Mai Chen Is Bored

Mai Chen is bored. She's fronting the New Zealand Global Women Group.



Last rumoured to be responding to the economic slow-down for her services in public law, government and spin relating to by representing kindergartens. Chen also remains blissfully underemployed on "Plane Jane" Diplock's Securities Commission.

Chen is now a founding member of propelling power-dressed women on to Boards as Directors and into CEO positions.

Just 54 out of 624 director positions on NZX companies are held by women, after a flurry of female leadership during the 1980s and 1990s.

Women holding CEO or managing director positions are down from 22 per cent in 2006 to 19 per cent; New Zealand is now ranked 10th globally in female representation in business management, down from fourth in 2004.

Well who cares?

These are directors and CEO's of companies. Most successful New Zealand women in business actually OWN their own small to medium sized company. Which is far more admirable than sitting on a Board or slaving as a CEO reporting to (mostly) male shareholders.

Being appointed to an SOE Board is hardly an aspiration of any successful person, which is half the problem that SOE's face. Successful people don't wake up in the morning thinking "Today I want to be on the Board of Mighty River Power". They wake up and think "How much more money can I make today in my own business for myself".

I've never met a successful woman who is a crier, pansy, nancy girlie girl who doesn't muck in and get dirty. The nature of the boardroom is such that well-mannered girlie girls (and men if they behave in this way) do not succeed. They don't succeed because they lack drive, motivation and quite often underlying talent.

So these women list as a throwback from the lesbian cabal that ran Wellington. They photograph nicely for the camera, dress well and read as a pro-National kind of list. Names such as:

* Jenny Shipley, former PM, managing director, Jenny Shipley NZ.
* Mai Chen, partner, Chen Palmer NZ.
* Jane Diplock, chair, Securities Commission.
* Sarah Kennedy, CEO, Vitaco Health.
* Bridget Liddell, managing principal, Fahrenheit Ventures.
* Jenny Morel, managing partner, No 8 Ventures.
* Wendy Pye, managing director, Wendy Pye Publishing.
* Patsy Reddy, director, Active Equities.
* Annah Stretton, CEO, Stretton Clothing & Stretton Publishing.
* Katrina Troughton, director, IBM's WebSphere division.

Chen now wants more women running companies (or worse - being on Boards of SOE's). Well excellent, the same question I ask when Maori are propelled to Boards on the basis of their race - can they actually do the job?

Can they make decisions without crying in front of co-workers? Can they match it with colleagues blow by blow? Do they deserve their position or are they just a token appointment of "pussy on the ticket". Directors are elected by shareholders in the main. It's not MMP where Greens, Maori, women, Islanders and even Peter Dunne get a voice.

This Group will not assist the best women getting ahead, as they will succeed anyway. It may be beneficial for below-average women doing better in getting token gender-based Board appointments, which only drags us into the same position as there is with Maori - does that person deserve their position? Are they a token? And it casts aspersions on every woman (or Maori) who actually deserves their position having this mantra of "affirmative" action placed on by yet another "minority" pressure group. Hence the reason why I deplore any such Groups being formed to promote this "affirmative" action. It only helps those who are not good enough to help themselves.

Under the "fem" facade most of these alleged fem women behave as badly (or as well) as blokes. They curse, swear, intimidate and have huge egos. I've met the most gorgeous of former models who have the same qualities under their perfect measurements. And that's the difference I think in successful women and those who don't make it.

Successful women have egos.

Its not a nice comment to make about a woman, successful men are allowed to have huge egos, but when have you ever heard a woman described as having "ego"? Not in New Zealand. Women, even professional women, still have limited self-confidence in New Zealand. They aren't allowed to show self-confidence. As I write this I quietly snigger at Jenny Shipley (an all-round rather average intellect who owes all her success to using and abusing her title "former PM" to open doors in her post-political career) naming her company Jenny Shipley NZ. You can't get much more of an ego than that!

Lipstick and Jimmy Choo's and support groups won't hide the simple fact that the likes of actual shareholding entrepreneurs such as Julie Christie, Jan Cameron, Diane Foreman or Josephine Grierson will kick your arse in a business deal just as hard as the men they stand next to.

