Cabinet Minister Judith Collins talks to Audrey Young about her multiple roles in the Government.
The Government has appointed several former National Party ministers to important positions.
This is nothing unusual for incoming governments, though it has the potential to erode trust in politicians.
David Bennett was a minister outside Cabinet for less than a year from 2016 to 2017. He has been appointed to two roles, one of which he had no ‘significant’ experience for.
“Jobs for the boys” is how Labour leader Chris Hipkins described the Government’s appointing of former National Party ministers to important roles.
It was notable, however, that no questions were raised about their respective abilities: Sir Bill English (reviewing Kāinga Ora), StevenJoyce (advising on the new infrastructure agency), Simon Bridges (chair of NTZA), Paula Bennett (chair of Pharmac), Murray McCully (reviewing school buildings), and Roger Sowry (reviewing the ferries).
Hipkins’ main criticism was that it happened as thousands of public servants were losing their jobs at the same time.
But one appointee was a former minister who never made the front bench: David Bennett.
While there’s nothing to suggest that proper process wasn’t followed, documents released to the Herald revealed his lack of relevant experience for one of the two roles he was given, though Bennett told the Herald he had a mix of other skills and experience.
Who is David Bennett?
During his time as a National MP, Bennett was considered a loyal supporter of Judith Collins in her various leadership bids.
When she succeeded in 2020, Collins promoted Bennett into her shadow Cabinet as her 11th-ranked minister, with the prized National Party portfolio of Agriculture (Bennett has been a dairy farmer since 1995).
He kept that ranking in Collins’ reshuffle following National’s crushing defeat in the 2020 election, when he was also made spokesman for Horticulture and Biodiversity.
Judith Collins on the Election 2020 campaign trail as National Party leader, with then-Agriculture spokesman David Bennett and then-East Coast candidate Tania Tapsell.
Photo / Amelia Wade
After Collins was rolled, he was demoted to number 20 under Christopher Luxon’s leadership and given Economic and Regional Development. He was later made spokesman for Racing and dumped from Luxon’s shadow Cabinet.
He retired after the 2023 election, having been in Parliament for 18 years as both a list MP and an electorate MP (Hamilton East).
He had been a Minister outside Cabinet under Sir Bill English’s tenure as Prime Minister, with portfolios including Food Safety, Veteran’s Affairs, Associate Immigration, and Associate Transport.
He lost the latter two in a reshuffle five months later, which were given to new Ministers outside Cabinet, but was given Racing. As Racing Minister, he introduced a bill to charge offshore betting operators for taking bets from people living in New Zealand. It was “terminated” at select committee.
That gave him some relevant experience for his role on the TAB NZ board, which Racing Minister Winston Peters appointed him to, and announced, in August 2024.
His appointment as deputy chair of the Callaghan Innovation Board, by comparison, flew under the radar.
As it must be by law, the appointment was gazetted in April 2024. Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins, who appointed him, made no announcement.
Then-National MP for Hamilton East, David Bennett, with then-National Party leader Judith Collins. Photo / David Bennett
Collins chooses Bennett
Collins raised the idea of appointing Bennett to Callaghan, according to documents released to the Herald under the Official Information Act.
“At a meeting with officials on 26 January 2024, you indicated your intention to appoint Hon David Bennett as Deputy Chair of the Board,” said a February briefing from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Callaghan is a Crown agency that administers grants to start-ups and offers research and development support. It aims to “accelerate the commercialisation of innovation by New Zealand business”, the briefing said.
It noted Bennett’s work experience outside Parliament as an accountant and running a dairy farming business, as well as his law and commerce degrees from Victoria University, and his certificate of science (in agriculture and horticulture) from Massey University.
His extensive parliamentary experience also included chairing various parliamentary select committees, including finance, transport, and primary production, and he was Assistant Speaker of the House before retiring from politics.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Judith Collins followed all the right processes in appointing her former party colleague David Bennett to the Callaghan Innovation Board. Photo / Tom Rowland
He was interviewed for the role on February 9, when he said he was ready to turn the organisation around while showing “an understanding of the challenge to New Zealand’s economy in developing medium-sized technology firms”, according to the briefing.
“He referred to his role as president of Young Farmers as a previous turnaround job,” the MBIE briefing said - a role he held in 2001-2002, according to his CV.
“While Mr Bennett does not have significant governance experience at a board level, he has recently been advising the board of TAB New Zealand [which he was later appointed to],” the briefing said.
“The [interview] panel felt that Mr Bennett is in the early stage of his formal governance career, but he can draw on many aspects of his previous work, including in his parliamentary career, to support him in this role.”
After the interview, Callaghan chair Jennifer Kerr agreed “to provide him with both formal and informal support to allow him to develop and be fully effective in his role”.
The briefing added that Bennett had “a good understanding of the role of the Board in leading the organisation”.
The next section of the briefing was redacted, citing the free and frank expression of opinions between Ministers and Crown agencies.
Labour’s spokeswoman for science, innovation and technology, Deborah Russell, echoed her leader’s comments: “It would be good to know what Mr Bennett’s particular expertise in innovation and start-ups is. Otherwise it does seem like jobs for the boys.”
Bennett told the Herald: “Boards require a mix of skills and I am pleased to offer commercial experience, financial analysis and political knowledge to the Board”.
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins speaking at the Space Foundation Space Symposium in America in April 2024. Photo / Supplied
Collins follows proper process
In her subsequent Cabinet paper, Collins noted her responsibilities under the Crown Entities Act:
That she “may only appoint a person who, in the responsible Minister’s opinion, has the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience to assist the statutory entity to achieve its objectives and perform its functions”.
That she “must take into account the desirability of promoting diversity in the membership of Crown entities”.
“I am satisfied that the appointment of Mr Bennett will provide for a well-balanced Board in terms of gender, age, ethnicity and geographic representations, and an appropriate mix of skills and experience,” Collins said in her Cabinet paper.
She added that the selection process was consistent with the Public Service Commission’s guidelines, and no issues were raised during due diligence checks, nor any conflicts of interest.
Cabinet approved of her pick, and Bennett started his three-year term on April 8, with an annual pay rate of $28,000.
Callaghan has been following the Government’s edict to find savings across the public sector, with two rounds of redundancies in an organisational “reset”.
Forty-one roles were disestablished in the 2023/24 financial year, and a further 20 have been cut since October, including 14 workers in support roles and six in science or engineer roles.
The public service union criticised these moves as reckless and short-sighted. Collins responded by saying they were an operational matter for Callaghan, while she remained committed to supporting the science sector to grow the economy.
Derek Cheng is a senior journalist who started at the Herald in 2004. He has worked several stints in the press gallery team and is a former deputy political editor.
