NRT – Unqualified crony Isaac gets charter schools job

Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, March 29th, 2012 - 20 comments
Categories: act, privatisation, schools, scoundrels - Tags:

Pure cronyism III

Last month, ACT’s John Banks claimed to have appointed ACT-crony Catherine Isaac to head the charter schools implementation committee. Then, when questioned about it, he was quick to say that the appointment was “not confirmed” and that no appointment had officially been made. Today, the government finally made those formal appointments – and you’d never guess who heads the list. That’s right – ACT-crony Catherine Isaac…

Again, this is a shabby exercise in cronyism, made worse by the attempt to cover it up. Isaac has no relevant expertise to justify this appointment. She has been given the position (and a generous public salary) solely on the basis of ideology and party affiliation. That is not how our public service is supposed to work.

20 comments on “NRT – Unqualified crony Isaac gets charter schools job ”

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  1. ghostwhowalksnz 1
    29 March 2012 at 12:03 pm

    She doesnt come cheap ?

    But Chris Trotter should be pleased, he might be in line for some crumbs.

  2. Deb 2
    29 March 2012 at 12:21 pm

    ACT exacted a coalition agreement based on the premise of charter school trials did they not?
    Why would one of their inner sanctum not be appointed to a pivotal role in the overseeing and implantation of same? There is little support among the public education sector for this experiment; I would be interested who the writer imagines might be suitable to advocate for ACT’s position if they do not share the ideology.

    There are far worse examples of cronyism and unsuitable/closed appointments I can point to where ministers directly financially stood to and or did benefit.

    • bbfloyd 2.1
      29 March 2012 at 1:10 pm

      then best you get on with an itemised list of those examples of those ministers benefiting directly from cronyism……

      i would rather not think that you have just attempted to justify corrupt political practices simply from a warped sense of right and wrong….

    • Puddleglum 2.2
      29 March 2012 at 2:11 pm

      “implantation” – I like it for its invasive connotations, but I think you meant “implementation”

  3. Craig Glen Eden 3
    29 March 2012 at 12:43 pm

    Deb you seem a little confused, the public service is meant to be apolitical. No individual should get a job because of a wink and a nudge. The Person/Persons should be qualified to lead such a committee or be part of it.

    • muzza 3.1
      29 March 2012 at 12:53 pm

      Yes Deb is confused, although in NZ this is not rare!

      The fact people see such appointments as acceptable shows how far the slide has been!

      Nudge nudge, wink wink….

      • Deb 3.1.1
        29 March 2012 at 1:25 pm

        Oh, believe me I despise overt cronyism.

        I feel Isaac’s appointment when viewed in terms of the coalition agreement and her position within ACT combined with her experience is hardly a scandal. The team assembled doesn’t look too bad to me.

        ” The New Zealand Model of Charter School Working Group will be led by Wellington businesswoman Catherine Isaac.

        Ms Isaac has served on a number of Boards including school Boards of Trustees, and was a member of the Welfare Working Group in the previous parliamentary term.

        Also appointed are former Christchurch Mayor and founder of Discovery 1 and Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti, Vicki Buck, CEO of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu – The Correspondence School, Michael Hollings, and Dr Margaret Southwick of Whitireia Community Polytechnic.

        Founder of Onehunga Business School & Just Water International CEO, Anthony Falkenstein, University of Auckland Director of Alumni Relations and Development, John Taylor, and the Dean of Te Puna Wānaka and the Director of Māori and Pasifika Studies at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, Hana O’Regan complete the Group.”

        • framu 3.1.1.1
          29 March 2012 at 2:44 pm

          but her appointment should have absolutely nothing to do with the coalition agreement and especially should have nothing to do with her position in Act!

          thats just saying “because person x belongs to, and is high up, in group y, they get the job”

          which is a pretty text book example of cronyism

          and whats her experience again? oh… she served on a school board

        • Kotahi Tane Huna 3.1.1.2
          29 March 2012 at 2:55 pm

          “I despise overt cronyism.”