Fran O'Sullivan is right in her subtle mocking of this. They don't need a support group. All they need is the next challenge.

Chen's (and Diplock's) challenge should be sorting the dog's breakfast that is the female run Securities Commission and not organising peer support groups for those more than capable of looking after themselves.

Cheers

Earlier this week I had an unscheduled stop in Boston from Los Angeles. 4th July week is not the best time to re-schedule flights so you take what you can get.

The only flight was a red-eye on Monday night leaving around midnight and as I topped up with a couple of very strong vodkas in the Admirals lounge I was one of the last to jump on the flight in row 1.

As I looked up I saw a familiar face, it was Ted Danson and his wife Mary Steenburgen. Most recently known for their superb cameos starring themselves in one of the funniest comedies ever "Curb Your Enthusiasm".

I did wonder why they weren't in row 1. Then as the anti-aging Mary looked out the window making smoochy high-pitched sounds as her dogs were loaded on to the plane, she ever so nicely asked if I wouldn't mind not putting my seat right back as she had her own dog on board (the dog was pretty cute - pug faced Sharpei looking - and was sedated) and if I put my seat right back, it would crush the cage.

It made little difference to me as I can't sleep on seats that are not flat anyway (American Airlines don't consider 7 hours in a red-eye worthy of flat-bedding in any case) so I agreed on the basis she tell me what type of perfume she was wearing as it was to be honest, the most lovely smell I had ever encountered.

Laughter followed as we worked out it was in fact Ted's perfume that actually smelt of the roses.

A joke about New Zealand as apparently her next director is Niki Caro and off to sleep. The family were off to Martha's Vineyard for holidays and yes, Curb Your Enthusiasm is returning soon for another hilarious season. Thankfully as I miss it.

Hopefully they didn't run into David Farrar at Martha's. He would have put his seat back.

As an aside I must say how irritating it is to fly next to serious A-list celebrities. The amount of passengers "accidentally" needing to use the one first class toilet was ridiculous. They then "accidentally" stopped at Danson's seat to get autographed up. Why would people bother? Seriously.

I complained on everyone's behalf about the egalitarian integration of coach and first as I knew what would happen - yep - the toilet clogged up with overuse. For some reason coach passengers simply don't take care of their toilets during flights. If Danson complained there would be a tabloid write-up within hours.

Then when you get off the plane, wankers with cellphones and long lenses take shitty pictures like this. And ask for more autographs. Right off the plane. Awful at 8am after no sleep or time to refresh in the ladies.

They are a nice couple.

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

"I swear it is this big".


So South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has been a naughty boy and Americans (well the snooty Democrats mainly) are up in arms. I blame Republicanism. Family values tickets are a plain silly game to participate in.

I'm sure when most couples get married they are under the delusion that they are their partners "soulmate". It's an horrendously controversial cross to bear because the term is an emotional one where men and women think differently.

If we take the example of the sexes at hand, it is fair to say women since time and eternity have struggled with the concept that if they marry a man, they are automatically and always will be their exclusive "soulmate".

Taking analysis of couples I know who are mutually very happily married, they are soulmates. You can see it, sense it and the couple are enjoyable because of it. They never fight.

Everyone else is just dreaming.

If you look at a man's supporting cast - he will have his best friends, blokes he drinks with, acquaintances, people he works with, women he shags, women he respects and then his wife and/or girlfriend.

These groups are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

A woman's supporting cast consists generally of her best friends, her dog or cat, people she gets along with to get what she wants and her boyfriend or husband.

One of the most interesting interactions in a male v female relationship is that of a soulmate. Because while a woman generally will not deem a man to be her soulmate unless she has the status of girlfriend or wife, a man will deem a woman who is not his girlfriend or wife to be his soulmate on many occasions.

Governor Sanford has deemed this Argentinian woman to be such a soulmate. He doesn't see a big deal with this and hopes to "fall in love with his wife again". Well she would have been more forgiving one imagines if he just came out and said something as cold as "I'm sorry we were naked and my cock fell on her many times". But no, he had to mention the "soul".

