Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples used humour to reassure Te Puni Kokiri's staff members their jobs were safe - saying they did not have to look for a new job "at least for a week".
Humourous maybe but we need major reorganisation of the lard arsed public service. And if the Maori party want a department that delivers what they want they are going to have to make some changes to Te Puni Kokiri and feed in to the process of change required in other government departments.
Referring to comments earlier in the year that he wanted the Maori development agency revamped, he took a light-hearted approach yesterday as he met staff there to dispel their job security fears. "There is no major review going to be done on your department so you don't need to apply for any other job this week - or even next week," he said.
Well what we want to know is how the hell are you going to change the way things are being delivered to your people Pita!
Dr Sharples led a powerful new Government delegation to the meeting, including his three fellow Maori Cabinet ministers, National's Georgina te Heuheu and Paula Bennett, and Maori Party co-leader, Tariana Turia. There was a lot of apprehension among staff in the buildup to the meeting, resulting from remarks Dr Sharples made earlier this year that he wanted to see Te Puni Kokiri revamped.
They are just as apprehensive as workers in every other govt department and rightly so. If this govt ( which includes the Maori Party ) does not respond to the calls for a more efficient public service then they will be doing this country a grave disservice.
According to its website, the agency employs 335 permanent staff.
Like most Govt departments there are a lot of thinkers, quite a few hui ' ers and bugger all doers.
Dr Sharples confirmed yesterday that he intended placing greater emphasis on the work the department did on Maori health.
We we could not agree more - but to do that he is going to have the make structural and policy changes to effect any difference in delivery.
Among those at the meeting were agency chief executive Leith Comer, Maori Language Commission chairman Erima Henare and chief executive Huhana Rokx, Maori Television deputy chairman Wena Tait and chief executive Jim Mather, and Te Mangai Paho chair Jacqui Te Kani.
Also at yesterday's meet and greet session for the four Maori ministers were Maori Party MPs Te Ururoa Flavell and Rahui Katene, and National's new Maori list MPs Paul Quinn and Hekia Parata.
The National led Government cannot loose sight of the need to make changes to the public service. Staff know they can do better and the loudest of calls for change are coming from within govt departments. What the govt cannot do is be dishonest. It should be very clear that changes are needed and that will result in changes to peoples jobs. Otherwise it is the most dishonest of politics which will not serve this country well.
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TPK needs a bloody bomb under them.
CEO Leith Comer is an imposter and was identified as a loser by Helen Clark early in his career.
But he has stuck - and stuck!
There has been an incredible turnover of staff, the only remnants being the abject losers.
Dr Sharples identified the absurdity of their operation. Surely Peter has the balls to ask for some reason for operation and the distribution (casually) of their rediculous budget.
Otherwise the doctor will be affirming the pathetic operation methods of his pathetic department!
Deficits which he successfully campaigned upon.
TPK is a supurating sore that needs lancing. They're not a policy agency (ie they do very little thinking themselves) they basically chuck grenades at every other agency. Maybe the idea of a Maori agency made sense. But nowadays every agency has Maori specialist advisers and engagement strategies in place. I cannot see why we should have a distinct agency when each govt dept is doing this stuff themselves. TPK can't quite work out if it's an advocacy group (on behalf of Maori) or a central agency promoting consideration of the issue or a policy agency. It does none of these things particularly well. And some of the people who work in TPK are basically unemployable anywhere else save, perhaps, in some small provincial Maori organisation. TPK, like their fat useless former minister, are just a big flabby bit of dead-weight.
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