend ways to improve the Government’s effectiveness in delivering public services for New Zealanders. They will also seek to identify opportunities and new approaches for working together.

“Population ministries such as the Ministries of Youth Affairs and Women’s Affairs need close effective working relationships with other agencies but by virtue of their size face challenges in maintaining the necessary capability. We hope the lessons learned from the reviews of these ministries will help other small agencies," Mr Mallard said.

There are several options to encourage better ways of working and to bring agencies closer together. These include:
· agreement among departments and other agencies on their respective roles and contributions to achieving positive results that are beyond the scope of a single agency, and which therefore require a multi-agency approach;
· ‘circuit breaker’ teams involving members from several agencies working together on difficult issues;
· developing common standards and compatible information systems; and
· setting up networks of agencies around areas of regional or common interests.

The review teams are expected to report mid-year.

17 March
POLITICAL PARTY'S REGISTRATION CANCELLED

The NMP party has requested the Electoral Commission cancel it's registration as a political party.

The NMP party was registered in October 1999 and stood candidates at both the 1999 and 2002 general elections. The list of registered political parties now numbers 20.

17 March
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION TAKES OVER EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

Early Childhood Development agency is to be merged into the Ministry of Education by 30 September 2003. Announcing the move Education and State Services Minister Trevor Mallard said it was designed to provide a more cohesive service delivery in early childhood education.

“This government wants to ensure there is a cohesive, integrated and streamlined approach to the early childhood education strategy, with all the relevant education experts in the public service under the one roof.

“The expertise of the Early Childhood Development agency staff will be critical to delivering on our goals for early childhood education. The agency’s work has focussed on meeting the needs of groups with lower participation rates, and working directly with families – an integral part of the new direction in early childhood education.

“The integration of the agency’s staff into the ministry will enable everyone who works in the area to work closely alongside each other, and will ensure a consistent approach throughout the organisation so everyone will benefit.”

The Early Childhood Development agency, which has around 85 staff nationwide, has operated as a Crown entity since 1990.

The Minister expects to receive a report on the implementation process for the merger by the end of May and the merger to occur by September 30 this year.

17 March
ACTING CHIEF EXECUTIVE FOR DEPARTMENT OF COURTS

The Secretary for Justice, Belinda Clark, is to act as Chief Executive of the Department for Courts. Ms Clark will take up the acting role on 19 March 2003. State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham, has yet to make a permanent appointment. Ms Clark will retain her current role as Chief Executive of the Ministry of Justice and Secretary for Justice.
Mr Wintringham said Ms Clark had an outstanding track record at the highest levels of government and the necessary drive and management experience to lead two government departments.
"Ms Clark is familiar with the work of the Department for Courts and the policy agenda that it is managing," Mr Wintringham said.
The Department for Courts is one of several government agencies that operate within the wider Justice sector. The Department has an operational focus and administers New Zealand's courts and tribunals systems.

6 March
DESIGN OF CHARITIES COMMISSION AGREED

The new Charities Commission should be operational next year after the Cabinet this week signed off the design details.
“The commission developed out of a recommendation from the charities working party in their report to me last year, and I am delighted to be able to deliver on it,” Finance Minister Michael Cullen announced said.
“The commission will be responsible for registering organisations seeking charitable status, monitoring their activities, receiving annual returns, providing advice and support to the sector and advising the government on charity-related issues.
“It will be a Crown agent and will have statutory independence in relation to registration decisions but will operate under the aegis of the Minister of Commerce and the Ministry of Economic Development.”
Dr Cullen said the government hoped to have the necessary legislation in the House by mid year.

4 March
UNITED FUTURE CHIEF OF STAFF QUITS

United Future Chief-of-Staff Mark Stonyer has resigned his job of eight years. United Future Leader Peter Dunne refused to comment on the reasons for the sudden departure, but Mr Stonyer said he had been in the job a long time and it was time to move on. Mr Stonyer said he had “no problems” with the direction of the party.

4 March
ELMAR TOIME LEAVES NZ POST

Chief Executive of NZ Post for the last 10 years, Elmar Toime, officially left his position on Wednesday 26 February. Mr Toime resigned in December and is to take up a new position in the United Kingdom with Royal Mail. John Allen will be acting Chief Executive at NZ Post until an appointment is made.

3 March
RESERVE BANK CHANGES

The Reserve bank has announced two senior management changes.
Deputy Governor Rod Carr will leave the Reserve Bank when his term expires on 20 July. Mr Carr is to take up an appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Jade Software Corporation Ltd. The Bank also announced the appointment of Mr Adrian Orr as Head of the Bank's new Financial Stability Department. Mr Orr will also carry the title of Assistant Governor.
Mr Orr was the Manager of the Reserve Bank's Economics Department from 1997 to 2000 and is currently Chief Economist and Head of Government Business at Westpac.
The Financial Stability Department has been created by the amalgamation of the Reserve Bank's Financial Markets and Banking System Departments. Central to its work will be building the Bank's capacity to monitor the financial system, with a view to reducing the probability of shocks to the financial system and increasing the system's capacity to absorb shocks if and when they occur.
Dr Carr has been with the Reserve Bank for five years and was acting Governor after the departure of Don Brash last year.

30 April
CHIEF OMBUDSMAN CONFIRMED

Commerce Commission Chair John Belgrave has been confirmed by Parliament as the appointee to the role of Chief Ombudsman.

" I want to congratulate John on his appointment as Chief Ombudsman and thank him for his excellent service as Chair of the Commerce Commission and the Standards Council", Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel said.

Mr Belgrave begins on July 1 2003, taking over from retiring Chief Ombudsman Sir Brian Elwood. Commerce Commission deputy Chair, Paula Rebstock will be acting Chair when Mr Belgrave leaves.

15 April
COMMISSIONER FOR CHILDREN TO RETIRE

The Commissioner for Children, Roger McClay, will be retiring when his contract finishes in September.

Mr McClay says he is announcing his retirement now, so that others who may be considering applying will be encouraged to put their names forward.

10 April
TREATY FISHERIES COMMISSIONER RESIGNS

Robert McLeod, Commissioner for the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission, has tendered his resignation. He has cited a perceived conflict of interest between his chairmanship of Ernst & Young and the Commission as the reason for his decision.

9 April
TREASURY SECRETARY APPOINTED

Mr John Whitehead has been appointed as the Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Executive, in an announcement by the State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham.

Mr Whitehead has been the acting Secretary since Dr Alan Bollard left to join the Reserve Bank, and will continue efforts initiated by Dr Bollard to redesign the Treasury to improve its capability and the range and quality of its advice provided to the Government.