Women are aghast at this proclamation as worse than the act of physical intimacy with another woman. Most men roll their eyes as they stare at Miss Argentina and think "good on ya".

Because in Governor Sanford's case his supporting cast includes more than one woman. The wife knows this and hasn't left his life. Why? Because her role is that of a wife and she knows her role. Washing, ironing, fucking etc....... In pretty much all ways it is not as deeper relationship as his named "soulmate". A soulmate isn't necessarily asked to wash, iron, cook or clean or even have children. A wife usually is.

Men pick their supporting cast depending on their stage of life. A man in his 20's will generally pick a woman to breed with. This is in most cases the woman he finds the most sexually attractive, subjectivity of course. A man in his 30's likewise especially if he's single and decides he must have children. In their 40's a man looks for a woman as different to his first wife as possible if his marriage was unsuccessful. If single, a man will look for a woman in a broader basis than a breeder. In their 50's men look for a woman more capable of matching them and in their 60's a man looks for a woman who will outlive him and get him up those stairs.

A wife has differing roles depending on these stages in life and what starts out as a "soulmate" doesn't necessarily end up that way. It doesn't mean that the relationship of husband and wife ends, or the husband doesn't like you, its just that the relationship isn't as deep as you thought it used to be.

Miss Argentina was offering Governor Sanford something we may never know, that his wife wasn't. Perhaps she shared a common interest, challenged him in an interesting way, was supportive of him and took an interest that he had never received before or has ceased to. Its not necessarily sexual attraction. Its not necessarily all tits, firm arse and great shagging. They called it an "impossible situation". And it was as the Governor was never going to leave his wife while a politician. Even now he's trying again with her. Soulmates don't always work in an exclusive relationship. As there's just some things a man will never discuss with his wife. He will to a soulmate. A female soulmate in most circumstances is like having a best male friend you can shag without having your sexuality questioned.

Wives and girlfriends view it as the ultimate betrayal as its not "just sex". The soulmate will be able to do what the wife or girlfriend may never do - she will get the man to talk about their feelings. Wives and girlfriends can go entire lifetimes without knowing such secrets. And it pisses them off more than the cock accidentally slipping where it shouldn't. "Why don't you talk to me about your feelings?"...............general nagging follows.

Governor Sanford has made the curious step of trying to explain this.

He's failing miserably. At least Richard Worth was silent with his foreign soulmates!

Because it's not something that you will ever understand unless it happens to you and even then, you don't talk about it as you are never going to win an argument about morality to the US bible belt when your dick has been in a woman who is not your wife let alone when that woman shares your soul.

So Was It Worth It?

Richard Worth

1. Not guilty of any heinous crime with the use of a cellphone against Neelam Choudary orchestrated by the Labour party.
2. Criminal complaint now completely dropped by the alleged "victim" AND the New Zealand Police.

Shame he can't sue both these women for the damage they have done.

"She feels the political fallout around Richard Worth has been sufficient and going through the courts would have been an additional ordeal that would have gained little," TV3 said.

In other words - I've got the bastard good enough now and I don't want my name in public. Well I am sure bloggers will see to that in their own time.

And Whaleoil just has....

But Does Di Put Chips In Their Hokey Pokey?

New Zealand Natural has opened an ice cream outlet on the wintry Russian island of Sakhalin.

Because I am still to hear whether we will get them in Hong Kong.

Unlike my good friend Mr Whale Oil, I'm not after anything for a free plug. I'm quite happy to pay export prices for the Hokey Pokey. But I want the damn chips.

Don't make me start a Facebook page.....

Fronting Up To The Line

Ross Munro (father of much vilified alleged Indian taxi driver beater Simon (what did happen to that story?)) has showed his true character. Admitting that it's all his fault that Line 7 failed.

"It's just bloody sad, to be fair, but it's my fault, it's nobody else's."

He said the business didn't hedge itself against the recent big falls in the dollar "which we normally did but we just didn't think it would drop as aggressively as it had, so that had a significant impact for this season on our margins".

As well, its customers had been slow to pay their bills, and the firm hadn't reacted quickly enough in cutting overheads.

"Fundamentally I just think the business model over the last few months hasn't worked," Mr Munro said.

