FRIEND AND FOE
It's not long ago that Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright was being praised by all parties for her competence and independence, as Parliament voted her reappointment. Some MPs have short memories, and there was much muttering from National MPs this week as she told a select committee that in her opinion planned changes to water down the Emissions Trading Scheme would be a costly and environmentally damaging mistake. A little longer ago, some of the same MPs were praising Wright's work on the poison 1080 (she supported its use), while others with greener inclinations were questioning her judgment. Will the same National MPs suddenly become fans again if Wright concludes that hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" - which she is now investigating - is not the most evil mining practice in the world, and the cause of earthquakes as some critics claim?
SORT THIS ONE, MURRAY
One of the great below-the-surface political battles of recent years has been between the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board and some of those it regulates. There have been petitions, legal threats, furious lobbying and much more. Now, Murray Burns has been appointed to sort out the mess. While Burns has a long history of dealing with the dark politics of the health sector, he'll have his work cut out.
POWER STRUGGLE
One hell of a political battle is building up in the corridors of power over Resource Management Act reforms. While Environment Minister Amy Adams is meant to be in charge of the law changes, few doubt that Steven Joyce is the driving force for the most radical reform of the law proposed by the Government's technical advisory group since it came into being. Most National ministers would be quick to dismiss groups such as Greenpeace as scaremongering luddites, but when they are joined in alliance with Blue-Green lobbyist Guy Salmon and others, some ministers will start to take note. With the law changes not agreed on yet, let alone drafted, there is still some way to go. One interesting dynamic is whether former Conservation and Environment Minister Nick Smith will get his feet back under the Cabinet table when John Key reshuffles his ministry this year as Lockwood Smith takes up his new post in London.
BLINK, DON'T MISS IT
Haier's bid for Fisher & Paykel could be a bonus for gadget lovers if the Chinese firm shares some of its technical know-how. Among the innovations Haier showed off at a Berlin trade fair this month was a fridge with a touchscreen door that can display a list of its contents, use-by dates, and even suggest cocktail recipes using its contents. Also on show was a TV which allows viewers to change channels and set the volume just by blinking.
MAYBE-MAN DROPS IN
You might have missed it, but last night a man who could be the president of the United States was speaking in Auckland. The fact that he was campaigning in New Zealand so close to polling day might say something about his chances, but James Harris, the Socialist Workers Party candidate for president, was indeed here. Sure, the guest of the Militant Labour Forum is a very long shot to upset Obama or Romney, but he is on the voting forms.
