IN A PICKLE

We have succumbed to the Domestic goddess within and indulged in a pickle making day. So we have just got round to reading the news, the inky fingers version and the online sea of information.
We, like just about all the Right bloggers are aghast at the possibility that Michael Cullen could end up running one of our SOE's. If the government is worried about a limited talent pool then please give us a buzz - we can give you some good names.

We also don't get the political fixation about performances in the House - one of the the reasons that Vernon Small seems to think is behind the idea is that the government is keen to see Cullen go from parliament because the arrogant little tosser uses his extensive house knowledge to embarrass them .

Who bloody cares? The latest Roy Morgan poll clearly shows that its the governments performance outside the house that everyone is enjoying and using to benchmark the governments performance.

So forget about Cullen. He will be gone soon. To give him a SOE chairmanship is to elevate him above his status and his ability. Remember it is financial lack of skill that has us where we are today. And we need better and wiser heads that his to run our SOE's.

KORDIA DELIVERS DEAD BIRD TO SOE MINISTER

Whale Oil often has us laughing out loud - he adds spice to some fairly meaty issues and this morning is no exception. Today his target is Kordia - the old Broadcasting Communications Ltd.

Now we have been doing a bit of delving into the performance of the SOE's, the government owned companies that often have some interesting monopolies. Some are ready for a bit of pruning.
Kordia is no exception. So its looks like some of the bloggers are going to put the heat on underperforming SOE's.
Kordias NPAT was $838k - a wee bit less that their expected $12mil and a lot less than the previous years $14mil.



Whale has made an excellent start.

Expect more to come.

Read here for the sad tale of a company delivering up a dead bird

UPDATE: NBR has just posted a story on the fact that Joyce wont be making an announcement on the broadband funding today as tipped by the Herald.
It mentions that Kordia is looking for a handout though - We suppose its expected when they are a bit short of the readies.

FRIDAY ROUNDUP

Sala Sala is an exceptional japanese restaurant in Christchurch. We went there with the Wanaka Fishermen. Lovely sashimi and all went well with a nice bottle of Church Road Pinot Gris. We had the most succulent lamb for main. We highly recommend it.

One of the new sensations in the foody scene is Southern Glory Oysters. grown in the beautiful waters of Paterson Inlet on Stewart Island. They are huge. While not yet in huge quantities the owners expect to be producing a million a year in three years time. They are pricey $5 an oyster but we think that they will become legend. We have it on good authority that Simon Gault of Euro and Nourish Group Fame is also impressed with the same company's fabulous mussels.


We were interested to see the public face of TVNZ as it scambled to cover its arse over the fact that it informed staff that the razor gang was in the green room. We led with the story with NBR second out of the gate and the Herald following soon after. Interestingly TVNZ'a own website has the story that closely resembles the info given to us by a staffer.

In a message to staff, CEO Rick Ellis says its budget reduction may involve job cuts but this will not be decided until after the executive team works with 50 senior staff to identify all options.

This will take place over the next few weeks.

Which contrasts to what NBR dragged out of them

"Over the next couple of weeks, 50 senior managers will be working with Rick and going over all the options. Leaving the staffing levels alone is a priority but we have to acknowledge that they may not be unavoidable."

And for those who hate / love the gossip...


Is Parekura sick of politics ? Is that why he is dusting off his CV?

Which SOE could be in for some carving up and selling off?

Have we heard the full story on ACC yet?

Is it true that Maryann Street and her gal pal Kathryn Street are known as the intersection?

WELDON IS A GOOD CHOICE

We are delighted that Key has chosen Weldon to chair the summit that's aimed at sorting shit. He's an ideas man and thats what we need.
We also did a bit of scan of the SOE lists of board members and boy are there some lightweights - even some bird who lists among her achievements- Aerial ribbon gymnastics to fill out her profile. We didn't know if we should laugh or cry and there are some bad balance sheets among the SOE's - we smell a clean out coming.
There is also another really good thing about the appointment of Mark Weldon. Both he and Key are easy on the eye. So it will be much easier hearing bad news from some thinking girls eye candy.

TOMORROWS POLITICAL DECISIONS CRUCIAL FOR FUTURE OF NZ

Fran O'Sullivan yet again gives a column that sets out succinctly what the big issues are for the Key govt.

Tomorrow is a day for some bold creative thinking and a clear indication that we have visionary leadership in Key. We like the phrase "rolling maul" Key has used to describe his Jobs Summit - it sounds bold, and ballsy and that's what we need. We need a plan and it needs to be clearly articulated to the public so using the rugby analogy will help it connect with the public.

Fran talks about some suggestions from Mark Weldon around provisional tax. Provisional tax is a bitch. It's a nightmare for small businesses with rollercoaster cash flows. Key should sort it and quick. We will be forever greatful and it will lessen the reliance on Gaviscon at certain times of the year.

We also want to see more accountability from the fat and lazy SOE's. No more using monopolistic units to fund risky commercial forays. Forays that often mean that SOE's bugger up commercial opportunities for companies that don't have access to "free money." It's time someone in the business press did an up close and personal analysis of the financial performance of the SOE's - some of balance sheets do not make for pretty reading.

And the boards should be stripped of the Labour lackeys and replaced with some more commercially minded successful and visionary businessmen and women, quick smart.

There is much the new Key team can do - We want to see some inspired ideas, we want to see courage and we want to see the bold leadership we voted for.

Kia Kaha John, Kia Kaha.