While probably not entirely true as the economy and bad debtors are sometimes a bitch, Rosco has manned up and carried the can for the business going down the toilet. He hasn't bludged to the government for a bailout on the basis of "iconic" status. Even though his wife is a true equal partner in the business he has taken the can.

Leadership? Yep. Well done. What say you Trev?

Dealing with American Airlines - Handy Tip

Whatever the nice lady tells you, if it not what you wish to hear such as "all our flights are full this week due to 4th July weekend so you can't leave until Wednesday night":

Call up again and speak to someone hopefully less lazy. Remember rebooking your flight takes EFFORT that the monkey on the airline desk isn't paid one more cent to actually spend.

A Good Result

Madoff is a dirty crim. A 150 year sentence is completely appropriate.

But then so should all murderers really......all Madoff did was steal a whole heap of lolly. And as people say that life is more important than money, surely killing someone should attract similar sentencing?

And the rest of Madoff's family? Well I say put them in a cell next to him. There is absolutely no way they did not know what was happening.

Lets hope Bernie suffers from a "Michael Jackson".

The State of California

Apparently California only has enough money left to pay one more month's worth of wages to its employees and is close to bankruptcy.

Having dealt with some of their employees during the past few days I can vouch for not only the lack of funding evident for some of these department's but the lack of cohesion and integration between their systems.

Lets not even start on the attitude and intellect of the servants. As I am in need of assistance I have been (to the shock of my Kiwi lifesaver here) very polite at all times. When I really wish to yell out "record unemployment should motivate you f******".

I shall write some more words when I have time. For an apparent first world country and a first world city Los Angeles is atrocious in many respects.

There are fortunately pockets of beauty such as the palm trees and Malibu where the Kiwi lifesaver and his American lifesaver partner took me to today for an icecream.

Coming Soon.....

A refinement on the Cactus Kate "rules to travel by"!

It will start with - ditching the standard black luggage and going for as brighter colours as possible so you know when your bag has been thrown in the wrong pile. The thief may spot it sooner but then so do you when the thief takes off with it.

Oh....and shopping for one of those (previously deemed) gay strap bags where passport, tickets and cash can be stored.

It's a wee bit of a lesson for a girl whose only substantial loss to date was that of virginity.

Darkest Day Ever

Yes, I am stuck in Los Angeles without my passport that was taken along with my (underinsured as there are so many insurance exemptions) carry on bag thrown from the hotel shuttle bus I assume on one of the stops before me.

Lesson learned - never use shuttle buses.

Lesson still learned - other people are c***s for not returning the bag. Another reason why I have little faith in fellow man.

Now shall be living my worst nightmare trying to get new travel documents.

NBR - No Bloody Reading

From airport spies.....

If NBR wish to pick up business, perhaps they should get their Friday edition delivered to the airport before 9am. Considering most of their readers are early-risers and chances are on the morning flights across the Tasman....that is.

Bugger

Farrah Fawcett died today.........a terrible day for her to croak it.

Michael Jackson finally succumbed to years of surgery, drugs and hard living.

And the world is apparently in shock. Ergh....why?

PFO!!!

Well after getting the sympathy of Hand Mirror (lnked above), it appears that once again a "victim" is not really a victim.

This one has always smelt froggie. When you see the size of Mr Bastareaud and the fact he was sent home immediately, there was no victim there. The news media smelt it as well. Heather D-P-A-S from TV 1 was all over it as well. Good job. Cheating lying froggies.

"I got pissed once and fell over"......

"On Saturday evening I went back to the hotel after drinking too much. I fell over in my room, I struck the table and cut my cheekbone. I was ashamed, I panicked and I thought I was going to be sent home from the French team. I told a story thinking that this would settle things, but given the way it has snowballed I prefer to tell the truth.

NONONONONONONONONO - FAIL

Why oh WHY would you tell everyone you have won lotto?

Seriously. FAIL. Bludger alert incoming......

Already the Mayor has started:

Garry Daniell said the prize equated to "about $1000 for every person in the Wairarapa". His council would welcome some of the winner's cash to help with infrastructure projects particularly a proposed $25m sewage plant.

