Key admits mistake: Tolley and Groser shuffled out

Written By: - Date published: 6:51 pm, January 26th, 2010 - 44 comments
Categories: Conservation, education, john key, national/act government - Tags:

Today John Key admitted his mistake in two Ministerial portfolio appointments, as two long overdue changes were announced.

1) Chopper Tolley has rightfully been shuffled out of the Tertiary Education portfolio, which goes to Steven Joyce. Tolley’s record has been appalling, most infamously taking a chopper ride to get a “helicopter view” of the AUT campus. In the Tertiary sector Chopper Tolley avoided students and angered staff in her incompetence and determination to treat universities like corporations.

We should remain worried how much damage Tolley will do to primary schools as she moves to introduce the deeply flawed and unpopular national standards. Until she goes completely, our education system isn’t safe.

2) Tim Groser has finally been relieved of the Conservation portfolio. Thank god. Can you imagine a worse fit for someone known as “the most arrogant man to come out of MFAT”, whose first experience in the NZ outdoors was in a helicopter after becoming Minister?

Let’s hope Groser’s replacement Kate Wilkinson has a bit of passion for NZ’s precious heritage, and sticks up to “Sexy Coal” Brownlee and his plans to mine and build roads through our national parks.

Seriously, what was John Key thinking making these awful appointments in the first place?

44 comments on “Key admits mistake: Tolley and Groser shuffled out ”

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  1. burt 1
    26 January 2010 at 7:10 pm

    I’m not fan of Key but this is refreshing. A PM who admits mistakes and takes action to sort it out without blaming others. Long overdue in NZ.

    • Zaphod Beeblebrox 1.1
      26 January 2010 at 7:18 pm

      Do you think this will apply to Rodney Hide? Slagging Key himself, mid life crisis trip on taxpayers money, Super City costings ignored- where do you draw the samba line?

    • burt 1.2
      26 January 2010 at 7:23 pm

      As a long term supporter of Rodney it pains me to say this, he should resign. Plain and simple. He made his stand in parliament on busting perks and the importance of that – then he completely lost the plot.

    • Smokie 1.3
      26 January 2010 at 7:44 pm

      Yeah – he admits mistakes. But who wants a PM that screws up in the first place? Got to wonder about his judgement.

      • Sam 1.3.1
        26 January 2010 at 8:21 pm

        To be fair it’s not really his fault – it’s hard to pick a competent minister when the depth of talent in the National party is akin to that of a broken bathroom sink.

    • Sam 1.4
      26 January 2010 at 8:15 pm

      Except that he didn’t – “He said the changes did not affect Cabinet rankings” which although vague suggests he’s trying not to link poor performance with their re-shuffles, at least publicly.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.4.1
        26 January 2010 at 9:21 pm

        Which is a load of BS

        Of course they affect rankings it’s just that those changes will be hidden under social innuendo.

  2. Loco 2
    26 January 2010 at 7:23 pm

    Yeah Burt because Clark never had reshuffles right? Christ, get a life.

  3. Dan 3
    26 January 2010 at 7:55 pm

    In a way, her preoccupation with National Standards may in fact may precipitate the inevitable more quickly. The National Party has reasonable links to the primary school community (although they rate education pretty low down their priorities), and they will be hearing the sharp negativity. Endorsement for the standards has been at best luke-warm.
    The nice Mr Key hopefully is doing a two-step shuffle to rid the country of a Minister promoted for her good intentions but who is woefully short of experience in the sector.

  4. ConorJoe 4
    26 January 2010 at 8:00 pm

    a long time supporter burt?

    that must of hurt

    • felix 4.1
      26 January 2010 at 11:32 pm

      It takes guts and honesty to admit you were wrong about something you’ve strongly supported.

      burt deserves some credit, surely?

  5. Morgan 5
    26 January 2010 at 8:13 pm

    A step in the right direction but not far enough. Tolley has to go. She is a resounding failure but at the same time a great example of tory incompetance and the sort of shallow and senseless thinking that saturates the simplistic National Party minds.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1
      26 January 2010 at 9:25 pm

      Exactly, she’s just an example of the complete incompetence of the National Party.

