Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

After the NZ Labour Party won the 1996 election, Michael Cullen (most recently Labour's deputy leader and Finance Minister) taunted the National Party in Parliament by saying, "We won, You lost, Eat that!"

New Zealand suffered through a Labour-led administration for the first 9 years of this decade, as the party rewarded its friends in the Unions with SOE posts, directorships, and committee jobs for the boys (and girls).

Now the shoe is on the other foot with National leading the government, and they are finally seeing sense and looking to dump as many Labour luvvies as possible. Great news, albeit a small surprise from the all-too wimpy National Party. All employers (including the Govt) should be free to select the employees of their choosing.

Labour leader Phil Goff is upset about this, accusing the Government of carrying out a "witch-hunt" against state board members who aren't National supporters. Um, if the shoe fits?!

According to the Dom Post, SOE minister Simon Power has written to "a number" of directors (who were all appointed during Labour's term in office), telling them their services will no longer be required once their current terms end next month.

We have already seen the welcome exit of "Children's Commissioner" Cindy Kiro, the dumping of former Union boss Ross Wilson from ACC (although he currently remains on the boards of ACC and KiwiRail), and the resignation of former Labour Party president Mike Williams from three SOE boards.

We can hopefully look forward to the swift removal of former Labour staffer Tony Timms (Quotable Value), former CTU president Ken Douglas (NZ Post, Air NZ), former Labour MP Dianne Yates (Food Standards), CTU secretary Peter Conway (Trade & Enterprise), and Labour lackie Graham Hill (Niwa)... amongst others.

* Stuff: Labour-leaning directors go
* NZ Herald: Non-Nat directors targeted – Goff