          No, you don’t. This appointment is overt cronyism and here you are defending it, or at least claiming that it is “hardly a scandal.”

          A suitable punishment for attacking NZ education, and forcing right-wing extremist failure on our children, would be total forfeiture of investment. I would go after Isaac personally for the fees she is fraudulently pocketing – she has no business in this role and no experience or knowledge to bring to NZ education.

          It’s time right-wing extremist failure came with personal consequences beyond the ridicule and contempt in which ACT members are held.

          • Deb 3.1.1.2.1
            29 March 2012 at 3:29 pm

            “It’s time right-wing extremist failure came with personal consequences beyond the ridicule and contempt in which ACT members are held”

            What personal circumstances can you suggest might be applicable?

            Isaacs has been appointed to head a five-member implementation committee for charter schools. While I understand many are opposed to this ideology, like it or not, the policy formed an integral and vital part of ACT’s confidence and supply coalition agreement with National. It’s pretty small biscuits and I think she’s more than qualified to do so. Think of what we all had to swallow, left and right to accommodate the demanding Mr Peters when Labour formed their coalitions.

            Might just be me, being a RWNJ fangirlie, but when I think cronyism, I think Annette King, Lind (her husband) and the HBDHB appointment of Hausmann.

            • Kotahi Tane Huna 3.1.1.2.1.1
              29 March 2012 at 3:34 pm

              Can you read? Forfeiture of fees collected and investments made. This party of clowns and parasites has been used as the excuse for one bullshit waste of taxpayers’ money after another. Time to end this little game.

            • framu 3.1.1.2.1.2
              29 March 2012 at 3:41 pm

              from the oxford dictionary

              —————————–

              Pronunciation: /ˈkrəʊniɪz(ə)m/
              (also croneyism)
              noun
              [mass noun] derogatory
              the appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications:

              ——————————

    • Deb 3.2
      29 March 2012 at 1:01 pm

      I laughed out loud at that one Craig

      I don’t know anyone in the education sector who is remotely apolitical

      • framu 3.2.1
        29 March 2012 at 1:10 pm

        thats not the point (and hopefully you know it) – of course everyone is political to a degree.

        but – would you rather have initiatives that are studied and created by people with relevant experience? or just someone plopped in to advance an ideology?

        If Act were serious about doing charter schools right (and if they believed they would achieve the goals they claim) they would be putting forward respected professionals.

      • Craig Glen Eden 3.2.2
        29 March 2012 at 1:31 pm

        Deb Im sure most people and indeed public servants would have political views.But ( and its a big but) they shouldn’t get a job based on those views, they should be the best person for the job and in the case of education surely the least you could ask is that they hold some qualification in say education or maybe be at the very least be well educated in some field.

  4. ghostwhowalksnz 4
    29 March 2012 at 1:27 pm

    To think that children’s education is now the ACT partys latest chew toy.

    Previously they were ‘perk busters’ , little did we know just how qualified they would become. Richard Prebbles family trust just happening to own the office building in Wellington where most of the ACT Mps had their local offices. Having offices out in electorates was too much bother for people like Deborah Coddington

  5. Mel 5
    30 March 2012 at 6:49 pm

    @Deb
    I would expect that if the Act Party were so confident of the efficacy of their proposals for students in at risk students, there would be no need to have their unqualified cronies chairing the charter schools implementation committee.

    Further, they would advocating implementing them in areas such as Epsom!

  6. Rodel 6
    30 March 2012 at 7:39 pm

    Viki Buck an ACT crony? I used to think she was a bit left but obviously her publicly accepted persona is just a facade.

  7. Mel 7
    30 March 2012 at 7:56 pm

    @Rodel
    Read the post Rodel.

    It is about the Chair of the Charter Schools Implementation Committee.

    That person is Catherine Isaac.