Written By:
- Date published:
12:03 pm, February 20th, 2026 - 13 comments
Categories: corruption, Judith Collins, unemployment -
Tags: cronyism, fairness, hiring, jobseekers, law commission, transparency
It’s tough for those of use who don’t have work, can’t find work, or have given up altogether on finding a meaningful job. If you believe the tea leaves, things are looking up in 2026 that happens to be Election Year.
Even with strong competition, or because of strong competition, job applicants should and can expect a fair and transparent process that’s befitting basic levels of human respect and dignity.
However, not everybody sees things this way, not all jobs are equal, and not all applicants are equal (despite having similar CVs on the face of it). Some job hunters think they bolster their apparent intelligence and boost their chances of getting hired by using AI. Apparently, this is not the smart way of getting noticed.
He [a CEO of a recruitment firm] says “authenticity” is what sets candidates apart. And in a tough market, anything and everything helps.
Recently, there was a high-profile job hiring for a unique job that went through a very special process with an authentic applicant. I’m referring to Judith Collins being given the plushy plum position (aka job) of President of the Law Commission, of course.
Judith Collins was the only person considered for the role of Law Commission president – with no recruitment process, no selection panel and no rival candidates.
The blatant arrogance on display shouldn’t surprise us. Similarly, it shouldn’t surprise us that Aotearoa is sliding down the international corruption ranks.
In an election year, politicians should understand that the public’s satisfaction with the political system is mainly driven by the interplay between how well the economy is performing and perceptions of injustice and corruption.
There are of course trade-offs between the two. But given the steady drop in New Zealand’s index score over the past decade, any government will need to pay more attention to fighting real or perceived corruption more effectively.
One cannot help but think that this is business as usual (BAU) for the Coalition and Lady Oravida and nakedly political.
The CoC simply have a tried and tested a priori method for determining 'merit'. No empirical investigation such as interviews, comparisons with others and past performance have any bearing on the decision. They show this same particular genius in other areas such as climate change policy.
The measurement of merit is how many people in the Koru Club you know on first-name basis and vice versa (aka cronyism). Judith Collins can rightfully put Judith Collins KC KC on her business card [my spell checker flags it as a repeated word, the dumb algorithm].
The government's passing of the Employment Relations Act last week will ensure that no candidates are equal. At least in terms of rights like sick pay, annual leave, bereavement leave and rights to fair treatment. The amendments mean that basically anyone can now be classified as a "specified contractor" where minimum employment rights from statute don't apply, workers can be excluded from personal grievance remedies because the boss thinks they have been naughty and those who earn over $200 k (sounds a lot, but it includes everything, including shares, Kiwisaver etc) can be fired at will – whether they are being put under huge performance management systems and being bullied by their boss, refused the right to representation, or any health & safety requirements including stress, and the employers responsibility to provide a safe workplace. I think we will see a tsunami of problems and devastated workers, particularly in the IT industry for AI as they are seeing in the States, Working 17 hour days, without weekends for months on end, all to meet the performance targets of some remote boss and to save “compliance costs”.
When you read this, it makes you weep or it makes you seethe.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/20/pay-equity-change-a-real-slap-in-the-face-to-women-peoples-committee-member/
Idle thought, not worth paying for. Do politicians feature as special contractors or ?
Instead of waiting for the obvious so definite we fall over it, can't we search and find some legislation about how a Proper Government should operate in the interests of its 'shareholding' citizens. Seems to me the present are flouncing about in a sort of theatre sports, pleasing the whims of the faintly amused pseudo nobility which has wrenched itself away from the seething smelly hoi polloi. And only enter their portals when they want to interact sensuously with such of them that is of the Right Stuff.
Gummint pretends to be running us on business lines, but cling to old government forms as a sure revenue from those drawn to the old Brand Name or exciting new tech malformations. All should be looked at carefully to see which is of use to us and shouldn't be abandoned, and which can form the basis of a challenge.
Bring on Gandalf and his staff barring entry – 'You shall not pass'. Or at least the Black Knight from Monty Python and his vainglorious attack on the usurpers wanting to cross his ditch. He didn't give up "C'mon you pansies" he cried without limbs to use, from the ground. We are falling, we are falling too. There is no time or use for rational revision, rationality has been abandoned by the Greed-Crazed; it is time for imagination and clever navigation – before our young flee over the sea. Some clips of Rod Stewart young and old, rather moving, 'I am sailing'. | https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oLQ-HB89whY | https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yh6oTO57O7I .
Speaking of nakedly political it should now be beyond any reasonable doubt a change of govt is desperately needed come November 7………
When push comes to shove, difficulties sharpen the mind to action, and the greedy and unthinking will find it appropriate to push extraneous weight off the lifeboat. The most obvious choice to them.
So don't count on the frozen oldies thawing out enough to get agility plus red blood working in their brains. Cling on to what we have they cry, the rest is extraneous matters.
Maybe you’re projecting here, because many ‘frozen oldies’ I know are considerate people who care a lot about others and the future of next generations.
Incognito – The people I am talking about may be like the ones you know and cherish. I too know such people who aren't thinking clearly about the difficult future or even amending their ideas to fit the present problems.
Amongst oldies with age and experience, the polls show that there is a significant bloc who either support Winston because they like his sort of pie with mixed ingredients, or they support – not Labour because – or they stick with the 'business first' parties because they represent lifestyle and funds.
It will be a challenge to change their minds, and direction that they choose from what they have always done. Could you put your efforts into asking them to help find a new way; to consider and refine what others are suggesting?
It's an uphill battle and has to receive our concentrated and thoughtful efforts. We want to climb Mt Aoraki by a totally different route.
I think it’s mug’s game to try change people’s minds; critical thinking cannot be forced but it can be encouraged through subtle cues and indirect ways with humour (and satire) that raise curiosity and pique interest, even if it may be under the surface. Although my Post was short (by my standards) there were a number of subtle digs aimed at Winston ‘petulant’ Peters too.
I think there’s more merit in trying people to vote at all; you seem to be one of those (https://thestandard.nz/open-mike-20-02-2026/#comment-2056382), ironically. But that’s the topic of this Post.
Internship as currently used in business should be banned or regulated.
I see there is a business promoting and monitising this.
It’s about well heeled people getting their kids to the top of the line.
Like one of Pavlov's dogs, at the mention of Collins, I have a question.
Were her lies at the UN Convention on Torture, a prerequisite for the job or a bonus?
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/10/14/crown-cover-up-when-the-state-turned-on-its-victims/
https://tautokotane.nz/news/the-ministry-of-impunity/
I was so sure that Collins would go grift from Oravida once she finally realised she was a total waste of space being anywhere near the NZ parliament.