Mr Whitehead will take up the Chief Executive role immediately.

7 April
BUILDING INDUSTRY AUTHORITY TO BE DISESTABLISHED

The Building Industry Authority (BIA) will be disestablished and its functions moved into a government department when the new Building Act comes into force, Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel announced today.
The Authority is currently a Crown entity run by an independent Board appointed by the government. Lianne Dalziel said the decision is designed to improve accountability. The change will be implemented through the Building Act Amendment Bill which is expected to be introduced to Parliament by the end of July 2003.

16 May
PM ANNOUNCES CABINET RESHUFFLE

Prime Minister Helen Clark today announced new portfolio allocations for ministers, following the resignation from the Cabinet of the Hon Mark Gosche.

New portfolio allocations are:

New ministers outside the Cabinet are:

- Taito Phillip Field, who becomes Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, and also an associate minister in the area of justice and social development in which he has served as an under-secretary

- David Cunliffe, who becomes Associate Finance, Associate Revenue, Associate Communications and Information Technology

- Winnie Laban becomes Parliamentary Private Secretary to Marian Hobbs, Minister for the Environment and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (ODA); and to Hon Jim Sutton in his trade-related responsibilities.

Helen Clark said that the Treaty settlements process had gathered considerable momentum, and that Margaret Wilson wished to increase the amount of time she could give to Treaty negotiations. Relinquishing the Courts portfolio enabled her to do that.

16 May
DEPT FOR COURTS AND MINISTRY OF JUSTICE TO MERGE

The Department for Courts and the Ministry of Justice will be merged to form an expanded Ministry of Justice, State Services Minister Trevor Mallard announced today.

"The merger between the policy and operations functions of the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Courts will strengthen the overall justice sector," Trevor Mallard said.

"It is an important step in this government's drive to improve the delivery of government services for New Zealanders.

"The new ministry will be the lead agency for the sector on criminal and public law policy and will identify ways to improve co-ordination between the agencies that make up the justice sector.

The decision follows a recent justice sector review process. Mr Mallard said it means that the Ministry of Justice will be the government's primary adviser on justice policy and criminal and public law.

The review also considered the merger of the Department of Corrections into the new organisation.

"However, the functions and culture of the Department of Corrections is (sic) very different to that of Courts and the Ministry of Justice," Trevor Mallard said.

"The new ministry will formally take over the functions of the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Courts from 1 October 2003.

13 May
BARKER APPOINTED TO CABINET

Minister outside of Cabinet and Tukituki MP Rick Barker, has been appointed to Cabinet by the Prime Minister to replace Mark Gosche who resigned on Friday. Mr Barker already holds the portfolio responsibility for Customs and is Associate Minister of Justice and Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment.

Miss Clark said she is yet to decide which roles will be taken on by Mr Barker and also where to allocate Mr Gosche's portfolios. She expects there will be a reallocation of portfolios among the MPs.

9 May
GOSCHE RESIGNS FROM CABINET

The resignation of Labour MP Mark Gosche due to family circumstances has been accepted by Prime Minister Helen Clark with regret.
Mr Gosche gives up his portfolios of Housing, Pacific Island Affairs, Corrections and Racing in order to help care for his wife who remains severely disabled after suffering a brain haemorrhage a year ago.
Miss Clark will make a decision soon about filling the Cabinet vacancy.

24 June
APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY

Secretary to the Treasury John Whitehead today announced the appointment of Peter Mersi to the position of Deputy Secretary to the Treasury. Mr Mersi will head the Treasury's Social Policy Branch, which advises Ministers on education, health, labour market policies, housing and law enforcement.

Mr Mersi was previously Manager of the Market Interventions Section within the Treasury's Regulatory and Tax Branch. He has been acting in the role of Deputy Secretary, and heading the Treasury's Regulatory and Tax Policy Branch since Mr Whitehead's appointment as Acting Secretary to the Treasury in September 2002.

The appointment will be effective as of 4 August 2003.

24 June
NEW CHAIR TE MÄNGAI PÄHO

Wira Gardiner is to become chair of the Mäori Broadcasting agency, Te Mängai Päho after last month taking on the interim position following the resignation of Toby Curtis. Mäori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia said Mr Gardiner will start a 12-month term on 1 July. The Minister said it's an important time for Mäori broadcasting and Wira Gardiner will bring some certainty to the industry.

24 June
BROADCASTING STANDARDS CHAIR TO STEP DOWN

A new chair is being sought for the Broadcasting Standards Authority because current office holder, Peter Cartwright, has decided not to seek a second term, Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey announced.
Peter Cartwright was appointed chair of the BSA in June 2000, having had previous experience in tribunal work. He chaired the Indecent Publications Tribunal and the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal during the 1990s.
Steve Maharey said Peter Cartwright's current term has expired but he will continue in office until a successor is appointed.

23 June
NEW PRIVACY COMMISSIONER

Cabinet Secretary Marie Shroff has been appointed as the new Privacy Commissioner, Associate Justice Minister Lianne Dalziel announced today.

Marie Shroff will succeed retiring Privacy Commissioner Bruce Slane and is expected to take up her new role in September.

"Marie Shroff brings with her a formidable reputation from her role as Cabinet Secretary and her wide experience in a number of fields, including teaching and journalism," Lianne Dalziel said.

"Her 15 years' experience as Cabinet Secretary and Clerk of the Executive Council has seen her serve six Prime Ministers from both Labour and National parties, and four Governor-Generals. She has successfully supported Cabinet decision-making and constitutional developments under the changing environment of MMP, and published a fully revised version of the Cabinet Manual, the key guide to central government constitutional and administrative policy and practice."

Lianne Dalziel also expressed her thanks to Bruce Slane who has served over a decade as Privacy Commissioner.

"Bruce Slane was appointed the first Privacy Commissioner and in that sense had to initiate and develop the role. He successfully established the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as a respected institution supporting the privacy rights and protections available to New Zealanders. He has a high level of dedication and professionalism, and his contribution is very much appreciated.

20 June
ACTING CHIEF EXECUTIVE FOR THE MINISTRY OF RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Dr Helen Anderson will be Acting Chief Executive of the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology when current CEO Dr James Buwalda takes up his new position as Chief Executive of the Department of Labour next month.

17 June
CHIEF EXECUTIVES APPOINTED TO DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR AND LAND INFORMATION NEW ZEALAND

Dr James Buwalda will be the new Chief Executive of the Department of Labour and Brendan Boyle has been appointed Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand.

