When will the government appoint a new Human Rights Commissioner (HRC) and Race Relations Commissioner (RRC)? So what’s the hold up?
Paul Hunt stood down from the HRC in January, and Meng Foon resigned after failing to disclose a conflict of interest in June last year.
Applications for the roles closed in February this year, and sources tell us that interviews took place in March, with a panel that included a representative from the National Iwi Chairs Forum, and the super-woke former National Party Attorney General, Chris Finlayson …
But since March what’s happened? The short answer is nothing.
The HRC has a close relationship with the National Iwi Chairs Forum and describes itself as a Treaty-based organisation. Over the last year it has implemented a ‘shared leader’ model and has in effect become a Trojan Horse for co-governance within an independent Crown entity …
Some within the coalition are willing to grasp the nettle, others not so much …
But difficult decisions can’t be put off forever … As it currently sits, the acting Human Rights Commissioner is Dr Karanina Sumeo, and she is also the acting Race Relations Commissioner, along with her regular appointed role of being the Commissioner for Equal Employment Opportunities.
It’s impossible to fathom how one person can manage the 3 roles effectively.
In terms of the selection process for appointing Commissioners , it usually runs 6 – 8 weeks, with consultation between the coalition partners. From there it is referred to the Appointments and Honours committees.
Sources say that both NZF and ACT have agreed to disagree, but there does appear to be a divergence between the parties.
It’s been suggested to us that these Board appointments have been weaponised between the coalition partners.
More to come…
