Land of The Bullies
Why A Pattern of Deception Could Be This Government's Downfall
Kāinga Ora
When Chris Bishop asked Bill English to help him do an “independent review” of Kāinga Ora last year, who here could guess that English’s report said exactly what Bishop already indicated?
A reminder of how it went down:
For the modest payday of $500,000, Bill English was paid from the NZ Government’s Emergency Housing Fund - the same fund that Luxon and Bishop complained cost too much for those in need.1
English’s final report ultimately echoed the government’s “concerns”, giving Luxon and Bishop free reign and pretext to roll KO’s board, senior executives and its entire social housing model.2
The point is this:
The former Kāinga Ora Board and management was stifled.
Their points weren’t heard.
There were no substantive discussions ala “No involvement from KO. Independent”
And when the Board pointed out significant “factual errors”, unverified heresay and obvious misunderstandings in over 10 pages of written feedback to Bill English and Chris Bishop, they were simply ignored.
The bully pulpit was working to maximum force, and the government got what it wanted.
People like Ceinwen McNeil3 - who helped English with his report, were promoted to the Kainga Ora Board.
And ousted members like Philippa Howden-Chapman, who was given an ultimatum on whether she would commit to National’s agenda or not, no longer mattered. [She didn’t commit ]
The government’s narrative dominated.
They have the pulpit and the media speakerphones, and they know it.