Anyway, it's nice to see that four people have won the prize and they all seem to previously qualify in the broken-arse category.

The winning syndicate is made up of a woman (who is also a great-grandmother), her two daughters (Fiona, a nurse, and Siobhan, a bakery worker) and her granddaughter (a fulltime mother).

And a worthy comment is from the tax advisor which should put paid to any stupid ideas to give it all away.

But before the winning syndicate considers giving some of their new riches to family and friends, they may want to think about the taxman. Tax expert Greg Bishop said that for every $1m gift, up to $250,000 would have to be paid to the Government in gift duty. However, if the gift was for a registered charity, the giver would receive a refund of $333,000.

However Lotto will be creaming themselves. The broken-arse stories are the best PR they can EVER get to ensure more broken-arses slap down their $20 a week to buy tickets they cannot afford.

Poor Lotto Winner

The hardest decision would be whether to keep the Audi R8.

While it is reasonably easy to hide the fact you have $35 million more this week than you had last, driving an Audi R8 around Masterton, or indeed anywhere in New Zealand would be the biggest giveaway of the lot.

For the sake of your own privacy you'd have to ditch the car wouldn't you? Or move to California, Monaco or in general the South of France.

What a dilemma.

Boots and All Reporting

In her recent rural series, Fran O'Sullivan has produced yet another great piece here on the level of debts among the New Zealand farming community.

The Herald should just get over it and let O'Sullivan write the entire business section.

Housing For Everyone?

Does David ever think his support of these crazy pant-wetting National Socialist schemes through?

If you are going to privatise state housing then surely it must be available for purchase on a free market basis to everyone?

"Alcohol Related Medical Leave"

In other words - an alcy. I have little sympathy to those who engage in the drink and cannot control themselves. I am a reasonably heavy drinker myself, disgracefully termed a "binge" drinker due to large sustained experiences of alcohol consumption. However I do have detoxification periods where I will go cold turkey for weeks on end. And I never drink at home or alone or have alcohol in my home. That's a no-no. And better still, it does not affect my ability to engage in productive written or thought processes at work. Alcohol is our friend that I consider makes other people far more interesting.

It is self-monitoring as it tells you when you have had enough so you must listen to your body for things such as throwing up, shaking hands and excessive weight gain. You recover slowly from the flu, you have a nagging cough or can't get rid of feeling like crud, then you simply remove yourself from the drinking circuit, have cups of tea and early nights in fluffy slippers until the inevitable boredom sets in and you get back out there.

Everyone knows alcohol can affect people differently. If you can't control your own consumption then it is your own damn fault. I refuse to view alcoholism as a sickness, addiction or disease. It's a symptom of deeper issues within a person. Usually that they have low self-esteem, are weak or have fucked up family or personal issues such abuse, rape, horrific marital situations etc. They turn to drink to forget how shit these underlying issues are. That is why there is no "recovery" for an alcoholic unless they have sorted these underlying issues.

Now unwanted Telco Commissioner Dr Ross Patterson is back from his "alcohol related medical leave". Nine whole months of it. An entire baby gestation period. A new government.

However, NBR also understands that neither Commerce Commission chairman Mark Berry (who is acting telecommunications commissioner) nor associate commerce minister Rodney Hide, who is responsible for the commission, want Dr Patterson back.

Now the sooky labour laws in New Zealand probably guarantee Dr Patterson his job back for not being able to handle his piss. But should they?

Should workers now be able to get "alcohol related medical leave" in description of a vicious hangover gained in the business of "drinking for the company" (as Bob Jones calls it) or even in their personal capacity of not being able to handle their piss?

I quite like the idea of having "hangover leave" at least. Perhaps instead of maternity leave, those of us who consume on behalf of the company can have "alcohol related medical leave" for 12 weeks? Problem is people would spend it on holiday for 12 weeks most likely on a remote party Island getting trolleyed and having a dangerous amount of sex that would lead to an increasing likelihood of an increase demand for maternity leave.

It seems that earth has already been moved for Dr Patterson.

