Those expecting a scrap at last week's Mood of the Boardroom event might have been disappointed the "debate" between Finance Minister Bill English and Labour finance spokesman Grant Robertson had a highly friendly and often agreeable tone. But Robertson did take one pot shot. There to discuss Labour's financial policies, Robertson opened his speech by pointing out that Herald cartoonist Rod Emmerson's caricature of him - gracing the cover of the Mood of the Boardroom publication - was a little out of date, making him look far too chubby. He took to Twitter later in the day to add, "as cheery and cherubic as it makes me look, 18 months of slog at the gym needs some recognition". Emmerson was happy to oblige.
Electric atmosphere
Energy sector chiefs celebrated with a slew of awards for high achievement at the Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards at the Langham in Auckland. They left at the door any worries about zero electricity price growth to chow down on 40-degree salmon, beef or pork belly accompanied by wines from Marlborough's Ara wines - a new venture for energy heavyweight Todd Group. Industry dynamo Keith Turner was honoured for his outstanding contribution to energy, although the $650 million profit Meridian made on the sale of Australian hydro assets while he was at its helm was not singled out for mention. Mighty River Power boss Fraser Whineray was the victim of the best gentle ribbing when MC Tony Johnson joked the electric vehicle enthusiast had been forced to take the bus to the awards because he forgot to plug in his car. The best in-joke was heard in a queue for the gents at halftime when someone asked whether it was the moment to manage peak demand when the rush was on. The best line in an acceptance speech was from popular energy executive of the year Mike Dunstall, who said he was more comfortable in a high-vis shirt than a rented suit. The biggest threat to the industry's hard-fought good safety record came when a member of the large Trust Power team - up to collect retailer of the year - took a tumble off the back of the stage.
