Nepotism is the practice by those with power or influence of favouring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs. Corruption is dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power.
Not a lot of difference between nepotism and corruption, is there?
But an article recently published online, if accurate, clearly shows there is a substantial amount of one or the other going on in this Labour Government, and most of it is centred around Nanaia Mahuta.
Apparently, a researcher using only publicly available records has uncovered an explosive, recently formed, network of powerful appointments with Nanaia Mahuta and close family members at its heart.
Nanaia Mahuta holds many important ministerial portfolios in the NZ Government, including the prestigious Minister of Foreign Affairs. She is also Minister of Local Government and is responsible for two of the most significant potential changes in NZ’s governance since the Treaty of Waitangi: the He Puapua report and the consequent Three Waters reforms.
Two very close family members appear to be the beneficiaries of either appointment to prominent national or local government roles or significant government consulting roles. Arguably, with Mahuta’s assistance.
Tipa Mahuta, Nanaia’s sister, is a powerful political figure in local government. She has been a Waikato Regional Council member since 2014. She is also a member of Te Maruata, a subcommittee of Local Government NZ which advises the NZ Government on local government policies and legislation. She is, in effect, advising her own sister as the minister.
Nanaia Mahuta was Minister of Local Government at the time of Tipa Mahuta’s appointment to LGNZ.
Nepotism or Corruption? What do you think?
Tipa’s most recent appointment was to the co-chair position at the Maori Health Authority in November 2021. Nanaia Mahuta was Associate Minister of Maori Development at the time of this appointment.
Nepotism or Corruption? What do you think?
When Tipa was nominated for appointment to the important co-chair position of the Maori Advisory Group to Three Waters in May 2021, her relationship to Nanaia showed up in the official conflicts of interest declaration at that time. But, and here is where a bit deception comes into play, it is notable that the transfer of the authority to Kelvin Davis to make the appointment took place on 24 February 2021, according to the conflicts of interest records.
Therefore, if it had not already been known at that time that Tipa was to be appointed, why would there have had to be a need for such a transfer of authority to occur?
Furthermore, the handing off the responsibility for the appointment of her sister should have gone to an impartial and uninvolved MP. Definitely not to Kelvin Davis, who had been fully involved.
Amazingly, the transfer of authority was then reversed just a month after Tipa’s appointment.
Nepotism or Corruption? What do you think?
The article then outlined the consultancy work that a company called Ka Awatea Services Limited has undertaken. Ka Awatea Services was formed “to facilitate business opportunities to advance whanau, hapu and iwi aspiration”. It was formed in June 2019 and William Gannin Ormsby is the sole shareholder. And, wait for it, William Gannin Ormsby is Nanaia Mahuta’s husband!
There are two other directors of Ka Awatea Services, Waimirirangi Ormsby and Tamoko Ormsby.
Ka Awatea Services obtained a significant contract in February 2021 with the Ministry for the Environment, to advise on the new Waste Strategy for NZ. As far as the researcher was able to discover, none of the three Ormsbys have any relevant wastewater experience. Yet official Government papers stated “Maori experts to guide waste water strategy”!
Nepotism or Corruption? What do you think?
The NZ Government, through Nanaia Mahuta as the Minister responsible, commissioned and paid for the infamous He Puapua report in August 2019.
And, hello! Waimirirangi Ormsby is named as one of the authors of the report and Tamoko Ormsby is named as a contributor.
Nepotism or Corruption? What do you think?
In most other nations, other than some third world countries, such appointments would never have been allowed to happen.
Given those clearly improper appointments, it seems the Government apple is even more rotten than we knew about – except no doubt the PM and other cronies. Surely the cabinet would have known all about this carry-on. It reeks of a “managed process” and most definitely there is lack of proper scrutiny of the appointment process.
There is an old warning to do with major family businesses and business leadership: beware of nepotism. And here it is, being indulged in, right where it is at its most dangerous and where it could scarcely be more irresponsible or more inappropriate or more ominous.
It may also reflect common tribal practice – the autocratic structure where the authority lies with the chief and his favoured family who run the tribe. But tribalism is, of course, the antithesis of democracy, the exact opposite: it is autocracy.
Do Ardern and Mahuta expect us to “just suck it up” under co-governance?
If that published article is in any way factual, then Ardern can be accused of allowing this corruption to run unchecked under her watch.
Is this Ardern’s version of TRANSPARENCY?
