6.00 pm
The Employment Court in Wellington has been told the State Services Commissioner cannot be held responsible for Christine Rankin's failings as the chief executive of Work and Income.
Alan Galbraith QC was summing up the case for the defence in the hearing of Ms Rankin's $818,000 claim against the State
Services Commissioner alleging political interference in his decision not to reappoint her.
He said she had a "misplaced" belief that the State Services Commissioner could somehow be held responsible for the deficiencies in her performance, and capabilities which led to her not being considered for reappointment.
Associate Social Services Minister Ruth Dyson took the stand earlier today. She said she could not recall Social Services Minister Steve Maharey criticising Christine Rankin's dress style.
Commenting on a meeting in January last year, Ms Dyson said she could not recall Mr Maharey criticising Ms Rankin's dress, "and certainly not in the sense she portrays".
Ms Dyson said she had always found Mr Maharey politically correct, and he would not and did not "say such things in a way that should have been taken as offensive".
"I remember Mrs Rankin saying that Mr Maharey could not require her to change the way she dressed."
Ms Dyson said that if Ms Rankin saw the meeting as an attack on her personal dress, then she "misunderstood the point".
Ms Dyson said that as associate minister she was responsible for Work and Income's day to day operations.
She said when the Government in 1999 it was concerned at the department's performance failures, and inevitably some of these must have related to the chief executive.
She strongly denied ever making any personal criticism of Ms Rankin.
Ms Rankin's lawyer Michael Quigg is expected to sum up the prosecution case tomorrow.
Judge Goddard Goddard is likely to reserve his decision.
Feature: the Rankin file
