It's been quite gross to watch the political jackals try and throw Treasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf under the bus before a State Services Commission investigation is complete.
In my view much of what is at stake boils down to simple semantics over Makhlouf's use of the word "hack" andhis use of that term again when he said there had been "deliberate and systematic" hacking of the Treasury website.
There will be differing views on that of course.
But surely mere - and transitory - political embarrassment should not be sufficient to serve Makhlouf's head up on a platter?
Particularly, when this crisis was beaten up by National in the first place (remember the facile "tanks for teachers" claim?) at a time when the main job in front of Makhlouf and Finance Minister Grant Robertson was to get the Budget out.
A level of restraint would not go amiss.
The more pertinent issue is whether - and to what extent - Treasury did take steps to protect Budget sensitive material.
This is what gets to the heart of Treasury competence. And it is very much still on Makhlouf's desk where that buck stops.
Former Deloitte chairman Murray Jack has been appointed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the "Budget leak" incident (including any security measures taken in response), the causes of the incident (including whether Treasury adhered to its own and government-wide guidelines on sensitive material), the appropriateness and effectiveness of Treasury's information security processes for the six-week budget production period, and any links to Treasury's wider information security systems.
Former Deloitte chairman Murray Jack has been appointed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the "Budget leak". Photo / File
This investigation is necessary.
The Treasury is the repository for a great deal of commercially sensitive material. Those who intersect with Treasury - be they companies or banks - need to know their market sensitive information is secure. Particularly, in times of banking crises or other company failures.
The Debt Management Office is also housed there.
It is obvious that Treasury incompetence has not resulted in the loss of millions of dollars or lives.
But there will be lessons for the future.
The findings of the Jack investigation will also have relevance for Makhlouf given his new role as Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland which he is due to take up on September 1.
The private sector - in the main - plays by different rules.
Private sector CEOs can be pushed out in the raw heat of a crisis.
But directors tend to adhere to the rule that a chief executive is the best person to lead a company through a crisis.
Unless the CEO is so spooked by what is at stake that they cannot get on top of the crisis they will be left in place.
The obvious post-mortem will take place much later when stability is assured so that lessons can be learnt and new systems put in place. If necessary, they will then replace the chief executive.
There are exceptions of course.
Fonterra let one of its executives go during the time of the whey protein affair.
But the chief executive Theo Spiering - who should have been the one to front the crisis and take the heat for his own leadership failures - was left in place.
A subsequent board inquiry revealed many disturbing issues including - but not least - the lack of a well-defined and rehearsed crisis plan.
Former Fonterra chief executive Theo Spiering. Photo / File
In Fletcher Building's case, an intemperant email from CEO Mark Adamson to top managers, led to him being pushed out while the company was still trying to get on top of escalating construction losses.
In Makhlouf's case, Cabinet Ministers have withheld judgment. But they have also withheld support.
National politicians and media have put the boot in.
The biggest thing going now for both Cabinet Ministers and Makhlouf is the 10-day rule of politics.
According to the "Bill Clinton rule" - if a beleaguered political player is still in place two weekends into a crisis - they will likely survive.
The media feeding frenzy will be eclipsed by either a new distraction or some other method to lance the crisis.
On Monday, Jacinda Ardern did just that by announcing the withdrawal of NZ troops in Iraq, and, releasing a timeline pinpointing her Ministers did not hear from the Government Communications Security Bureau that there had been no hack until after press statements had been released.
Just enough of a facesaver to allow the Government and Makhlouf to place nice at tomorrow's Beehive farewell for the departing Treasury Secretary.
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