Blaming the Board

Helen Clark is blaming the Housing NZ Board for their luxury conference venues. To quote NZPA:

Ministers knew nothing about Housing New Zealand’s “unbelievable” staff conferences in luxury resorts, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today. …

“These things never came to the attention of ministers,” she said on NewstalkZB.

“They didn’t know. This is a corporation which has an independent board, it has a chief executive who reports to that board.” …

Asked what she thought about the conferences, Miss Clark replied: “Unbelievable. My views are very clear on this … I do not expect them to be accommodating themselves in anything remotely like luxury accommodation.

“Frankly, I don’t know what they thought they were doing.”

So it is nothing to do with Helen, or with Maryan Street her Minister of Housing. It is all the fault of that nasty Housing NZ Board.

What a pity though that Helen’s Government appoints the Housing NZ Board. And who did they appoint to the Housing NZ Board, up until 2005?

Well none other than Maryan Street!

Oh dear.

Let us enjoy how they distance themselves from that one. My prediction is she was “confused” or was never briefed.