Dr Bulwalda will take up his position on 25 July following the retirement of John Chetwin. Dr Bulwalda is currently Chief Executive of the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology, a position he has held for seven years.

Mr Boyle will become Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand in early August. He has been Director of the E-government Unit at the State Services Commission since September 2000, but prior to that was the Register General of Land at Land Information New Zealand.

16 June
UNITED NZ AND FUTURE NZ APPLY FOR DEREGISTRATION

The two parties that joined to form the United Future New Zealand Party before the last election, United NZ and Future NZ, have applied to the Electoral Commission to be deregistered. The party leaders said the move was part of the formal process of combining the two parties into one. United Future has eight MPs in the current Parliament.

13 June
NEW PARTY REGISTERED

The Electoral Commission today announced it had registered another political party— Destiny New Zealand - bringing the number of registered political parties to 19.

6 June
SEPARATION DELAYED

Broadcasting Minister, Steve Maharey, has announced that the formal separation of the transmission business of Television New Zealand Limited is now expected to take place by December 2003 to allow officials time to work through taxation issues of a commercially sensitive nature. It had been hoped that separation of the transmission business would occur on 1 July 2003.

The Directors of the new transmission SOE will now take up their appointments by 31 December 2003. The Chairman designate, Wayne Brown, will continue to be involved in the period up until the separation through his membership of the BCL Advisory Group, a subcommittee of the TVNZ Board. The appointment of two additional directors to TVNZ, Robert Fenwick and Philip Melchior, will go ahead as planned on 1 July 2003, in order that they can start contributing to the effective operation of TVNZ," Steve Maharey said.

31 July
LOTTERIES COMMISSION APPOINTMENT

Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins has announced that Mr John Goulter has been appointed to the New Zealand Lotteries Commission Board and would take over as the Board's Presiding Member following the retirement this October of Kerry Marshall.

30 July
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH RESIGNS

The Ministry of Health's director of public health, Colin Tukuitonga, has resigned after just two years in the job.

Dr Tukuitonga has been hired by the Geneva-based World Health Organisation to lead its research agenda for a global strategy against obesity.

He will leave his current job in September.

23 July
GRAHAM KELLY LEAVES PARLIAMENT

Labour List MP Graham Kelly leaves Parliament today to take up the post of High Commissioner to Canada in Ottawa. The former Porirua and Mana MP will be replaced in parliament by Labour list candidate Moana Mackey, daughter of East Coast MP Janet Mackey.

23 July
CROSBIE TO LEAVE RADIO NZ

The Chairman of the Radio New Zealand Board of Directors, Brian Corban, announced today that Sharon Crosbie, has advised him of her decision to leave her position as Chief Executive and Editor in Chief of Radio New Zealand at the end of December 2003.

In making the announcement, Mr Corban acknowledged Sharon Crosbie's
contribution to public broadcasting during her eight years as Radio New Zealand Chief Executive and Editor in Chief.

22 July
PAKURANGA MP SUSPENDED FROM NATIONAL'S CAUCUS

The National Party caucus has voted to suspend Pakuranga MP Maurice Williamson from its caucus pending a hearing by the Party Board into complaints against his membership.
The caucus disciplinary action followed Mr Williamson's actions before and during the National Party's annual conference when he again questioned Bill English’s leadership at a time when the party was trying to present a united front.
Helensville MP John Key has been appointed the National Party's Communications spokesman, a role previously filled by Mr Williamson.

22 July
RESERVE BANK DEPUTY GOVERNOR AND DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE APPOINTED

Adrian Orr has been appointed Deputy Governor and Deputy Chief Executive of the Reserve Bank. Mr Orr has been Head of the Bank's Financial Stability Department since rejoining the Reserve Bank last year. He was previously Chief of Economics at Westpac and before that was Chief of Economics for the Reserve Bank.
The post of Deputy Governor does not confer a specific day-to-day operational role. However, the Deputy Chief Executive is the designated person to stand in when the Governor is overseas or otherwise unavailable.

16 July
NZTE GENERAL MANAGERS APPOINTED

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Chief Executive, Tim Gibson, has announced the appointments of seven General Managers to the organisation.

Jo Bransgrove will be GM Corporate; Peter Healy, GM Regional Economic Development; Jonathan Kings, GM Strategy; Peter Lennox, GM Organisation Development; Rod MacKenzie, Market Services; Neil Maxwell, GM Sectors and Julian Moore, GM Marketing.

15 July
AUCKLAND DHB CEO RESIGNS

Graeme Edmond has resigned as Chief Executive of Auckland District Health Board. It has been claimed that the reason for the decision is due to a personal clash with the board and Chair, Wayne Brown.

14 July
CONSUL-GENERAL FOR MELBOURNE

Foreign Minister Phil Goff has announced the reopening of New Zealand’s Consulate-General in Melbourne with the appointment of Mark Ingram as Consul-General and Trade Commissioner. Mr Ingram previously worked on Trade New Zealand’s Export Hotline assisting new exporters to take their first steps into offshore markets.

“The decision to reopen the Consulate-General in Melbourne, which closed in 1997 after 92 years, is recognition of the increasing economic and social relationship between New Zealand and Victoria, and the rate at which that relationship is expanding," Mr Goff said.

14 July
POLITICAL PARTY DEREGISTRATION

The Electoral Commission has announced the deregistration of The People's Republic of Aotearoa/New Zealand political party at the party's request. The change means that there are now 18 registered political parties in New Zealand.

14 July
NATIONAL ELECTS PRESIDENT, BOARD

Mrs Judy Kirk has been reinstalled as National Party President by National's newly elected Board of Directors. Joining her as members of the Board are Jeff Grant, Scott Simpson, Alan Towers, Roger Bridge, David Bennett, Eric Roy and Phil Heatley MP who represents the National Party Caucus.

7 July
MÄORI AFFAIRS MINISTER RESUMES DUTIES

Mäori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia is back at his farm near Tolaga Bay following routine hospital treatment to deal with a health complaint.

"I have been meaning to have an issue of water retention looked at for some time and the Parliamentary recess presented me with that opportunity on Monday night. I left Wakefield Hospital early this morning and I am grateful to the staff for their good work.

"I will be attending five hui over the recess including the national hui called by Hauraki Iwi on the seabed issue. I will be back in Wellington on Monday after which I will take some time off before resuming full duties," said Parekura Horomia.

"I will not be making any further comment regarding issues to do with my health."

7 July
TE MÄNGAI PÄHO CEO RESIGNS

The Chief Executive of Te Mängai Päho, Trevor Moeke, has resigned but will be retained as a consultant for the next nine months. Herewini Te Koha will be acting Chief Executive.