While his predecessor had been based with the commission in Wellington, Dr Patterson moved the telecommunication commissioner’s office to Auckland, to be in more convenient travel reach of family in Sydney.

Ergh....don't they have direct flights between Sydney and Wellington now? Yes....perhaps they leave a little early in the morning for Dr Patterson as he's still recovering from large nights out on benders. Truth is, he probably just didn't like the weather in Wellington as with his propensity to drink at the time he sure as hell would have loved Wellington for its bar scene which is considerably more fabulous than Auckland's.

He's been gone since September 2008. Well Winston's only been gone since Novermber 2008 and no one seems to miss him.

It's not a matter of whether Dr Patterson is now fit to go back to work, but that the world and government's have moved on since he departed. The new administration seems to not want him. Ta ta. Dr Patterson is fit to work again but he's not fit to work in this job if he is unwanted. Go find another.

To assist I suggest Vodafone and Telecom send around jeroboams of champagne to the office to celebrate Dr Patterson's return to the fold.

Keeping David Garrett - II

It appears we have an offending water cooler comment

Garrett to female staffer filling up water bottle: "There was once a time when a woman liked to have something else squirted into her mouth".

Is that it? Seriously?

It could be semen yes, but it could also be tequila, vodka shots, champagne and my personal favourite - jello shots.

The best retort to that comment would have been

David at your age I would be surprised if you could even shoot blanks

What Kiwiblog Won't Tell You..

David Farrar is a statistical and political whore. Here he has analysed the pay of MP's without the editorial. The reason for this is that David is friends with politicians. That's right he sits at lunch with them and doesn't calculate that their pay is a joke on the taxpayer. Which is why David could never be a fully-fledged member of the VRWC. We don't respect any politician just because they are a politician.

Apart from my lack of ability to ever be elected by people of below average intellect or ambition, which now constitutes more than 3/4's of the New Zealand adult population, the thing that would kill me as a wanna-be politician is sitting in the House, looking across and realising that people who could barely pull a teachers wage are now being paid the same or more as you are. Some MP's are grossly underpaid for a) the actual complexity of the work they do and b) their private sector salary or entrepreneurial sacrifice to be in politics. Most are severely overpaid. Their 60 hour weeks are really a lot of sitting around doing jack all, using minimal parts of the brain and posturing.

David states: "The Remuneration Authority notes that the remuneration package for a backbench MP is now roughly in line with comparative jobs".

You are joking?

Not PC - Peter Cresswell nails it by calling them the Nations "highest-paid" beneficiaries.

The Remunerations Authority must be disbanded. There is no comparative job. Seriously, where else would you pay people with no qualifications, no skills or no experience, to sit and make judgment over others? To sniff at the public trough and only have accountability every three years. To fly up and down the country and be treated with far more respect than they have ever deserved. To have more staff than sets of fresh underwear. To be as bald and ugly as you want to be and still have groupies want to give you pleasuring after hours.

I am disgusted for all of New Zealand. And I am not even paying the salaries anymore of these snuffly trough-dwellers.

So let is look at a selection of MP's and see what their career prospects actually were before politics and the salary and earning potential they had. It has to be a selection as I could spend a month posting on the outrageous underachievement of these plonkers prior to being given the ultimate ticket to ride.

Backbenchers who are on $167,900. Where on earth would the following EVER earn this amount of money with their skills, qualifications and experience if they had never enters politics?

People like:

Catherine Delahunty former career - activist, feminist, mother, gardener, writer, teacher, mediator, advocate - and stand-up comic



Estimated maximum earning potential in private sector = $60,000 per annum. That's the only part of her comedy act that is standing up.

Russel Norman - "worked as a policy researcher, assistant to Green Members of Parliament, campaign manager for the Green Party". Australian.



Estimated maximum earning potential in private sector = $50,000 per annum. Could never keep down a private sector job. PhD political science.

Salary as Green Leader = $199,220 (if he was man enough to not have a "co" leader)


Gerry Brownlee




He was a school teacher. The best example of a National Party MP who is overpaid and overindulged in the Wellington life.

Estimated maximum earning potential in private sector = $100,000. A corporate would take pity on him and offer him a job outside of teaching. NO ONE would be offering him anywhere near the $300k he now troughs from the taxpayer.

