In the thick of the controversy over its public outing of ethnic Chinese home buyers, the Labour Party launched a PR offensive with Auckland business last week, hosting drinks at quirky old-school venue The Hopetoun Alpha. The corporate world can't have written them off yet because despite the rain and cold there was a big turnout from all the major players, including Sky, Spark and the banks. Meanwhile, of the many Labour MPs working the room, none seemed more enthusiastic than former leader Phil Goff, who was in fine form meeting, greeting and shaking hands at a breakneck pace. Who knows why that could be?
Hisco fever
New Zealand's top-paid chief executive, David Hisco of ANZ, could be eyeing up a bigger role across the Ditch, with ANZ Group chief executive Mike Smith set to retire next year. As well as hosting several Australian analysts in Auckland in recent weeks, Hisco has followed closely on Smith's tail, signing up to Twitter just weeks after Smith himself joined the social media platform. Despite being New Zealand's top-paid executive, Hisco's $4.27 million salary pales in comparison to Smith's A$10.7 million.
Greek aid package
New Zealand's new ambassador to the World Trade Organisation, Vangelis Vitalis, is en route to Geneva to take up his post, but is making an emergency aid stopover on the way. Vitalis is stopping in at Serifos in the Western Cyclades to visit relatives in financially stricken Greece, and is understood to be carrying medicine, infant milk powder and other vital necessities for his family. Vitalis is the first Greek-New Zealander to be appointed ambassador.