Te Mängai Päho is under investigation because of alleged financial mismanagement.

1 July
ORGANISATIONAL CHANGES

As of today Trade NZ and Industry New Zealand are merged and will now be known as New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. These changes will be updated on this site as soon as possible.

27 August
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT BOARD INTEGRATION

Legislation to integrate the Early Childhood Development Board (ECD) with the Ministry of Education has been introduced to Parliament. The Education (Disestablishment of Early Childhood Development Board) Amendment Bill will:

• Disestablish the ECD on October 1, 2003;

• Transfer its functions, assets, liabilities and rights to the MoE on the same date;

• Establish a new funding mechanism to enable the Minister of Education to channel funding to licence-exempt early childhood providers.

The Bill is expected to go to the Education and Science select committee.

25 August
MÄORI TV CHIEF RESIGNS

Derek Fox, Chief Executive of the Mäori Television Service has announced his resignation from the troubled organisation is related to stress.

Mr Fox says a constant barrage of negative media publicity, work-related stress, and his family life suffering are the reasons he chose to resign.

He will not comment on allegations that a woman staff member filed a complaint against him.

The Mäori Television Service has only said that it is investigating a human resource issue.

25 August
CONSERVATION POLICY AND MANAGEMENT DOCUMENTS RELEASED

A major overhaul of conservation management is underway at the Department of Conservation and the NZ Conservation Authority.

The two organisations have released public discussion documents - Draft General Policy National Parks Act and Draft General Policy Conservation Act 1987 and Related Legislation.

Together, they cover policy and management issues for national parks, marine conservation areas, protected species, conservation advocacy, historic heritage management, recreational management and community and iwi partnerships.

The government says the new policies will define a 'standard of care' for DOC and the Authority in protecting native species, promoting recreation and safeguarding natural and historic heritage on public conservation land.

The closing date for submissions on both documents is 19 December.

18 August
RECREATIONAL ACCESS MANAGEMENT GOVERNMENT BODY PROPOSAL

The Land Access Reference Group, established by Rural Affairs Minister, Jim Sutton, has proposed the development of a national strategy for recreational access, starting with an agency modelled on the former New Zealand Walkways Commission, which initially operated under the NZ Walkways Act 1975.

In its report, the reference group suggests that the new agency:

• would require a high degree of autonomy and operate under its own legislation but should report to a minister

• should develop a national access plan and embrace the concept of the Queen's Chain

In other comments on land access issues the reference group noted that:

• access should be separate from ownership, but public ownership of a complete Queen's Chain along all water margins would not be feasible

• greater certainty was required - better mapping, signage and codes of conduct

• a Euro-style "right to roam" was not acceptable at present

• landowners could be relieved of liability for fire and accident on land to which they allowed better access.

There will now be a four-month consultation period, closing on 30 November, co-ordinated by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

13 August
NEW MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS

A new Ministry of Youth Development will be created out of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and youth policy functions of the Ministry of Social Development, Social Development Minister Steve Maharey, State Services Minister Trevor Mallard and Youth Affairs Minister John Tamihere announced today. The new ministry will be within the Ministry of Social Development.

This merger will take effect from 1 October 2003. Anne Carter will continue as the chief executive of the Ministry of Youth Affairs until that date. The State Services Commission will now work with the chief executives of the Ministries of Social Development and Youth Affairs, the Treasury, and the PSA to prepare for the merger.

13 August
MINISTRY RETAINED

The Ministry of Women's Affairs will be retained as a separate ministry and strengthened, following a review of the agency, State Services Minister Trevor Mallard and Women's Affairs Minister Ruth Dyson announced today.

Trevor Mallard and Ruth Dyson said the review had examined how the Ministry of Women's Affairs could most effectively deliver on its role and purpose, and contribute to improved outcomes for women.

Absorption of the Ministry of Women's Affairs' functions across a range of departments was not considered feasible given the role and purpose of the ministry. The review found that without a specific women's ministry there would not be a sufficient focus for work identifying implications and opportunities for women in the policy process.

The appointment of a new chief executive is expected to take three to four months.

12 August
COMMISSIONER FOR CHILDREN APPOINTED

Dr Cynthia (Cindy) Kiro has been appointed New Zealand’s fourth Commissioner for Children, Social Development and Employment Minister Steve Maharey announced today. Dr Kiro is currently Associate Professor and Director of the Waiora Centre for Public Health Research with Massey University in Auckland. She has previously held senior management positions mainly in the health field and has extensive experience in child advocacy and Mäori development. She holds a PhD in Social Policy and an MBA in Business Administration.

Her appointment is for five years and she takes up the position on 1 September 2003, replacing retiring commissioner Roger McClay.

12 August
CE OF THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND SECRETARY FOR JUSTICE

The State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham, has announced the appointment of Belinda Clark to the position of Chief Executive of the Ministry of Justice and Secretary for Justice. Ms Clark is Chief Executive of the existing Ministry of Justice and Secretary for Justice, a position she has held for over two years. She has also been acting Chief Executive of the Department for Courts since March 2003.

The Government announced earlier this year that a new Ministry of Justice was to be formed by the merger of the Department of Courts into the existing Ministry of Justice, in order to improve the links between policy and operations. Ms Clark will take up the appointment at the Ministry of Justice from 1 October 2003, when the Department for Courts will merge into the Ministry of Justice to form the new Ministry. The new Ministry will have a staff of over 2,400.

6 August
DUYNHOVEN SEAT ISSUES

Parliament's privileges committee has found that Labour MP Harry Duynhoven vacated his New Plymouth seat on June 11, but the majority of its MPs are recommending Parliament change the law to prevent the need for a by-election.
The committee ruled on whether Mr Duynhoven triggered a clause in Electoral Act that says an MP vacates their seat if they become a citizen of a foreign power when he had his dual Dutch nationality restored in June.
Seven of the 10 MPs on the committee member found he did. However, a majority agree the law should be changed to prevent the Speaker declaring the vacancy. Five MPs, from Labour, the Progressives and the Greens support suspending the clauses in question for this parliamentary term. Two MPs, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters and United Future leader Peter Dunne, support confining a law change to Mr Duynhoven alone.
The three MPs from National and ACT oppose any legislation.

6 August
SELECT COMMITTEE CHANGES

Several changes have been made to select committee membership. Please find the updated changes within the government directory site.

26 September
MÄORI LANGUAGE COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS

Mäori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia is thrilled at the new additions to the Mäori Language Commission.