Salary as a Cabinet Minister = $303,140

Hone Harawira



Manager, Aupouri Maori Trust Board
Manager, Aupouri Ngati Kahu Te Rarawa Trust
Manager, Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika
Former CEO, Tehiku Media
Director, Aupouri Fishing Company Ltd June 1990-March 1995
Director, Te Hononga Whakapaoho Maori Maori Media Network Ltd September 2001-
Director, Te Tai Tokerau PHO Ltd March 2003-April 2005
Director, Starnet 2000 Ltd June 2004-

Estimated maximum earning potential in private sector = completely unemployable in private sector, has built a career around bludging off Treaty Settlement money, his family name and the "Brown" train.

Tariana Turia



Former Chief Executive of Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority (the longest and largest Maori Health Service provider in the Central Region); Service broker for Te Puni Kokiri (Whanganui Office) 1993-95; Manager Whaioranga Iwi Social Services Unit, 1991; Manager Whanganui Regional Development Board Trust, 1989. Worked in the head office of Maori Afairs and Southern Regional co-ordinator for Maori Access training programmes. Tariana was also a member of an evaluation team for first pilot cervical screening project for Maori women; a member of two task forces to establish kura kaupapa Maori and member of a team that established the Te Awa Youth Trust (the first marae based training establishment in 1980).

Estimated maximum earning potential in private sector = completely unemployable in private sector, has built a career around bludging off Treaty Settlement money and "Maoriness".

Salary as Minister outside Cabinet = $255,860

Peter Dunne



He worked for the Department of Trade and Industry from 1977 to 1978 and then for the Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council until 1984. He served as Deputy Chief Executive of the Council from 1980 onwards

He worked for the Department of Trade and Industry from 1977 to 1978 and then for the Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council until 1984. He served as Deputy Chief Executive of the Council from 1980 onwards

Estimated maximum earning potential in private sector = would slave away for years and reach the dizzy heights of middle management on $120,000 before being made redundant at financial crisis time.

Salary as Minister outside Cabinet = $255,860

Darren Hughes, Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins,



Hipkins - BA in Politics and Criminology
Hughes - BA in Public and Social Policy. No work experience.
Ardern - BCS (communications and political science)

Estimated maximum earning potential in private sector = Hughes - now unemployable in private sector given his bludging from trough from birth, no work experience at all. Hipkins - tried to work in big Oil not lobbying for big Oil but training - maximum $60,000. Ardern - gave up a career of nothing particularly special to join Parliament - maximum $60,000.

My challenge to the Sunday tabloids is to research and perhaps even complete a survey of MP's as to what they are paid now versus their estimated likely salaries had they never entered into politics. Given the MP's are paid twice, perhaps three or four times what journos are currently pulling I would imagine there is no shortage of takers for this assignment.

Worthy Spouting Of The Truth

Linked in the heading (as are now most articles I have linked to) is the best and most balanced column on Richard Worth thus far.

Silly Millie Gets Media In A Tizzy

You have to wonder about journalism when they are referring to Facebook updates to create stories such as

"Millie Says Maybe Baby"



There are Supreme Court Judges with fewer court appearances coming up than Silly Millie and her stupid retard of a boyfriend Con-her Roberts.

Auckland District Court, June 29, defended hearing for charges of possessing cannabis oil, ecstasy and methamphetamine. A single charge of receiving stolen property and two charges of breaching supervision.

Auckland District Court, July 13, defended hearing for two charges of breaching supervision.

Papakura District Court, July 23, callover hearing for theft of a scarf from Farmers, one charge of possessing a cannabis plant and two charges of possessing methamphetamine.

Waitakere District Court, August 3, status hearing for possessing methamphetamine.

Elder's boyfriend, also aged 21, has his own set of criminal matters progressing through the courts.

Auckland District Court, June 29, defended hearing for charges of possessing cannabis oil, ecstasy and methamphetamine. A single charge of receiving stolen property.

Waitakere District Court, July 27, status hearing for a charge of possessing a knife in a public place.

Waitakere District Court, July 30, defended hearing for driving while disqualified for a third time.

