Spoiled brats running MRP

Written By: - Date published: 4:41 pm, March 7th, 2013 - 21 comments
Categories: accountability, capitalism, class war, Privatisation - Tags: ,

In the news this afternoon, the “nice work if you can get it” bonuses for Mighty River bosses:

Mighty River board getting extra $1200 a day

…It also emerged that Mighty River’s directors were receiving additional fees of $1200 for each day they spend working to prepare the company for its 49 per cent sale, scheduled to take place over the next two and half months.

Note that’s additional payments (the CEO got a tasty 34% pay rise last year to 1.7 Million). I very much doubt that the poor dears are working any harder than many who don’t see $1200 in a week, or a fortnight or… (Yeah yeah – I’ll see your “politics of envy” and raise you a “politics of greed”.)

Anyway, that’s not the only reason the bosses are making headlines:

Mighty River slammed by MPs

As Mighty River Power prepares to go to market, its bosses have been accused by MPs of being “smartarses” and treating New Zealanders with disdain over their refusal to answer written questions. …

The company’s chairwoman Joan Withers and chief executive Doug Heffernan appeared before Parliament’s commerce committee on Thursday, and came under fire from Labour MPs for answering fewer than 100 of the 130 written questions asked to all Government bodies at the time of their financial review. …

The company had written “this is not applicable to Mighty River Power because Mighty River Power is not a department, ministry or associated agency”.

Labour MP David Clark said that was “a kind of smartarse answer”, and other SOEs, including Genesis Energy – which will appear before the select committee on Thursday afternoon – had answered the questions in good faith.

Indeed.

Ms Withers and Mr Heffernan said if the questions were re-written to say “state-owned enterprise”, they would consider answering them.

“Consider answering” them. Oh that’s very kind of them. I can see why we’re paying these spoiled brats so well.

21 comments on “Spoiled brats running MRP ”

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  1. tc 1
    7 March 2013 at 5:01 pm

    You gotta love the arrogance and ‘F U’ atitude of Herr Heffernden and the MRP crew. Apparently that’s pretty much what it’s like to work there and it’s offshoots like Mercury.

  2. Tigger 2
    7 March 2013 at 5:20 pm

    I see National thought the opposition were ‘grandstanding’. Actually no, they’re calling MR to account, that’s what the process is for.

  3. Rach 3
    7 March 2013 at 5:28 pm

    Why on earth did Labour refer to MRP as a Department in their questions? Seems bizarre.

  4. Richard 4
    7 March 2013 at 6:47 pm

    Anthony is leaving figuring out why this is an argument against selling MRP as an exercise for the reader.

    • felixviper 4.1
      8 March 2013 at 9:01 am

      I think this just shows why something as important as our vital energy infrastructure ought never to have been run as a commercial enterprise.

      Take it back, fix it, run it properly for the benefit of the citizenry.

  5. mickysavage 5
    7 March 2013 at 7:36 pm

    Talk about arrogance. They are there before the elected representatives of the country, their owners, and they play word games on them.

    Imagine how much better it will be once they become a corporate entity with private shareholders and corporate directors.

    /sarc

    • Colonial Viper 5.1
      7 March 2013 at 7:43 pm

      The best thing is, the Board will have taken legal advice at tax payers cost, on how to evade answers from the MPs.

    • tc 5.2
      7 March 2013 at 8:14 pm

      Highly paid arrogance and well instructed to give 2 fingers to their potential future employers, Nationalise the bally lot of them.

      Herr heffernden’s a real piece of work.

    • tamati 5.3
      7 March 2013 at 10:02 pm

      Actually the member for Dunedin North is not a shareholder in MRP, the Crown is. The directors are simply acting as any private company director is entitled too. If David Clark wishes to ask the hard questions about an S.O.E he has ample oppurtunity to do so during question time.

      • Colonial Viper 5.3.1
        7 March 2013 at 10:20 pm

        Private companies and their directors should not these protections stripped. When Parliament demands answers it should receive them, no exceptions.

      • Colonial Viper 5.3.2
        7 March 2013 at 10:23 pm

        Private companies and their directors should have these protections stripped. When Parliament demands answers it should receive them, no exceptions.

        • TightyRighty 5.3.2.1
          8 March 2013 at 7:07 am

          But the opposition is demanding them, those who don’t sit on the treasury bench. Your confusing being in parliament with being in power. The opposition can expect a fair answer to its questions. It cant demand anything until it has the mandate to. Clare might have been right about you

          • TightyRighty 5.3.2.1.1
            8 March 2013 at 8:20 am

            Terrible grammar and punctuation. Stop doing this shit on your phone.

  6. Colonial Viper 6
    7 March 2013 at 7:42 pm

    The payments are smart. They are a cheap way for the government to guarantee compliance and performance from the board on these plans. No leaks.

    Oh by the way, remind me who set Mighty River Power up as an SOE?

    • emergency mike 6.1
      7 March 2013 at 9:33 pm

      “The payments are smart. They are a cheap way for the government to guarantee compliance and performance from the board on these plans. No leaks.”

      +1 That was my thought also. Why else would persons on 6 or 7 figure salaries need this bonus money for what should be their responsibility anyway? Did they throw up their hands and say “Aw sheet govna, I’m gonna need some more dosh for all this extra working I’m doing.” Or did Shonkey call them up and say “Heeeeeyyyy… Really appreciate your work on this, um, matter… You really deserve some more money.” I’m gonna guess…

    • ghostwhowalksnz 6.2
      8 March 2013 at 12:40 pm

      Bolger of course !

      Were you suggesting it was Labour ?

  7. irascible 7
    8 March 2013 at 9:34 am

    One idea springs to mind after Arrogance and that is a corrupted mindset in management under a KeY owned government?

  8. fenderviper 8
    8 March 2013 at 10:54 am

    Spoiled brats Stealing rats running MRP.