Mr Horomia believes Iritana Tawhiwhirangi, Wayne Ngata, Hana O'Regan and Ruakere Hond will bring fresh ideas to the Commission, which will once again be chaired by Dr Patu Hohepa.

"All of the new commissioners have shown a keen interest in developing te reo Mäori in their respective fields and their collective skills are welcomed," said Parekura Horomia.

8 September
SIR RICHARD HARRISON DIES

Sir Richard Harrison, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has died.

He was Speaker from 1978 to 1984 and National MP for the Hawke's Bay electorate for 21 years before losing his seat to Labour's Bill Sutton.

He is survived by his wife and four children.

1 September
EDUCATION INSTITUTES LISTING

The Government Directory has added a listing providing details of Education Institutes throughout New Zealand. The page has details for schools, as well as tertiary providers such as universities, wänanga, polytechnics, institutes of technology and colleges of education.

28 October
NICK SMITH DEPUTY LEADER OF NATIONAL PARTY

Nelson MP Nick Smith has been named as the new deputy leader of the National Party. He replaces list MP Roger Sowry who resigned as soon as Bill English lost the top job to Don Brash in a secret ballot of the caucus this morning.

28 October
BRASH NEW LEADER OF NATIONAL PARTY

Dr Brash has been elected leader of the National Party at a special caucus meeting this morning.

The Deputy Leader position has not yet been filled.

Dr Brash, a first term MP and former Governor of the Reserve Bank, replaces Bill English.

Dr Brash says he will take an oversight role of economic policy for the party but will not be the finance spokesperson. He says the party's policy will not be sharply different, but it will have more focus. He is promising more clarity and crispness and says the public in their hearts support National and have nothing to be afraid of.

He boldly predicted he would be prime minister in 18 months, leading a government probably of more than two parties.

16 October
TELEVISION NEW ZEALAND AND THL SEPARATION

The separation of the transmission business of Television New Zealand Ltd will occur on 31 December 2003, following the satisfactory resolution of taxation issues.

Television New Zealand is a Crown-owned public broadcasting company responsible for delivering against its Charter while maintaining commercial viability. The transmission business will become a wholly State-Owned Enterprise, Transmission Holdings Ltd (THL) responsible for running a national and international transmission business.

24 November
DHB BOARD APPOINTMENTS

Health Minister Annette King has announced a new deputy chair for Southland District Health Board, and three other new DHB board appointments.

Lesley Soper takes over as deputy chair in Southland DHB following the death of Keith Kennedy last year. Ms Soper has been on the Board since 2001.

Karen Guilliland (Canterbury DHB). Ms Guilliland is chief executive of the New Zealand College of Midwives. She has had varied roles and responsibilities within the health sector over the last 30 years including previous board membership of Canterbury Area Health Board and current membership of the Pharmac board.

Dr Gail Tipa (Otago DHB) has an extensive environmental planning and consultancy background. Her governance experience includes current roles as a representative of Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu and as a director of both the Ngai Tahu Development Corporation and Timberlands West Coast.

Keith Hindle (Hutt DHB) retired recently from his position as chief executive of KPMG Legal in Wellington. In this role and in his previous position with Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co, he gained considerable experience in both business development and financial management.

24 November
SCREEN COUNCIL APPOINTED

Economic Development Minister Jim Anderton has announced the membership of the new screen production industry body, the Screen Council.

The establishment of the screen council was one of the key recommendations of the Screen Production taskforce, one of four sector taskforces established by the government in May 2002. The taskforces were charged with developing growth targets for their sector and to report on what they needed to reach those targets and stimulate growth across the economy.

Speaking to the annual conference of the Screen Producers and Director Association (SPADA) Jim Anderton said the government expected the 11 member Screen Council to provide a leadership voice for the sector, to oversee the implementation of the Taskforce's recommendations and to provide ongoing independent advice to ministers on the sector's development.

The government is to provide two year's of start up funding for the Screen Council with the expectation that future funding will come from the industry. The Screen Council's primary objective will be to mobilise industry support for, and take ownership of, the growth targets identified by the Screen Production Taskforce.

The Screen Council members are:
Brent Harman (Chair) - currently chair of Prime Television
Michael Stedman - Managing Director, Natural History New Zealand, previously a member of the Taskforce
Ian Fraser - CEO Television New Zealand, previously a member of the Taskforce John Barnett - managing director, South Pacific Pictures, previously a member of the Taskforce
Nicole Hoey - of Cinco Cine Productions and currently president of Spada
Julie Christie - managing director, Touchdown Television, former chair of the Taskforce
Bill Birnie - deputy chair, New Zealand Film Commission and managing director Birnie Capital Partners
Ian Taylor - director, Taylor-Made Media and Animation Research
Wendy Palmer - Film Production Fund trustee and film sales agent
Barrie Osborne - executive producer, Lord of the Rings trilogy
Geoff Dixon - managing director, Silverscreen/Oktober, previously a member of the Taskforce.

21 November
PARTY TO CONSIDER MP'S FUTURE

The National Party Board of Directors will review the suspension of Maurice Williamson from party membership at its next meeting on December 10. The Pakuranga MP has been suspended from the National Party caucus since July for his criticisms of the party's direction and leadership. However new National leader Don Brash has indicated that the MP should be rehabilitated.

NATIONAL APPOINTS COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

National Party Leader, Don Brash, has announced the appointment of Peter Keenan as Manager, Communications.

Mr Keenan is an economist with experience in the public and private sectors, and also in economic journalism. He has worked in the New Zealand Treasury (1980-84), the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (1984-86) and from 1986 until 2000 with investment bank and stock broker, First NZ Capital. His roles there included Chief Economist, head of Research and Managing Director, Sales & Trading.

19 November
POLICE COMPLAINTS AUTHORITY CHANGES

The government announced today it has appointed a four-person investigation team to work for Police Complaints Authority. The Authority has previously relied on police conducting the investigations with the Authority exercising oversight.

The members are: former Detective Inspector Norman Cook, former Canadian Inspector Bob Grinstead and former British Detective Inspector Phillip Shepard. The team will be led by former Police Assistant Commissioner, Allan Galbraith.

17 November
BROWNLEE APPOINTED DEPUTY

The Ilam MP was appointed unopposed when the National caucus met this morning after Nelson MP Nick Smith walked away from the job.

Leader Don Brash told Dr Smith yesterday that he backed Mr Brownlee's bid for the job, despite endorsing Dr Smith's election to the No 2 position during last month's leadership spill.

Dr Smith decided that without Dr Brash's support, his position was untenable.
A key ally of deposed leader Bill English, he stood aside complaining of a campaign to oust him while he was away on stress leave.

