COMMENT: You will know if you are a regular, that I have broadly been a fan of the Government's Regional Development Fund.
As a concept that can inject tangible life into parts of the country that need it most, it stood up in terms of common sense, practical help, not to mention political capital.
It was the policy that might well elevate New Zealand First into the category of serious political heavyweight. The Gold Card was fun, but it was niche, and smacked of itch-scratching policy.
The regional fund is billions and can, if handled properly, reshape entire communities for generations. And in that is potentially the thing you worry about. The early announcements all seemed to revolve around trees, and I like trees, as far as I can work out you can't have enough of them.
They're good for the land, good for the environment, they help our Paris accord promises. And when they grow, you chop them down, cut them up, and sell them to people for money, and as part of that entire process you create work around them.
But last week not only did we have the Northland scandal - we also had a departure in approach.