Air New Zealand chairman Tony Carter, left, and CEO Christopher Luxon deliver the Air NZ annual result. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Air New Zealand chairman Tony Carter, left, and CEO Christopher Luxon deliver the Air NZ annual result. Photo / Jason Oxenham
National carrier diplomatic about property mogul’s new travel arrangements after he was ejected from one of their flights but say he must follow the rules if he wants to fly with them again.
Air New Zealand boss Christopher Luxon wanted a bob each way when asked about the national carrier's recent high-profile ejection.
"I love Bob Jones, what a character," Luxon said on Wednesday.
"But yeah, I'm pleased he's found his own airline to travel on and good luck to him."
In May, the property mogul was told to get off an Air New Zealand plane before it left Auckland for Wellington .
The incident unfolded after Sir Bob, who was seated in an exit row, refused to say "yes" when asked if he could open the exit in the event of an emergency, one witness said.
The multi-millionaire responded by purchasing his own twin-engine Cessna Citation Mustang.
And Sir Bob pulled no punches when revealing the acquisition in an online column.
"No airline, not even in the worst Soviet Union days, matches the infantile nappy-statism of an Auckland-Wellington Air New Zealand flight," he wrote.
Luxon was more diplomatic when asked if Sir Bob would be welcome back to the airline.
"[Of] course he would be, as long as he follows the rules he's welcome - just like any other passenger."
Swimming with sharks
Are spin doctors Botica Butler Raudon among those owed money from the now-sunk Mako Networks?
The public relations firm was keenly pushing positive news stories about the network security company to journalists in the month before its receivership and liquidation.
Business Insider is aware of only one reporter who took the bait before the company shut its doors, apparently owing $26 million to Spark.
While he was keen to talk before these woes became public knowledge, senior counsel Allan Botica is overseas for the next few weeks and was unavailable when Business Insider called.
Mako's liquidators could not comment on whether Botica's firm was a creditor.
All haste - to a degree
Business Insider yesterday observed the Financial Markets Authority ruing the "misplaced expectations" about the speed and transparency of its investigations.
We would never suggest the FMA was slow and opaque, but the watchdog clearly felt the need to point out that it was "acutely aware of the need for efficiency, speed and transparency" in the action it takes.
"We are also mindful of the potential seriousness of the consequences for individuals and firms," it said in its yearly enforcement report yesterday.
"We will therefore continue to balance the objectives of openness and promptness with a fair and thorough process, particularly for significant investigations, potential court proceedings, or other sanctions," the regulator said
The FMA's Belinda Moffat said the statement wasn't an explicit reference to the Milford Asset Management market manipulation probe, which settled in June for $1.5 million - a conclusion which some observers regarded as far too long in coming.
Lender's remorse
If Business Insider is ever in need of a quick line of credit, please remind him not to go cap in hand to Australian rich-lister John Grill.
Australian rich-lister John Grill has been giving evidence in the High Court. Illustration / Rod Emmerson
Described across the Tasman as notoriously media-shy, the 70-year-old WorleyParsons chairman could not avoid being in the spotlight this week when giving evidence in his High Court court fight with businessman George Kerr.
The stoush is over whether Grill's company can get about A$31 million in late fees on a loan taken out by a private equity fund associated with Kerr.
The 60-day, A$37 million loan accrued late fees of A$500,000 for every week it wasn't paid back.
Grill, formerly a billionaire but now estimated to be worth merely A$368 million, told the court his firm had only lent outside the family twice, and that both times a New Zealander was on the other side of the transaction.
The first occasion was a $20 million loan to Alan Pye to assist with the Temuka crop and dairy farmer's takeover of Dairy Holdings.
Given the subsequent fight, Business Insider reckons Grill will think twice before lending again to any Kiwi on the lookout for a loan.
Double jeopardy?
Mark Lacy appears in Auckland High Court. Photo / Nick Reed
Business Insider wonders if former OPI Pacific chairman Mark Lacy is in hot water with the Queensland Legal Services Commission.
Lacy, an Australian solicitor, touched down briefly in Auckland last Friday to plead guilty to misleading investors of OPI, a finance company that collapsed owing $247 million.
He is due back in this country next month for sentencing.
Regardless of what penalty is imposed, his conviction could present problems for him on the Gold Coast, where he is a partner at Hickey Lawyers.
If Lacy is to face any disciplinary action, the Legal Services Commission would say nothing of it to Business Insider.
On this side of the Ditch, other lawyers-cum-convicted finance company directors have fallen foul of the Law Society.
Dominion Finance's Robert Whale, for example, was suspended from practising law for a year for his transgressions. And Bridgecorp chairman Bruce Davidson was censured by a disciplinary tribunal and then later suspended when he challenged his telling-off.