Mr Brownlee, 47, had been third in the party line up, and under Mr English's leadership had been No 4.

The party's spokesman on transport, and state owned enterprises, he is also the shadow leader of the House. A former teacher, he entered Parliament in 1996 and became a junior whip.

The Brash camp had expected him to stand for the deputy's job last but month but he surprised by failing to put his name forward.

Simon Power has been promoted to No 3, Nick Smith drops to No 6 but keeps a spot on the front bench.

14 November
CHRISTIAN HERITAGE NAME CHANGE

The Electoral Commission has approved a request from Christian Heritage Party to change its registered name to Christian Heritage New Zealand. At the same time the Commission approved the registration of "Christian Heritage NZ" as the abbreviated name of the party.

13 November
DONNA AWATERE HUATA BECOMES INDEPENDENT MP

The Speaker, Rt Hon Jonathon Hunt, has ruled that Donna Awatere Huata is now an independent MP after the ACT Party advised him that she was no longer a member of ACT for parliamentary purposes.

"Accordingly, under Standing Order 34(3), Donna Awatere Huata is, from 11 November 2003, regarded as an independent member for parliamentary purposes," said the Speaker's ruling.

"At this point at least, no question of the member's seat becoming vacant under the provisions of the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act 2001 arises. That Act sets out certain conditions and procedures under which a member can be expelled from the political party for which he or she was elected. The Acting Leader of ACT has indicated an intention to invoke that legislation. Whether that is possible or not is a matter that does not arise at this time.

"ACT now has eight members of Parliament. I will therefore consult with the Green and ACT parties about the seating to be occupied by them in the Chamber. The Business Committee will need to reconsider the allocation of questions. I will reconsider the allocation of first and second reading and general debate speaking slots. I expect these matters to be settled by the end of this week. In the meantime, the present allocations will continue to run though the Green party, as now the fourth largest in the House, will be called ahead of ACT to vote and to speak in debate. Allocations of funding to ACT and to Donna Awatere Huata will need to be readjusted to reflect the new party balances. This is a matter that I will attend to on advice from the Parliamentary Service Commission."

11 November
APPOINTMENTS TO THE SUPREME COURT

Attorney-General Margaret Wilson announced today the appointment of The Right Honourable Thomas Munro Gault, The Right Honourable Sir Kenneth James Keith, The Right Honourable Peter Blanchard and The Right Honourable Andrew Patrick Charles Tipping as Judges of the Supreme Court. All are members of the Privy Council.

The Supreme Court will come into being on 1 January 2004 and hearings will commence on 1 July.

The Rt Hon Justice Gault graduated from Victoria University of Wellington and was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1984. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 1987 and a Judge of the Court of Appeal in 1991. He was appointed President of the Court of Appeal in 2002.

The Rt Hon Justice Sir Kenneth Keith graduated from Victoria University of Wellington and Harvard University in the United States. He was Professor of Law at Victoria University between 1974 and 1991 and he is a past member of the United Nations Secretariat. He was appointed directly to the Court of Appeal in 1996.

The Rt Hon Justice Blanchard graduated from the University of Auckland and from Harvard University. He is a former partner from Simpson Grierson Butler White. He was appointed a member of the Law Commission in 1990 and was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 1992. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1996.

The Rt Hon Justice Tipping graduated from Canterbury University and is a former partner of Wynn Williams & Co. Justice Tipping was appointed to the High Court in 1986 and to the Court of Appeal in 1997.

APPOINTMENTS OF THE COURT OF APPEAL

Attorney-General Margaret Wilson announced today the appointment of The Honourable Noel Crossley Anderson as President of the Court of Appeal and the appointment of The Honourable Robert Grant Hammond, The Honourable William Gillow Gibbes Austen Young, The Honourable Robert Stanley Chambers and The Honourable Mark Andrew O'Regan as Judges of the Court of Appeal.

The appointments all take effect from 1 January 2004. Justices McGrath and Glazebrook continue as members of the Court of Appeal.

The Hon Justice Anderson graduated from the University of Auckland and was a partner of the firm Martelli, McKegg and Adams-Smith in Auckland. He commenced practice as a barrister in 1972 and was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1986. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 1987 and a Judge of the Court of Appeal in 2001.

The Hon Justice Hammond graduated from the University of Auckland and the University of Illinois. He was a partner in the Hamilton law firm Tompkins Wake & Co and was a Dean of Law at the University of Auckland. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 1992.

The Hon Justice Young graduated from the University of Canterbury and Cambridge University. He joined the Christchurch firm of RA Young Hunter and Co in 1978, leaving in 1988 to practise as a barrister. He was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1991 and a High Court Judge in 1997.

The Hon Justice Chambers graduated from the University of Auckland and Oxford University. He commenced practice as a barrister in 1981 and was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1992. He was appointed to the High Court in 1999.

The Hon Justice O'Regan graduated from the Victoria University of Wellington. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court in 1977 and became a partner with the firm Chapman Tripp in 1984. He was appointed to the High Court in 2001.

10 November
HIGH COURT JUDGE APPOINTED

Attorney-General Margaret Wilson today announced the appointment of John Gerard Fogarty as a Judge of the High Court.

Justice Fogarty graduated from the University of Canterbury with an LLB Hons and went on to study at the University of Toronto where he completed an LLM in 1974. He then joined Weston Ward & Lascelles, becoming a partner in that firm in 1978.

Justice Fogarty went to the bar in 1985 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1990. As a barrister he developed a public law/commercial practice, and he is also a trained mediator and arbitrator.

Justice Fogarty has been an advisor to the Deaf Sports Federation of New Zealand (formerly NZ Deaf Sports Association) for many years and was part of the organising committee for the XVth World Games for the Deaf held in Christchurch in 1989.

The new judge will sit in Christchurch.

4 November
HUATA CHARGED WITH FRAUD

Opening Parliament this afternoon Speaker Jonathan Hunt announced that he had recently received a letter from the Serious Fraud Office Director David Bradshaw informing him that suspended ACT MP Donna Huata appeared in a Napier court this morning and faced 12 charges in relation to the Pipi Trust.

Eleven of the charges alleged the use of a document to defraud, namely a cheque, and one further charge alleged that Ms Huata sought to pervert the course of Justice, Mr Hunt said.

3 November
CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY HEAD RESIGNS

Chief Executive of the Department of Child Youth and Family, Jackie Pivac, has resigned following the baseline review of the department. In her announcement, Child, Youth and Family Minister Ruth Dyson thanked for her work leading the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services since 1999.

