Public Service Politicisation Infects Government House

Don't expect any semblance of independence from the Governor-General. Rumour has it that Labour stalwart Rob Taylor has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary at Government House. Rob came out of the closet as a Labour Party man in 1996 - the same year he took up publicly with Labour Party researcher Don Badman. He was an early example of politicisation of the public service when MFAT broke with tradition in 1999/2000 and appointed Rob as Phil Goff's private secretary - previously this was a non-partisan public servant's job. Rob was sent by Goff as Consul-General in Los Angeles where he handled a number of sensitive consular cases - his territory covers the entire West Coast, including San Francisco. Some questions remain unanswered - is this appointment a secondment or has Rob resigned from MFAT? And does the Governor-General know that Rob is a Labour Party man?