Surely she MUST go to jail for one of those!

So I ask, how media can actually look at a person's facebook updates or status and create a story from it? First it's a bit creepy. Next, it's a little unreliable as from what I can see, people update their facebook when they are absolutely and completely munted. Usually alcohol but Millie has excellent drug contacts so chances are she's absolutely munted every time she's at the keyboard.

There would be shock and awe for example if I updated my facebook status from "single" to "in a relationship". In fact I will do it now and see the reaction. I have just updated my facebook status to "in a relationship".

Lets see the reaction. I will be back later to report the carnage. It would be more if I found one of my mildly famous facebook friends and named them as the unlucky gentleman.

In the meantime I say to the media - when have Millie Holmes' facebook updates become a "source"?

Update - 10.27pm: three "what the f*** emails from friends who read facebook before the blog"

Shipping Containers

No Crusher, I proposed the shipping containers be used for STATE HOUSING!

Although the prison cell idea is reasonable.

Keeping David Garrett

This is a nonsense. Some girl (and I don't use the term "woman" on purpose) has complained about David Garrett's behaviour for using a "sexual comment".

I don't argue that Garrett is a tad mental, however he is ACT's quota for the mentally infirm so we need to protect him with the same gusto that other political parties have protected the likes of Nandor Tanczos, Judith Tizard, Sue Bradford, Sue Kedgley, Dover Samuels, Michael Laws, Arthur Anae, Mike Moore, Richard Northey, Clem Simich..need I go on.

Well, go figure. Bring out the burning bras girls.

There is only one way to deal with David Garrett:

Wait until there are numerous persons in attendance and then turn around and loudly state

"Is it true what your wife says Mr Garrett that you Sir have a small penis?".

Chances are the alleged sexual comments will end right there and then.

I would never let Garrett out in Wellington without Jesse Ryder's minder however there is only one way to fight fire and that's with more fire.

It is the only thing a man like that will respect.

Inside Winston's Head

Against rumours to the contrary, Winston from St Marys Bay appears not to have died in a puff of cigar smoke.

No Winston is making a comeback in his taxpayer funded retirement spending his days correcting spelling in The Herald and with masterful comments such as:

"Unless I say it, then nothing's true."

Please write in and mock this comment mercilessly.

Bad News for Everyone

I have had several (well 12) links sent to me to stories that NZX have failed in their attempts to takeover NSX. People seem to be salivating in Mark Weldon's failure to pull the deal off.

I am not.

A strong NZX is good for the New Zealand economy which means all of you. I have never bagged the commercial arm of NZX and Weldon's plans for it or his ability to run that side of the business. This deal I imagine has taken the best part of his last month of public silence to concentrate on.

My issues with NZX revolve solely around their regulatory function and their performance relating to. I for one hope Weldon now either re-negotiates the deal for the takeover of NSX or finds something else to invest in that will provide a profitable return.

Women Can't Write About Sex

Yum.

"It's almost like writing about food ... Ladies who lunch, should not really write about food because they don't really love food. They don't salivate at the thought of a great steak."

Packing Myself

Must say the worst thing in the world is having to pack for a seven week period away, visiting one freezing cold place and the rest lovely, sunny and warm. Seven weeks is a long time in travel land. Fortunately I repeat visit most countries every year so know precisely what I can and can't take with me and what will and won't be worn. Right down to the washing and drycleaning facilites available.

So battling a (cough, splutter) slight massive temperature, sore throat and tiredness from the twenty days of work you need to do that everyone gets back to you one day before you have to leave, I managed it. I also managed to down the scarce pseudoephedrine left in my medicine cabinet and miraculously most symptoms disappeared. Everything was good to go and I systemically had everything in order for the departure after work.

The maid comes on Wednesday. I left strict instructions that I would be away and that she must come every two weeks to air out the apartment and clean.

I didn't leave one strict instruction however as I thought it would be self-explanatory.

DO NOT UNPACK MY BLOODY SUITCASES.

I arrived home at 6pm from work, budgeted one hour to get ready and taxi to the airport.

I spent that one hour re-packing my suitcases.