3 November
NEW NATIONAL LINE-UP ANNOUNCED

New National Party Leader Don Brash has announced the new rankings and spokesperson roles. Some major features are:
* Former leader Bill English stays on the front bench at number five and takes on the education role.
* Agriculture returns to the front bench with the promotion of David Carter.
* Leader Don Brash retains the Finance spokesperson role despite indicating he would not be both Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, should National win power. First term MP John Key has been appointed deputy finance spokesman to assist.
* Pansy Wong, who is an accountant by background, will the revenue responsibility, assisted by former spokesperson Lockwood Smith. Pansy Wong also picks up the new role of 'Asian Relationships'
* Lockwood takes the combined Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio.
* Wayne Mapp, who relinquishes Foreign Affairs to take over a new portfolio of Constitutional and Treaty of Waitangi Issues
* Murray McCully takes the new role of Parliamentary Assistant to the Leader of the Opposition to work on "strategy and direction". The position reports directly to the leader.
* National has decide not to appoint a spokesperson for women's affairs - a role previously filled by Georgina te Heuheu.

The full National line-up is:

3 November
NATIONAL DEPUTY ON LEAVE

New National Party Deputy Leader Nick Smith - elected to the position last week - "is suffering from exhaustion [and] is taking a few weeks leave", National Leader Don Brash has announced.

Dr Brash said Dr Smith had carried a huge workload over several months and it was not surprising he was exhausted. No-one has been appointed acting deputy leader in Mr Smith's absence.

3 November
NATIONAL WHIPS RE-ELECTED

The National Party has re-elected John Carter as Senior Whip and Lindsay Tisch as Junior Whip unopposed at a hastily called caucus meeting on 31 October. The election was held after the two whips resigned, reportedly following a row between Deputy Leader Nick Smith and senior whip John Carter. Whips' positions are traditionally put to the vote following a change of leadership, but after the successful leadership challenge earlier in the week, new Leader Don Brash initially said the whips had retained their positions.

22 December
NEW HEALTH COUNCILS

Health Minister Annette King has announced membership of four new health authorities being established under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.

Ms King said the new Dental Council, Midwifery Council, Pharmacy Council and Osteopathic Council all officially began on 18 December 2003 under the HPCA. The Act, passed in September, provides a framework for regulating health practitioners to protect the public where there is a risk of harm from the practice of a profession.

"The new authorities - made up of health professionals and lay members - will play a key role in ensuring public health and safety is protected," says Ms King.

The Dental Council covers for the first time under one authority dental technicians, therapists, hygienists, and dentists.

That council and the Pharmacy Council will operate in tandem with the existing Dental Council and Pharmaceutical Society respectively for nine months. The two new councils have the sole role of preparing the ground (primarily scopes of practice) for September 2004, when they take over responsibility for regulating dental practitioners and pharmacists.

The new Midwifery and Osteopathic Councils will for the first time regulate these two professions as stand-alone authorities, and will have a similar role in the first nine months of developing scopes of practice.

The four authorities will recognise, accredit and set programmes to ensure ongoing competence of health practitioners, and will also consider applications for annual practising certificates from September 2004. All four are now consulting with members of their professions over their scopes of practice.

For the membership of the new councils, see appointments column.

19 December
TOURISM BOARD APPOINTMENTS AND CHAIR OF TOURISM RESEARCH COUNCIL ANNOUNCED

Minister of Tourism Mark Burton today announced the appointment of two new members to the New Zealand Tourism Board (NZTB), Susan Johnstone and Paul Bingham. The Minister also announced that Matthew Boyd and Keith Johnson have been reappointed for a period of three years.

Mark Burton also announced Lex Henry's appointment to the position of Chair of the Tourism Research Council New Zealand (TRCNZ).

18 December
COMMERCE COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS

Paula Rebstock and David Caygill have been appointed as the Chair and Deputy Chair respectively, of the Commerce Commission, Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel announced today.

Ms Rebstock has been with the Commission since 1998. She was originally appointed as an associate member of the Commission, and has graduated to serving as a full member and then as Deputy Chair. She took up the Acting Chair duties following John Belgrave’s resignation earlier this year. Her appointment is for three years.

Mr Caygill's extensive governance experience includes chairing the Grid Security Committee and the Electricity Governance Establishment Group. As chair of the Accident Compensation Corporation he has led the organisation through a substantial period of change. More recently he has been a member of the State Services Commission’s Crown Entities Review Panel and the Review of the Centre Advisory Group. Mr Caygill’s appointment is for five years.

16 December
NEW ADMINISTRATION FOR THE EMPLOYMENT COURT

Margaret Wilson and announced today the Government's decision to The administration of the Employment Court is to be transferred from the Labour Department to the Justice Ministry.

"The transfer will provide a greater connection between the judges of the Employment Court and other specialist judiciary serviced by the Ministry of Justice," Labour Minister Margaret Wilson said.

Courts Minister Rick Barker Rick said the transfer is subject to a satisfactory information technology risk management report and funding approval in the 2004 Budget.

TRANSPORT & WOMEN'S AFFAIRS CEOS ANNOUNCED

The State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham, announced today the appointment of Robin Dunlop as Chief Executive of the Ministry of Transport and Secretary for Transport and Shenagh Gleisner as Chief Executive, Ministry of Women's Affairs.

15 December
DEFENCE APPOINTMENTS

Minister of Defence Mark Burton has announced appointments to two senior Defence positions: Vice Chief of Defence Force and Deputy Secretary of Defence (Policy and Planning). The Minister said that these key appointments, which were recommended in the Review of Accountability and Structural Arrangements in the Defence Force, will enable greater cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).

The Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief Dame Sylvia Cartwright has promoted Air Commodore David Bamfield, Assistant Chief of Defence Forces (Resources), to the rank of Air Vice Marshal, effective 2 February. He will be appointed as Vice Chief of Defence Force at NZDF Headquarters on that date.

Secretary of Defence Graham Fortune has appointed Chris Seed to the position of Deputy Secretary of Defence (Policy and Planning). Currently, Mr Seed holds the position of Director, Organisational Planning and Performance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea from 2001-2003.

Mark Burton also announced that the Governor-General has appointed Maritime Component Commander Commodore, David Ledson, as the Chief of Navy at the rank of Rear Admiral, effective 8 April 2004. He will replace Rear Admiral Peter McHaffie, who will be retiring.

MAURICE WILLIAMSON REINSTATED TO NATIONAL PARTY CAUCUS

Outspoken Pakuranga MP Maurice Williamson has been readmitted to the National Party caucus at the request of new National leader Don Brash.

