Fox enjoyed inside run, says MP

By FRANCESCA MOLD

The appointment of former Maori Television Service chairman Derek Fox as its chief executive was a "monumental jack-up", says National MP Murray McCully.

He yesterday released documents on the process followed by the board when it appointed Mr Fox in February.

The information emerged as Parliament last night debated the committee stages of legislation setting up the service. The bill was expected to pass today.

Mr McCully said the documents, released under the Official Information Act after intervention by the Ombudsman, showed Mr Fox's appointment was "nothing short of a monumental jack-up".

Mr Fox presided over the appointment process, had questioned applicants, was on the subcommittee that recommended none of the candidates be appointed and had merely left the room so that his fellow board members could vote 3:2 to ask him to take up the $160,000-a-year job, said Mr McCully.

A spokesman for the Maori Television Service said the board was confident the appointment process stood up to scrutiny. Once the decision had been made, it unanimously supported Mr Fox's appointment.

The spokesman said the contract with Mr Fox was also approved by Te Puni Kokiri.

The documents included a note detailing a phone conversation on March 4 between Te Puni Kokiri chief executive Leith Comer and acting Maori Television Service chairwoman Ani Waaka.

The note said Mr Comer was not "completely happy" that the decision not to go back and try to recruit fresh candidates was taken at the same time as the board voted to go with Mr Fox.

There was no explanation about why Mr Fox had not been put through the same scrutiny as other applicants.

Mr Comer was also worried about the 3:2 vote, and that one of those was a proxy.

But he did not believe the appointment process was "fatally flawed".

Board minutes and letters show that as chairman Mr Fox was on the board panel responsible for defining the skills and qualifications needed for chief executive. He also led the questioning of applicants.

On January 30, Mr Fox was asked to leave the room so the committee could discuss its options.

They were to appoint one candidate seen as a risk, to re-open the recruitment process, or to approach Mr Fox to take the job.

On February 3, they voted to go with Mr Fox.