  6. Sam 6
    26 January 2010 at 8:19 pm

    Call me cynical but this probably so that Tolley can focus on shafting primary and secondary schools, staff, and students more comprehensively without getting side tracked with a shit fight with universities. Key knows he will need a stronger figure to ensure the universities and their staff and students are adequately shafted and thus has tapped his golden boy to do it.

    I am predicting more of the same from Joyce that we had with Tolley – ignore and dodge students and staff at any cost.

  7. Draco T Bastard 7
    26 January 2010 at 9:17 pm

    Until she goes completely, our education system isn’t safe.

    Until she goes completely our entire social system isn’t safe….

    Actually, that probably applies to the entire NACT party.

    Seriously, what was John Key thinking making these awful appointments in the first place?

    The defining characteristic of conservatives is that they don’t think.

    • BLiP 7.1
      26 January 2010 at 9:53 pm

      The defining characteristic of conservatives is that they don’t think.

      That makes sense. I had been pondering since reading the post whether or not the appointment of Calamity Kate to Conservation was not actually a deliberate insult to the people of Aotearoa.

  8. PT 8
    27 January 2010 at 12:26 am

    “unpopular national standards”, you mean the ones national announced as policy before the election and got voted in on in a huge victory over labour yes very unpopular they were

    foxglove don’t make up quotes about groser that you can’t back up, very dishonest

    • Draco T Bastard 8.1
      27 January 2010 at 12:30 am

      They weren’t voted in on the “national standards”. As much as I hate to admit it they were voted in on “time for a change”.

  9. tc 9
    27 January 2010 at 6:38 am

    Joyce isn’t coping with what he’s got…..superfast broadband anyone ? Allowing telecom more time on separation…..unjustified when he should be smacking them with penalties. His ‘projects’ were already planned/costed before election 08 so not alot of work going on there.

    Wilkinson is simply incompetant and hides away (consistent theme with this govt) so from one useless minister to another.

    Shuffling the deckchairs on the good ship NACT, I hope Labor wakes from its slumber and goes one on one to spread the focus around Goff. It also needs to see if these so called rising stars deserve their billing…..Shane Jones being an obvious candidate.

    • GJ 9.1
      27 January 2010 at 7:45 am

      About the only thing that perceptibly is going superfast is the political spin 🙂

    • Clarke 9.2
      27 January 2010 at 7:51 am

      Joyce isn’t coping with what he’s got ..

      He has found time to piss away $11 billion on unnecessary roading projects that will only benefit construction companies and other National Party donors – give the man some credit!

      Compared to most of the idiots in Cabinet he looks like a superstar. What a thought.

  10. Sanctuary 10
    27 January 2010 at 7:40 am

    Hmmmm… Anne Tolley produced yet another bellicose and posturing performance on Morning Report this morning, confirming to any rational listener she is simply unable to grasp what is going on.

  11. prism 11
    27 January 2010 at 9:11 am

    Thanks GJ – just learned what the Latin quote means – on the net the easy way. You’re so right.
    I was impressed by Tolley’s passion to help the 150,000 children depending on her to get an education! This will only happen apparently when the national (National) standards are introduced.
    We in NZ can surely proudly say that we have a long history of good education standards (turned out Ernest Rutherford from a small country school) and our education has improved over the years.
    More testing is merely another jump pole for slow, unwilling and unsupported learners to sink under. The money spent on this new test gives the impression that Nact cares about raising their game. Bollocks. They are doing something that appears to be action, asserting they are improving standards and better informing parents, when in fact it is a sham activity. It will just cause a displacement of funds that now provide some inadequate assistance that lagging students and their parents receive.

  12. toad 12
    27 January 2010 at 9:17 am

    But Mrs Tolley told Morning Report she is on top of her responsibilities. She said it’s a vote of confidence in her that Mr Key has entrusted her with implementing one of the National Party’s most critical policies this year.

    I feel a Tui ad coming on.

    • Blue 12.1
      27 January 2010 at 9:50 am

      I think JK likes Tolley’s thick belligerence. She is the perfect instrument for the task of introducing National Standards – she won’t listen, won’t stand any opposition and will bulldoze them through like Gerry Brownlee cutting a road through a National Park.

      Key’s already said his Government cares only about doing, not making sure that what they are doing is the right thing.

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