Mr Williamson was suspended from the caucus in July 2003 after complaints about his public criticisms of the performance of the party under former leader Bill English. As part of the deal to gain reinstatement Mr Williamson has apologized for his past behaviour.

He will take over the transport portfolio from deputy leader Gerry Brownlee, but remains on the back bench.

TRANSPORT SECTOR REVIEW

The government has announced it is to review the purpose and functions of all of its transport agencies.

The range of options to be considered include: the status quo; integrating the provision of policy advice and service delivery; shared services; the transfer of functions between entities; and structural change.

The agencies affected are: Ministry of Transport; CAA (includes the Aviation Security Service); LTSA, MSA, Transport Accident Investigation Commission, Transfund and Transit.

The purpose of the review is to:

The review will be undertaken by the State Services Commission, Treasury, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Ministry of Transport.

Organisations which are likely to be affected by any changes - other government agencies, local government and transport sector and related groups - will be asked for input.

A draft report to the Ministers of State Services and Transport is expected by mid-April 2004

12 December
RADIO NZ CHAIR REAPPOINTED

Appointments to the Board of Radio New Zealand have been announced today by Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey.

Radio New Zealand is a public service broadcaster, operating in accordance with its Charter, providing four networks: Concert FM, Parliamentary Radio, Radio New Zealand International and National Radio.

Steve Maharey said current Board chair Brian Corban has been reappointed for a further three year term and EDS Managing Director Rick Ellis has been appointed to the Board, also for a three year term.

"Through its four networks, Radio New Zealand provides an essential service reflecting and analysing our people and their culture and issues.

"The reappointment of Brian Corban will provide the company with stability as its new chief excutive, Peter Cavanagh, takes up the reins.

"Rick Ellis brings his extensive knowledge of the New Zealand broadcasting scene to the Board. He was previously Chief Executive of TVNZ and currently chairs the Television Local Content Group, which is working on the development of industry-led voluntary targets for locally-made programming on New Zealand's major free-to-air networks. Rick Ellis replaces Liz Hickey who has resigned from the Radio New Zealand Board," Steve Maharey said.

8 December
ACTING CHIEF EXECUTIVE APPOINTED TO DEPARTMENT OF CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES

Dr Russ Ballard is to be the Acting Chief Executive of the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services until a permanent chief executive is appointed.

Dr Ballard will take up the acting position from 5 January 2004. Ms Brenda Pilott, CYF's General Manager Policy, has been acting as Chief Executive since the resignation of Ms Jackie Pivac.

State Services Commissioner Mr Michael Wintringham said he was very appreciative of Ms Pilott stepping in and managing the organisation in difficult circumstances.
"Having reflected on the challenges facing CYF, and with the decision of Ms Pilott to leave the organisation, I have decided to appoint a very experienced former chief executive to provide the necessary leadership to the department until the new chief executive takes up the role," said Mr Wintringham.

Dr Ballard retired as the Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand in June 2003 after a long and distinguished career in the Public Service. He served as a Chief Executive in the Public Service for over fifteen years including, in addition to LINZ, the Ministry of Forestry, the Department of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Mr Wintringham says he has started the recruitment process for the permanent position, following the resignation of Jackie Pivac last month. The position will be advertised from Saturday. Chief executive level recruitment processes normally take at least four to six months.

PUBLIC FINANCE [STATE SECTOR MANAGEMENT] BILL INTRODUCED

Finance Minister Michael Cullen tabled legislation in Parliament on 3 December 2003 which he says will ensure New Zealand continues to set the world benchmark for public management.

"The Public Finance [State Sector Management] Bill is designed to strengthen the public service, make it more transparent and flexible, allow a more integrated response to complex social problems involving a number of state agencies and invigorate the culture of the state sector.

"The bill stems from the 2001 Review of the Centre and represents the first major change to state sector governance in a decade. It integrates the Fiscal Responsibility Act into the Public Finance Act 1989, amends the Public Finance Act and the State Sector Act 1988 and creates a new Crown Entities Act," Dr Cullen said.

"Because the proposed changes are more technical than political, the government is seeking cross-party support for the bill. We offered briefings to all parties and have briefed all but New Zealand First which elected not to take up the offer."

Measures to improve transparency and accountability include:

• a stronger differentiation between the Budget Policy Statement and the Fiscal Strategy Report so that the BPS focuses more on the upcoming budget while the FSR concentrates on the government's short and long-term fiscal objectives;
  

• a requirement on the Treasury to report every four years on the fiscal outlook and risks over the next 40 years with specific reference to the implications of an ageing population;
  

• inclusion in the budget of a statement on the impact on revenue flows of recent government tax decisions;
  

• requiring departments, Offices of Parliament and Crown Entities to report to Parliament annually not just on their finances but also on their intended and actual performance and;
  

• applying these reporting requirements, with appropriate modifications to recognise special sensitivities, to the Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Security Bureau.

Crown entities encompass a diversity of organisations, from schools and hospitals to Radio New Zealand, Te Papa and the Commerce Commission. They account for almost half of the state sector administrative budget and employ two thirds of the state workforce. Most are governed by boards.

The bill sets a framework for board fees, requires that fee levels and staff remuneration are disclosed in the annual report, outlines board members' duties and makes it clear that the Minister can remove them for non-compliance and that they are not entitled to compensation should they cease to hold office for any reason.

"This should prevent a repeat of the large sums of money paid in 1999 to departing members of the Tourism Board, the golden handshakes paid in 1998 and 1999 to a number of senior executives of the Fire Service Commission and the resignation in 1999 of the Chief Executive of the Lotteries Commission following public concerns at the amount he was paid.

"All these incidents damaged public confidence in the institutions of government. The public needs to be aware that we are moving to prevent a recurrence," Dr Cullen said.

Provisions in the bill to provide greater flexibility include:

• allowing more than one minister to be responsible for a Vote while making it clear which Minister is answerable to Parliament for each appropriation;
  

• making it easier for departments to deliver or contract services on behalf of each other;
  

• enabling ministers to make fiscally neutral adjustments between departmental output classes covered by the same appropriation without further reference to Parliament, while maintaining accountability by requiring performance reporting on the individual output classes.

Dr Cullen said the proposed amendments to the State Sector Act aimed to foster leadership and staff development within the wider state sector and to build a cohesive sense of values, ethics and standards.

"The New Zealand public service is recognised as one of the least corrupt in the world and the rules which govern it as among the most sophisticated and transparent.

"The changes the government is proposing today will build on both these strengths and safeguard them into the future," Dr Cullen said.