𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 '𝕛𝕠𝕓𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕪𝕤'

𝕎𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕛𝕠𝕓𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔 𝕤𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕩𝕖𝕕. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕘𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕛𝕠𝕓𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝕄ℙ𝕤

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he Green Party has been calling for greater public scrutiny of the recent appointments. 

Earlier this week, Education Minister Erica Stanford hired former National minister Murray McCully as an independent reviewer for an inquiry into the state of school buildings. 

Before entering politics Stanford worked for McCully in his East Coast Bays electorate office and has previously described him as her political mentor. 

For his work, McCully has been paid $2200 a day.

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The minister’s office says it’s a part time role, this payment is inline with previous payments for similar work and inline with Cabinet recommendations. 

"He's an excellent candidate and I wouldn't trust anyone else but him," Stanford told 1News. "I actually went to a number of people — it wasn't just him. 

"Yes, he was my boss a long time ago, but I have lots of mentors, lots of friends." 

Asked if this was just "jobs for the boys", Stanford replied "nope".

Earlier this month, Transport Minister Simeon Brown-stain appointed former transport minister and National leader Simon Bridges to chairman of NZTA Waka Kotahi.

Brown-stain said that, while the two are friends, they followed due process. 

"He went through a process in terms of the appointment ... ultimately he went through a process just like every other appointment."

In February, State Owned Enterprises Minister Paul Goldsmith chose former National minister Roger Sowry to help lead an investigation into the state of our Cook Strait ferries.

In December, Housing Minister Chris Bishop brought in former prime minister Sir Bill English to investigate Kāinga Ora. He also tapped former National minister Steven Joyce to help design the incoming National Infrastructure Agency. 

Sir Bill English's daily pay rate for his Kāinga Ora review work is $2500 in addition to reimbursements for any other expenses incurred. 

Meanwhile, Joyce's remuneration as chairperson of his working group is a daily rate of $4000, capped at $40,000 for the currently applicable scope of work.

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins has been critical of the large number of appointments in a short space of time.

"It's jobs for the boys. It's clear what their priorities are — it's to keep their former colleagues in work at a time when they're laying off potentially thousands of Kiwis." 

Asked whether Labour also created "jobs for the boys" during its time in power, Hipkins replied: "We don't go around laying off thousands of public servants."

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Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said public scrutiny is "absolutely due" when it comes to these appointments.

"The bigger point I would make here is that the Government has a huge legislative work programme and they want to do it quickly, and yet they're gutting the public servants they require to operationalise that."

Last week, the Ministry for Primary Industries announced it was looking to cut around 230 jobs, while the Health Ministry looked to axe around 180 roles.

Meanwhile, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment has accepted more than 100 voluntary redundancies.

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